With the recent news that Spider-Man will be returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s a lot of hype surrounding the potential end to Spider-Man in the MCU. The agreement also approves the use of the character for an appearance in a non-Spider-Man film but with the character’s rich cross-over history that can be almost any film. However, with news on the same day of a Madam Web movie in development, it seems likely we may get Multiverse adventures with Tom Holland’s Spidey.
MCU Phase 4 & Beyond Features More Multiverse
In 2021, the MCU has a multitude of films and Disney+ shows premiering on screens globally. Out of the various 2021 projects, WandaVision, Loki, Doctor Strange 2, and What If…? are confirmed to deal with the Multiverse. With WandaVision, rumors state we’ll get a cross between the House of M storyline and Tom King’s Vision series. The Loki series has been described as Loki using the Space Stone which creates a new timeline which he then travels across. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a crossover continuation of WandaVision, exploring the Multiverse in greater depths than the first Doctor Strange film did. What If…? will showcase various alternate universes and potentially dimensions, as The Watcher acts as the narrator/guide for the audience.
With Spider-Man 3, it seems an alternate universe being explored would be a natural carry-over from what other films have explored. While this likely wouldn’t be the entire film’s plot, it could be how they end the film or maybe the villain is involved with multiverse shenanigans. This was originally the backstory given for Mysterio, having him be a hero from another Earth. Along with the wide audience introduction to Spider-Man travelling the Multiverse in the animated movie Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, it wouldn’t be a hard sell. However, the next question would be whether Spider-Man would go to an alternate universe within the MCU or blend into the Sony Universe of Marvel films.
Madam Web Connects The Spider-Verse
In the comics, Madam Web is both a person and a title. The first Madam Web, Cassandra Webb, was a blind mutant gifted with telepathic abilities. When she died, she passed these onto the second Spider-Woman named Julia Carpenter. In other media she has been depicted as a lesser cosmic being able to travel, communicate, and see the future in multiple realities through her connection to the web of life and destiny. With a Madam Web movie in development it’ll be interesting to see if Madam Web is established as a being able to transverse the multiverse for Sony similar to Doctor Strange in the MCU. This could be a safe approach to introducing another Spider-Man for Sony films while leaving Tom Holland’s iteration alone.
It’s also emerged multiple times that Sony is interested in connecting Tom Holland’s Spider-Man with Tom Hardy’s Venom franchise, although they’re in very different universes. Understanding how stubborn Sony has been in the past about creative decisions, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sony tease the multiverse as a way to crossover MCU Spider-Man with other characters. However, the likelihood of executing the idea without Kevin Feige’s support is close to zero.
