6 Paths MCU’s Spider-Man 4 Should Follow To Be On The Level Of No Way Home

At the end of the Infinity Saga, and especially Phases 4 and 5 of the MCU, the stake has been raised to a different level. Spider-Man: No Way Home follows this trend, and reaches a new height with the introduction of the Multiverse, featuring various versions of both villains and Spider-Men coming from different dimensions, which leads up to an epic battle at the end, thus setting a very high ceiling for the sequel.

It would be foolish for Spider-Man 4 to try and match the scale of No Way Home, as it only leads to the movie’s doom (just look at Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania for example). Instead, the sequel could aim for something smaller and more grounded, slow it down a bit, and explore different aspects of Peter Parker’s life now without his friends and allies. Some smaller villains who have little to no superpowers like Kingpin or the Hobgoblin will also make good adversaries for Spidey in the film.

The end of No Way Home, which sees Peter giving up on his fancy Stark technology to make his own homemade suit is an obvious sign that he’s ready to take on the vigilante role not as a member of the Avengers no more, but this time, as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Though he’s still very young, Peter Parker is already one of the characters who suffers the most in the entire MCU. After losing his first girlfriend and then his mentor Tony Stark, No Way Home is the ultimate tragedy for him: Aunt May, his only beloved relative left, was killed by Green Goblin, and then the whole world, including the Avengers and his two best friends and lover MJ and Ned, forgot about his existence due to the spell. Peter is now all alone and helpless, and has to start everything from scratch.

Of course, Parker Luck has been an integral part of Peter’s life from the comics, and the character grows by learning through his mistakes and thriving through his pains. This wouldn’t be a problem in the comics, as it has its own way of continuity, but in a movie franchise, it’s quite cruel and unreasonable to have Spider-Man keeps suffering again and again. Our boy Peter deserves better.

Making a mistake – the mistake leads to some serious consequences – suffering -realizing and fixing the mistake, such is a familiar pattern that we have seen many times before in the MCU Spider-Man trilogy. In the first movie, he tries to do everything on his own and failed, in Far From Home, he accidentally lets Mysterio knows too much, and in No Way Home, his selfish request results in the disturbance of the Multiverse and the death of his aunt. It feels like Peter never learns from his mistake, and keeps repeating them again and again, only to receive immeasurable consequences.

Yes, we know that making mistakes and the tragedies that ensue is part of Spidey’s life to make him learn and develop as a hero, however through the course of the three films, it feels like he has hardly learned anything at all. Marvel needs to stop this annoying trend, and let Peter handles more serious matters rather than fixing his own mistakes all the time.

This might be a bold take, since Ned and MJ have been a crucial part of Peter’s journey so far, and everyone wants the Web-Slinger to somehow undo the spell to reconcile with them again in Spider-Man 4. However, if we think about it, Peter has already made up his mind and tries to move on at the end of No Way Home, as he decides not to reintroduce himself in the coffee shop to protect their well-being.

Later we see Peter donning his new self-made outfit, leaving behind the name of Peter Parker and the Stark technology and carving his own path, as a sign that he has already moved on from his past and whomever he used to know. It would be weird for him to reverse his decision, and risk his friends’ life once again by revealing his identity.

Besides, the departure of Ned and MJ isn’t all bad, as it can open up a path for new characters from the comics to the big screen. There are still many iconic characters from Spidey’s comics such as Gwen Stacy or Harry Osborn, who were portrayed successfully in the previous Spider-Man franchises, that haven’t been introduced into the MCU yet. The movie could even present us with some new iconic villains of the Wall Crawler, such as Venom or Kraven the Hunter.

Many believe that Spider-Man 4 is the final solo adventure in the MCU for Tom Holland as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and while the actor himself hasn’t confirmed anything yet, it would be reasonable for Marvel to find a replacement to fill the gap. And who else is worthy enough to inherit the moniker besides Miles Morales himself? Miles has already had two successful animated movies of his own, which were very well-received by both fans and critics, and a live-action movie about the Kid Arachnid is in talk of production, according to Amy Pascal.

Miles’s existence in the MCU is also confirmed through a deleted scene in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which sees Donald Glover’s Aaron speaking with his nephew on the phone. If Spider-Man 4 is going to be Peter Parker’s last solo movie in the MCU, might as well let him pass on the title to his worthy successor, Miles Morales in the end to introduce the latter into the MCU.

Which direction do you think Spider-Man 4 should go to be at least on par with the other movies? Share your thoughts in the comment.