2021 is here, and that means that Marvel Studios’ SPIDER-MAN 3 comes out this year in December. After two very successful Spider-Man movies, news came out soon after that Sony was pulling back the film rights to Spider-Man. Marvel Studios’ president Kevin Feige worked his magic and was able to secure another deal for the wall crawler for the foreseeable future! SPIDER-MAN 3 was announced soon after, along with confirmation that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker could also appear in a non-Spidey film as well.
SPIDER-MAN 3 will tie directly to DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS, with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange appearing in SPIDER-MAN 3. Now that’s where things will start to get interesting because past Spider-Men, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, are now being reported to appear in the film. Kristen Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson is also rumored to be in talks to return as well. It doesn’t stop there. Alfred Molina’s Doctor Otto Octavius has been confirmed to return, along with Jamie Foxx’s Electro. Willem Dafoe’s Norman Osborn and Thomas Haden Chruch’s Sandman are also reportedly being courted to reprise their roles again.
Foxx took to social media to confirm the news and assured fans that he wouldn’t be blue this time, and that he’d be getting a new look. Does this mean Doc Ock will get a new look as well? Doc Ock died in the final moments of 2004’s SPIDER-MAN 2. So I strongly believe that this is a new version of the character. The same with Electro. Perhaps that might go for Green Goblin and Sandman too? With Strange appearing, and with two other Spider-Men rumored to appear as well, the Spider-Verse will surely happen. But I’ll get to that a little later.
While it’s easy to assume that this film will be overcrowded, and that it might be the second coming of 2014’s AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2, I strongly disagree with that notion. Kevin Feige and SPIDER-MAN 3 writer/director Jon Watts will want to make an amazing movie. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2’s failure is what opened up Spider-Man’s tenure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So no one involved will want to recreate the failure that was AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2. Feige and Watts will have that in the back of their minds 24/7 while working on the film, which has been filming for the last couple of months now. The saying is, “in Feige I trust,” and I stand by that here.
If you thought those casting rumors were it, you’re wrong. Sony has reportedly cast a live-action Miles Morales that they want Marvel Studios to use in SPIDER-MAN 3. If this is indeed true, Shameik Moore who voiced Miles in 2018’s SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, would be an ideal choice. Moore is 25 and while he might be a little tall and too old to play Miles, he would still be perfect for the role. If that doesn’t excite you, Charlie Cox’s Daredevil is also rumored to be making an appearance.
In 2018, right after DAREDEVIL season 3 was released, it along with JESSICA JONES, THE PUNISHER, LUKE CAGE and IRON FIST were all canceled at Netflix. The actors’ contracts ran for two more years at Netflix so Disney couldn’t use them… Until now. Back in the Fall, Cox’s Netflix contract concluded and rumors began to swirl that he would be coming back as the character for Marvel Studios this time. Having Matt Murdock in SPIDER-MAN 3 would make for an ideal first appearance. With Murdock being a lawyer by day, he could be trying to help prove Peter Parker’s innocence in the death of Mysterio which happened in SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME. Spider-Man and Daredevil are also VERY close allies in the comics, particularly in the new Daredevil run “Truth/Dare III” which began back in the Summer.
The last big rumor surrounding SPIDER-MAN 3, is that Kraven the Hunter might be the main villain of the film. If you are unfamiliar with Kraven, here’s all you need to know about the madman: He’s a big-game hunter who’s hellbent on slaying Spider-Man. He views Spidey’s head as what would be the crowned jewel on his mantle. With the multiverse being all but confirmed, my long running theory has been that Kraven would be an inter-dimensional Spider-Man hunter. Traveling around from world to world hunting down and killing every Spider-Man in the multiverse. With all of these villains coming back for the film, maybe Kraven will be recruiting them to join him in his pursuit of killing every Spider-Man.
That’s where the Sinister Six comes into play. Since 2017’s SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, the Sinister Six has been rumored to eventually appear. After Spidey dealt with Vulture and Shocker, we met Mac Gargan (aka Scorpion) briefly, who was played by BREAKING BAD’s Michael Mando. The Sinister Six is a villainous team of - Yes, you guessed it - six of Spider-Man’s greatest foes. They joined forces because they finally realized that they couldn’t defeat Spider-Man on their own. This was, and still is, one of Spider-Man’s greatest challenges: Facing six of his most fearsome villains all at once and trying to defeat them. It’s a tall order for Spider-Man and one that will take him a while to conquer.
With the MCU’s Spider-Man still being a high school student, and young into his crime fighting career, I would assume that he won’t defeat them right away. Maybe the Sinister Six will easily best Spider-Man right off the bat? It is likely through Doctor Strange where Spider-Man meets the other Spider-Men who help him to eventually defeat the Sinister Six. Maguire and Garfield’s Spider-Men are more seasoned, they’ve been Spider-Man for a long time. They are at their height of pure strength. Having them train Holland’s Spider-Man, could be the stuff superhero dreams are made of.
This movie is gearing up to be quite the film, and it has rightfully so garnished a lot of excitement and opinions around it. SPIDER-MAN 3, for now, is expected to hit theaters December 17, 2021. And we can’t wait to see what they do with it!