Back in 2009, Sony Pictures teased a fourth Tobey Maguire-led Spider-Man film, citing the release date as May 6, 2011 (via Twitter/X). While we all know that movie never happened, it’s about time Sony and Marvel revisit the idea. Of course, concepts from Sam Raimi’s proposed fourth installment ended up finding their way into future Marvel Cinematic Universe films (such as the Vulture and Mysterio being main villains), but, after Spider-Man: No Way Home — and now everything we’ve heard about the fourth Tom Holland movie — I’m more convinced than ever that now is the right time to bring Maguire’s Spidey back for a fourth solo outing.

‘No Way Home’ Proved Fans Still Want ‘Spider-Man 4’

If you saw Spider-Man: No Way Home back on the big screen when it first came out, then you were probably just as excited as me when both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire returned as their respective Peter Parkers. For so long, it seemed like both versions of Spider-Man were gone for good, and their stories would never be finished. Though I’m still holding out hope for an Amazing Spider-Man 3 (Garfield’s Spidey deserves more love), the truth is that Tobey Maguire’s version of the web-slinger is still my Spider-Man. Like so many of us, he’s the guy I grew up with, and the one I want to see get his happy ending. Over 20 years after the first Spider-Man came out, I now have a wife and family of my own, and I want the same for my favorite Peter Parker.

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No Way Home offered us only a taste of what Peter’s life has been like following Spider-Man 3, noting that he and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) were finally able to make their relationship work after all this time. While that’s good news (hopefully Garfield’s Peter will finally link up with Shailene Woodley’s MJ too), it leaves us wanting so much more. Peter’s lifetime of regret at not being able to save Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), only to stop his alternate self from delivering the killing blow, was powerful, and shows that this mature Spider-Man has the makings of a true mentor, just like his Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson). “With great power, comes great responsibility,” and now it’s time to pass that lesson on to the next generation. Not just the next Peter Parker, but Maguire’s successor in the Sam Raimi-crafted Spider-verse.

This Would Be the Perfect Way to Conclude Tobey Maguire’s ‘Spider-Man’ Story

There are plenty of ways that Spider-Man’s story can continue in new installments. While Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is about to be thrown back into the multiverse, and Andrew Garfield will hopefully use his knowledge about his parent’s past to better his future, there’s already the perfect Marvel Comics story that I’d love to see Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 tackle: Spider-Girl. Around the same time Marvel was trying to pull in new audiences by revisiting Peter Parker’s origins with Brian Michael Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man comic series, the publisher launched their own Marvel Comics 2 (MC2) brand focused on visiting the future of the Marvel Universe. The Amazing Spider-Girl #1 was released in 2006, reuniting audiences with the Spider-Girl character created by Tom DeFalco for What If…? a few years earlier.

I remember reading the Spider-Girl series at my local library and becoming quite invested in Mayday “May” Parker (who some fans might recognize from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). Peter and MJ’s teenage daughter was quite the powerhouse, and an extremely likable character. But what made the Amazing Spider-Girl story so interesting is that she was mentored throughout her superhero career by her father, who could no longer be Spider-Man due to an injury. This could easily be the way in which Maguire’s Peter returns for more, effectively passing the torch to his and MJ’s daughter. After all, No Way Home was vague enough about how his and MJ’s relationship works. Who’s to say that they don’t have a daughter back home?

Whether Marvel Studios and Sony can play nice enough to even make a fourth Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie is enough of a challenge, and, frankly, any way the series continues would be exciting. Since it’s highly possible that he could show up in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, or at some point down the line in the Multiverse Saga, there may still be hope for Spider-Man 4 one day. I’m holding out for it anyway, firmly believing that Peter and MJ can still find their happy ending. If the best Spider-Man can retire knowing that New York is safe in the hands of the person he trusts most, that’s enough for me.

Spider-Man After being bitten by a genetically-modified spider, a shy teenager gains spider-like abilities that he uses to fight injustice as a masked superhero and face a vengeful enemy.Release Date May 3, 2002 Runtime 121 minutes

The Spider-Man trilogy is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

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