Spider-Man 4 Could Introduce A Fan-Favorite Superhero

Spider-Man fans have been on high alert since producer Amy Pascal announced Sony’s plans for a live-action Miles Morales film. The character has become a beloved superhero since his introduction in the Ultimate Spider-Man comics; his jump to the big screen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is, after all, an Oscar winner. Live-action seems to be the final frontier for Miles, but with Sony’s focus split in multiple directions, it may be a while before he finds his way into its larger cinematic universe.

Apart from a live-action Miles movie, Pascal and Sony are developing several Spidey-centric projects. In 2023, the producer told Variety that a Spider-Verse spin-off featuring Hailee Steinfeld’s “Spider-Gwen” was arriving “sooner than you expect.” Sony is also partnering with Marvel Studios on another Spider-Man movie featuring Tom Holland. Then there’s the Hypno Hustler film starring Donald Glover, a movie about wrestler superhero El Muerto that briefly featured Bad Bunny (he’s since departed the project), and at least two series in development. Sony is all-in on their Spider-Man universe, so where exactly does Miles fit in?

Variety recently caught up with the team behind the Spider-Verse films, and asked Pascal for an update on the untitled Miles project. Pascal revealed the film would be coming “someday,” but there are apparently two movies that need to be made before Brooklyn’s one-and-only Spider-Man can swing into live-action.

The two movies are likely the third animated Miles film, Beyond the Spider-Verse, and Marvel’s fourth Spider-Man film. There’s no telling where those sit on Sony’s release schedule; Beyond, in particular, was indefinitely delayed after the Hollywood strikes and a notoriously troubled production.

Spider-Man 4 might be in a better place than Sony’s animated Spider-Verse. Holland shared a promising update last year, telling The Hollywood Reporter the creative team had found a “reason” to return to Peter’s world. “I’m really, really happy with where we’re at in terms of the creative,” he revealed.

Could Spider-Man 4 also hold the key to Miles’ introduction? Not much is known about the project, but Holland’s Spider-Man films have already laid the groundwork for another webslinger in the MCU. Glover appeared as Miles’ uncle, Aaron Davis, in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and even mentioned having a young nephew. In No Way Home, Peter moves into a new apartment, and his neighbors might just be the Morales family.

Holland also told Inverse he’d “be honored” to usher Miles into the MCU: “How we do that, I don’t know. But given the opportunity, I would jump at it.”

Given the actor’s waning interest in the Spidey world, it would make sense to introduce a new hero to take on the mantle. Marvel and Sony have been building towards his introduction since 2016; it may take a while for the studios to get on the same page for Miles’ live-action debut, but Spider-Man 4 would be the perfect opportunity.