Throughout most of the Spider-Man movies, Peter Parker has been depicted as a student – in high school for the original films, The Amazing Spider-Man series, and Tom Holland’s first three movies, and at Columbia University in Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3. While this could change with future films like Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it’s generally been a consistent part of his story. The events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, where he and his friends were denied admission to MIT, now place them at the appropriate age to be starting college in upcoming movies.
We need to refresh the Spider-Man films, and continuing the story started with Tobey Maguire‘s Peter Parker is the way to do it. Mattson Tomlin, who co-wrote the upcoming The Batman Part II, is working to make this happen.
What Did Tomlin Say About His Take on Spider-Man 4?
Tomlin wants to explore a new challenge for Parker: juggling the demands of being a superhero with the responsibilities of fatherhood. The story would focus on his constant struggle to be both a good parent and the city’s protector.
Progress might be slow, but consistent effort will ultimately succeed. While many factors outside of my control are at play – involving numerous people and political considerations – I haven’t received a definitive rejection yet, which is encouraging.
— mattson tomlin (@mattsontomlin) October 26, 2025
The most promising part of the recent interview is that Sony hasn’t ruled out future projects with the actor. The success of No Way Home definitely sparked renewed interest in continuing the storylines from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man films, meaning a fourth film directed by Sam Raimi isn’t impossible. The big question now is whether Raimi would be interested in directing – it’s what many fans would love to see.
Sony struggled to launch its Spider-Man Universe films beyond Venom, but the huge excitement around Tom Holland’s third solo movie showed that audiences still love the older versions of the character. When Tobey Maguire appeared on screen, theaters erupted in cheers. The same happened when Andrew Garfield showed up, but the reaction to Maguire was even more enthusiastic.
By the time of No Way Home, Peter Parker was significantly older – nineteen years had passed since Spider-Man 3, meaning he was likely already a father. After both Maguire and Garfield’s versions of Peter share their painful experiences with Holland’s Peter, who is grieving the loss of Aunt May, the three Peters team up to create cures for villains like Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Lizard, and Electro. While working together in Holland Peter’s high school lab, Maguire Peter reveals that his relationship with Mary Jane had its challenges, but they ultimately found a way to make it work.
Basically, if Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man had children, Kirsten Dunst’s character, Mary Jane, would be their mother. This means a potential Spider-Man 4 would need to include her. Dunst even hinted to Town & Country magazine that she’s interested in appearing in another big film, suggesting she’d likely be open to reprising her role as Mary Jane Watson after more than 18 years.
No Way Home definitely paved the way for another Spider-Man movie, whether it continues the story with Tom Holland or revisits the universes of Garfield and Maguire. It would be fascinating to see how Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Men react to knowing other universes exist, and how that knowledge might change Tobey Maguire’s approach to being a father.
When it comes to the main storyline, Peter juggling being a dad, a husband, and Spider-Man is arguably the strongest focus of all the Sam Raimi films. The first movie did a great job showing him trying to balance his powers with his relationship, the second brilliantly combined the pressures of college with his weakening abilities, and while the third explored the idea of controlling anger at the expense of everything else, this new balance feels like the most compelling and natural progression for the series.
The emotional core of the original Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 films wasn’t just about Peter Parker himself. While introducing the Lizard now wouldn’t really fit, they could still revive the idea for Spider-Man 4 that was planned years ago: casting John Malkovich as the Vulture. Or, given Michael Keaton’s excellent portrayal of the character in the MCU, they could simply find a role for Malkovich, especially since scenes he filmed for The Fantastic Four: First Steps were recently cut.
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2025-11-01 22:40