Please, Please Don’t Let Spider-Man 4 Be a Multiverse Story

With the currently untitled Spider-Man 4 now having Destin Daniel Cretton in the director’s chair, things are finally moving forward for what may be the start of a new trilogy. However, after the large-scale multiverse shenanigans of No Way Home, it might be best to do something more low-key.

Spider-Man 4 Should Keep Its Ear to the Ground

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype for cameos, legacy characters returning to reflect on their career in meta-story beats, and seeing crossovers people only dreamed of in the past. However, a certain street-level aspect is practically ingrained into the DNA of the character Peter Parker. Stan Lee and Steve Ditko originally created the character with the appeal to his youth and underdog character in mind. While there was room for crossovers and team-ups, it was Spider-Mans solo adventures in the streets of New York that told some of the most engaging stories in the character’s mythos.

While it’s entirely possible for Spider-Man 4 to be a multiverse story and still be a good movie, it isn’t inherent to the character’s nature. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker had an international adventure followed by a team-up with multiverse variants of himself, which ended with the character becoming closer to the one fans know from Stan Lee and John Romita Sr.’s run on the series. The conclusion of the Jon Watts trilogy seemed to imply that, whatever Spider-Man would do next, it would be alone and in the streets of New York. From the small apartment to the shot of a sewing machine and a homemade costume (a far cry from the high-tech Stark Suits at the center of the previous films), all the signs pointed to a return to the small-scale, friendly neighborhood heroism of the first film.

If the multiverse were to become an integral aspect of Spider-Man 4, it would spit in the face of what the themes and character arc of No Way Home tried to do. Instead, the film should lean into the path that has already been set up for them throughout the past three movies. Telling a story of Spider-Man on a scale similar to Homecoming that shows Peter relying on nothing but his powerset and intelligence could harken back to something akin to the Raimi trilogy, which is beloved for how independent it made the character. Moreover, with Cretton on board, there’s an opportunity to make Spider-Man 4 with all the best parts of the previous movies and iterations.

Spider-Man 4’s New Director Knows How to Keep Things Grounded

Cretton is, at this point, most well known for his work direction Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. As fantastical and mystical as the film felt, it still managed to keep its titular character grounded, which sold us on the family drama aspects of the film. While Peter Parker doesn’t have any family this time around, Cretton can still tap into that character work seen in his last MCU outing and show Peter Parker without the resources he once had as an Avenger.

The director also has a clear eye for action, as seen in the action and fighting sequences displayed in Shang-Chi. The martial arts superhero movie is something that can translate incredibly well to Spider-Man, whose acrobatic nature and super strength also lend themselves to creative and dynamic action. The fight scene on the runaway bus in Shang-Chi is perhaps the best example of what Cretton can do in Spider-Man 4. Spider-Man: Far From Home and No Way Home had extravagant action sequences involving legions of Stark Drones or the mirror dimension. However, a more grounded story could lead to a refreshing change of pace and backdrop for whatever fights the wall-crawler finds himself in.

Related: Why Ultimate Spider-Man Works So Well

Cretton also did an excellent job of making Shang-Chi feel distinctly different from the other heroes who had been introduced to the MCU at this point. Not only did it show Shang-Chi’s satisfaction with his smaller, quiet life, but it also used the first act to make the character feel like a genuinely good person who would prefer not to use his incredible skills for profit. Overall, the director’s approach to Shang-Chi’s life at the beginning of the film (before more of the mystical elements are introduced) is incredibly similar to how Peter Parker goes about keeping his heroism as Spider-Man separate from his more mild-mannered life.

Please Don’t Let Spider-Man 4 Be a Multiverse Story

At this point, it’s entirely too early in the development of Spider-Man 4 to be able to tell if it will be a multiverse story or not. Following the announcement of Destin Daniel Cretton in the director’s chair, the final trailer for Venom: The Last Dance was released online, with the tease of the incredibly popular (and powerful) villain Knull would play a role in the film, although no one knows how large. Speculative journalists and “scoopers” would take the two seemingly unconnected stories and run with it, making the claim that Knull would be the villain in Spider-Man 4, implying it to be another multiversal adventure for the webhead to go on, more than likely involving a team up with Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock.

It’s the opinion of this humble writer that any further cameo-filled fourth-wall-breaking adventures for Spider-Man would lead to an unfulfilling film desperately trying to recreate the pop culture phenomenon that No Way Home ended up being. The movie, more than the appearance of previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, was bolstered by the heartfelt and moving development of Peter Parker’s selfless nature, leading to his isolation at the end of the film.

Now, Marvel Studios and Sony have the potential to come to an exciting crossroads: Peter Parker can have another exciting solo outing with the backdrops and connections that come with being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With a talented director like Cretton, there is a possibility of tapping into the home-grown, deeply personal thematic touch that made the Raimi Trilogy so singular and powerful. So please, please, don’t let Spider-Man 4 be a multiverse story.