Doctor Strange In Spider-Man 3 Makes Maguire’s Return More Likely

[Eren]

The reveal that Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is joining Spider-Man 3 is good news for those hoping that Tobey Maguire’s take on the web-slinging superhero will make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Spider-Man 3 will continue the journey of Tom Holland's take on the character, and, based on the post-credits scene from Spider-Man: Far from Home, it was assumed that Peter Parker’s next adventure would see the titular character on the run as a fugitive wanted for the murder of Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal).

No official story details have been revealed as of yet, but recent reports regarding the untitled third Spider-Man movie have shed some light on which characters will be entangled in Peter Parker’s next MCU story. Jamie Foxx will be reprising his role as The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s Electro in the movie, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will be replacing Iron Man in the mentor role.

For a long time, there have been speculation and rumors that Phase 4 will draw on characters from other Marvel movies unconnected to the MCU. Much of this stems from the inclusion of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in Marvel’s Phase 4 slate. The idea that Strange’s second movie is going to explore alternate timelines has led to theories that like the CW’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” DC TV crossover, the movie can incorporate Fox’s X-Men and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and reveal their worlds are dimensions in Marvel’s multiverse. As fun as this may have sounded, either possibility sounded like a long shot – until it was said that Doctor Strange is coming to Spider-Man 3.

Previously, Maguire playing the same character that he portrayed in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy didn’t feel like something that Marvel might have planned for Doctor Strange 2, particularly because his inclusion didn’t seem relevant, even with Raimi set to direct. After all, there was no reason to believe that any version of Peter Parker would fit into Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch’s multiverse adventure. It may not happen in Doctor Strange 2, but it does feel like a real possibility for Spider-Man 3 at this point. The return of Jamie Foxx's Electro and now the news about Strange teaming up with Parker provide powerful evidence that interdimensional shenanigans will be taking place in Spider-Man 3 as well.

This means that the concept of the multiverse will play a role in at least two upcoming Marvel movies. Not only that, but Strange being around as a mentor suggests that alternate dimensions will be integral to the story. That much emphasis on alternate worlds and the fact that Spider-Man 3 is already relying on at least one character from a past Spider-Man franchise provides the MCU with an excellent opportunity to utilize Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man, whose beloved interpretation of the character would bring a lot of attention to the film. Spider-Man 3 can reveal what he’s been up to since his trilogy ended, and show him teaming up with Tom Holland’s wallcrawler. At the very least, it opens the door to a Spidey-related multiverse, which could be further explored in Doctor Strange 2. This means that, in a way, Spider-Man 3 can be the MCU’s own Spider-Verse story.

[Ryxore]

That would be AWESOME to see. Like geniunly, i've been waiting for this for so long.

[VikingGuy]

Would be cool to see a movie with Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield and Toby Maguire