Thirteen years ago, audiences were treated to Spider-Man 3, a movie that closed out the superhero trilogy from Sam Raimi (who will also direct a new Doctor Strange film), but not necessarily on a strong note. Out of all three original films that starred Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco, the third entry has the lowest critic score on Rotten Tomatoes by a wide margin, sitting at just 63%. While the previous two films both had the webslinger squaring off against a single villain, Spider-Man 3 saw Peter Parker going up against three: Sandman, Venom, and Harry Osborn utilizing some of his father's tech without fully becoming a new Green Goblin. On top of the numerous antagonists, the movie also tried to squeeze in an introduction for Gwen Stacy. It proved to be just too much for one film to handle, and the result was a story that had less focus. Now, with so many cameos and returning characters announced for yet another third Spider-Man movie in one series, it seems like the upcoming movie could be facing the same issues.
Tom Holland's next outing as Spidey already has plenty of buzz based on the rumored and confirmed appearances of past villains and heroes. That includes possibly bringing back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield to reprise their roles as their respective versions of Peter Parker, as well as Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane. Even though Sony has suggested that none of this is yet confirmed, fans seem to think that they will be getting the live-action version of Into The Spider-Verse they desperately crave. However, if all of the stories floating around about the new movie are true, then it won't just be two other Spider-Men swinging onto the screen. Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange will appear in the movie, with unconfirmed reports also suggesting that Charlie Cox will reprise his Daredevil role as well.
Cumberbatch's character appearing makes the most sense, as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be used to set up all of the potential universe-hopping in this movie. However, Cox coming back as Daredevil seems questionable at best, even though Matt Murdoch and Spider-Man have teamed up numerous times in the comics.
All of this hasn't even touched on the villains that the numerous Spideys could be facing off against. That could include both Alfred Molina coming back to play Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx returning as Electro. In the event that all of these characters actually are confirmed to appear in the film, that amounts to a whopping eight major characters, all of whom would have to play a part in the main story, while having their own character arcs as well.
This all adds up to an ambitious project, one that could, unfortunately, collapse under its own weight if it is not handled carefully. This is not to say that a movie with multiple heroes and villains can't work, but there are still limitations. Into The Spider-Verse won an Oscar and managed to tell a tight, coherent story about multiple Spider-People coming together to beat numerous villains. On the other hand, the Avengers films may have stacked their casts with Marvel protagonists, but they only ever teamed up against one bad guy (Loki, Ultron, and Thanos, respectively). Too many heroes and villains together at once might spoil the formula.
The other issue that the movie could run into is not allowing some of the characters any room to breathe or play a significant role in the story. For another example from the 2000s, The Dark Knight featured an indelible version of the Joker, but also a somewhat throwaway appearance from Two-Face. This was further exacerbated in The Dark Knight Rises, when on top of Bane and Catwoman (who mostly splits the difference between hero and villain), the story also featured a third act reveal of Talia al Ghul.
Despite the potential limitations of an overstuffed cast, it's hard not to feel optimistic about tying the past into the present with the current crop of superhero movies. For many filmgoers of a certain age, the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies were the first indicator that comic book films really could be made with care and passion. Even the Amazing Spider-Man films, while not as well-received as their predecessors, still displayed a solid sensibility and love for the character.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is not alone in paying tribute to the past, either. The DC Extended Universe is also getting in on the fun, with Michael Keaton donning the batsuit once again for The Flash in what could likely be another multiverse scenario.
The MCU Spider-Man series has taken some of the better elements from the previous series and combined them with teen movie tropes into something that feels familiar while standing on its own merits. If the third film in the trilogy really is able to combine all of the rumored characters into one cohesive story, it could be something really special and could set the precedent for combining the standalone superhero movies of years gone by with the combined film universes of today.
If the filmmakers wanted to be extra ambitious, they could even somehow incorporate Japanese Spider-Man into the fold.