Spider-Man Might Bail On Andrew Garfield, Here's The Latest

Spider-Man might be making a move away from Sony and into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, according to various reports. Does that mean the current Spider-Man, actor Andrew Garfield, is going along with him?

Right now, plans for the future of the Spider-Man series appear to be fluid, with ripples in the current changing the direction of the series on a daily basis. Following the report that Sony and Marvel might be working together behind the scenes to allow Web head to appear in future MCU movies, Badass Digest follows up with confirmation that the plan is only one of multiple possibilities that have been floated for Spidey… and at least one of them involves recasting the role, altogether. If it happens, it would be in The Sinister Six, with Drew Goddard’s movie acting like a "soft reboot" of Marc Webb’s current series. The site notes that Peter Parker would work with the villains, Dirty Dozen-style, to take down a larger threat. But part of that deal would mean a new actor playing Spidey, according to the rumor.

That raises so many interesting concepts. What would the larger threat be? Would the threat stem from Marc Webb’s universe? Or would it come from some place entirely different? Would Dane DeHaan still be the driving force behind The Sinister Six, as was hinted at in the final minutes of The Amazing Spider-Man 2? Or would this "soft reboot" include the origin of the villains that were part of that team? Because you could replace Electro with The Vulture or Doc Ock, and have a more interesting team.

And what does this mean for Andrew Garfield, the actor who charmed audiences when he won the role of Peter Parker / Spider-Man back with The Amazing Spider-Man?

In a recent interview, the actor admitted that he didn’t think Spider-Man was that important to the concept of a Sinister Six movie. And while I disagree with that, I do think it’s becoming less and less important who is wearing the mask if we’re only going to get a Spidey who fights alongside the Sinister Six or battles Thanos as part of a newly-formed Avengers. The quiet, character-building moments that define Peter Parker – and attracted Andrew Garfield in the first place – appear to be disappearing as Sony figures out the most action-packed ways to use Spidey on screen. I’ll miss those beats dearly, while still looking forward to what the future holds for my favorite superhero.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.