Although 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home admirably concluded the Marvel Cinematic Universe-set trilogy that began in 2017 with Spider-Man: Homecoming, it’s been made abundantly clear in the years since that it wouldn’t be the last time we’d see Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Spider-Man 4 has been in active development for the slate of upcoming Marvel movies, with Holland recently saying that the script “lit a fire” under him. Now we finally know when Spider-Man 4 will hit the big screen, though this announcement now has me wondering how it will connect to another upcoming superhero movie, Avengers: Doomsday.
Sony Pictures has dated the yet-to-be-officially-titled Spider-Man 4 for July 24, 2026. That means Holland will star in two theatrical offerings that July, as he’s also boarded Christopher Nolan’s next movie, which comes out on July 17. Shrek 5, the live-action Moana and Paw Patrol 3 are the other tentpole releases currently slated for July 2026. More importantly, this means Spider-Man 4 will arrive nearly three months after Avengers: Doomsday, which opens May 1, 2026.
Just like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were for the Infinity Saga, Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will serve as the two climactic concluding chapters of sorts for the Multiverse Saga, and with a year separating their releases as well. Spider-Man 4 is the first Marvel movie to be confirmed for that post-Doomsday, pre-Secret Wars period, and there will definitely be more to follow, including perhaps Blade, which lost its 2025 release date earlier this week. Nevertheless, I’m now curious about if the events of Doomsday will directly factor into Spider-Man 4 or if they won’t be a concern.
Here’s what I mean: Ant-Man and the Wasp and Captain Marvel were the two Marvel movies released between Infinity War and Endgame, and aside from their end-credits scenes, both took place pre-Infinity War, meaning they didn’t have to acknowledge Thanos’ snap erasing half of all life across the universe. Is this what’s going to happen with Spider-Man 4? Will whatever goes down in Doomsday play into what Tom Holland’s Peter Parker deals with in his next solo movie, or will it be irrelevant if Spider-Man 4 takes place earlier in the MCU timeline?
At this point, it’s a tossup. On the one hand, it would be easy enough to have Spider-Man 4 take before Avengers: Doomsday so as to not worry about the latter movie’s larger implications on the MCU. On the other hand, both Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will feature Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, and it was rumored earlier this month that he and Holland’s Spider-Man will have significant screen time together. Since the signs point towards Doom being be a Tony Stark variant, maybe the powers-that-be at Marvel Studios would like to explore this dynamic further in Spider-Man 4.
I eagerly await clarification on this as we move closer to Spider-Man 4’s July 26, 2024 release. Filming is expected to begin filming next summer, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Destin Daniel Cretton has taken on directorial duties.
