Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy is still a pinnacle of the superhero genre with its critical reception and box office success. The beloved trilogy also received a recent resurgence, with Tobey Maguire appearing in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Prior to Maguire's return, A fourth entry in the Raimi series was in development and set to feature characters like Vulture, Mysterio, and Black Cat. Ultimately, Sony decided to go in a different direction and rebooted the franchise with Andrew Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man.

Rumors have floated around for years that Sony would revisit Raimi's world, but there's been nothing concrete from the studio. Spider-Man 3 star Thomas Hayden Chruch has also heard rumors of a potential return. Whether there's merit to the rumors or not, Sony should still consider making another Raimi Spider-Man movie with Maguire for a few reasons.

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Sony Has Proven Multiple Spider-Man Franchises Can Exist

Tom Holland is the current face of the live-action Spider-Man franchise, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and co-produced by Marvel Studios. However, superhero movies have evolved a lot over the years, and audiences can follow more than one ongoing franchise, with the successful Spider-Verse films introducing Miles Morales in animation. Sony has already proved it can produce multiple successful Spider-Man franchises at the same time.

One of the reasons why the MCU Spider-Man series and the Spider-Verse films can co-exist is because they both bring something different to audiences. It wouldn't be too tricky for Raimi's Spider-Man 4 to set itself apart from the other Spider-Man franchises since it can be a different type of story. Especially since Maguire is an older Peter Parker and has always been the most relatable. There's an Old Man Logan-esque story that can be told with Maguire and would be a fresh take for longtime fans. Raimi could also explore the sequel story he originally set out to tell and, given the filmmaker's sensibilities, still differentiate itself from the other crop of Spider-Man films.

Sony ran into trouble retreading familiar ground with The Amazing Spider-Man because it was another origin story. A fourth Spider-Man film from Raimi would differ from the next MCU film starring Tom Holland given his age, not requiring an origin, and the Spider-Verse trilogy is dealing with something far grander with the multiverse. With these factors in mind, there is more than enough room for Raimi's take on Spider-Man to continue alongside these other current projects.

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Sam Raimi Is Making Superhero Movies Again

After Spider-Man 3 and the fourth film's cancelation, Raimi went on to direct films outside the superhero genre, but he eventually returned to helm Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness for Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios. Prior to the Doctor Strange sequel, Feige and Rami had a history together with the original Spider-Man films. It seemed Feige trusted Raimi to direct more MCU films in the future and has even been rumored to helm Doctor Strange 3 and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proved Raimi still has what it takes to direct a superhero tentpole, and his style is unique and fits the genre well. If Raimi ends up directing another Marvel Studios film, then the possibility of the filmmaker reuniting with Maguire on a fourth installment of his Spider-Man series isn't out of the realm of possibility. It's also a chance for Sony to make up for the missteps of Spider-Man 3 and give Raimi even more creative freedom than the first two films. Marvel Studios could also fuel a potential fourth film since they are resurrecting the '90s animated X-Men series and tapping into the nostalgia of these past gems.

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Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 4 Would Be More Successful Than Sony's Spin-Offs

For years, Sony has been eager to launch a Spider-Man universe of its own. The studio failed with the set-up in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 but succeeded with the Tom Hardy-led Venom film. Sony has since produced other films centered on other Spider-Man characters, such as Morbius, and upcoming features following Kraven the Hunter and Madame Web. None of Sony's spin-offs have received as much praise as Raimi's Spidey movies, with Morbius being the weakest link of them all. A major reason why these films haven't been "sticking" with audiences is because they lack a connection to Spider-Man despite being characters with ties to the hero.

Producing a fourth entry in the Raimi franchise would be more successful than what Sony is doing in its separate Spider-Man universe because it would have the wall-crawler himself. The power of nostalgia audiences have for those films would also lead to excitement, and it's partially why No Way Home was as successful as it was. Sony should be making more films with an actual Spider-Man in them instead of trying to turn every villain the wall-crawler has faced into an anti-hero. Raimi's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness earned close to a billion dollars worldwide, while Maguire's inclusion in Spider-Man: No Way Home pushed the film to nearly $2 billion. It's clear audiences still love Maguire's Spider-Man, and Raimi still has what it takes to direct a successful superhero film in today's crowded landscape. In May 2022, Raimi said he wasn't pursuing another Spider-Man film and was unsure if the studios would pursue the project. Spider-Man: No Way Home inspired Maguire to act again, and the actor has expressed his interest in returning to the role once more.

Superhero films are now down to three major franchises: the MCU, the DCU, and Sony's Spider-Man universe. In order for Sony's Spider-Man universe to continue and keep up with the MCU and DCU, the studio will need to incorporate the wall-crawler into its plans. Superhero audiences are also more sophisticated than ever before, and with Marvel in the midst of its Multiverse Saga and DC bringing back familiar faces like Michael Keaton's Batman, viewers would be able to quickly accept and differentiate between Maguire's and Holland's fourth Spider-Man films. DC also plans on having two different live-action Batman franchises at the same time, so why couldn't Sony do the same with Spider-Man? Bringing Raimi and Maguire back for another installment would be a surefire hit for Sony, and it might just be what the superhero movies need next -- something audiences trust.