It’s official: “Spider-Man 4” is on the way from Marvel Studios, and likely will be fast-tracked for a 2026 release. But outside of Tom Holland returning to star, Chris McKenna & Evan Summers back to pen the script, and Destin Daniel Cretton directing, further details about the upcoming blockbuster remain unknown. That includes if the multiversal shenanigans of 2021’s “No Way Home” will continue, and by extension, if Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield will also be back as their respective versions of Spider-Man.
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But that won’t stop interviewers from plying Garfield with questions about his potential involvement in “Spider-Man 4.” That’s what “Happy Sad Confused” host Josh Horowitz did to the actor in a new live episode of the popular podcast. After a brief discussion about his involvement with “No Way Home,” conversation drifted to the upcoming sequel and whether or not Garfield has had conversations about returning for it. Garfield replied with a typically cagey response. “Yeah, of course, your assumption is not unfounded.” he told Horowitz. “If I was in your position, I can imagine going, ‘Yeah, he’s probably had some conversations,’ too, yeah.”
Undeterred, Horowitz pressed further, asking the actor if he had any ideas for “Spider-Man 4.” “I also understand that question as well,” Garfield responded in a vague, playful way, much to the live audience’s delight. “I also understand in your position you’re going to be wondering, because it was such a success, that you’d go, ‘Well they must be talking about it.'” “I could imagine how you imagine that to be true.” Horowitz laughed, but asked for any details a final time in a more indirect way; if he were a betting man, should he put money on Garfield’s return? Said Garfield, “This feels a little tantamount to illegal, kind of insider trading in some kind of way. No matter what I say, I could be held liable for that, and I’m going to decline to comment.”
So, there’s nothing conclusive to glean from Garfield’s comments, but an earlier quote in the interview about “No Way Home” may help clarify the actor’s stance on “Spider-Man 4.” When speaking about Jon Watts asking him to join the film, Garfield said he was matter-of-fact with the director about what he wanted his involvement to be like. “‘I don’t want to do this if it’s not going to be fun, I don’t want to do it if it’s not going to be healing in some way, I don’t want to do this if it doesn’t feel actually meaningful,'” Garfield said about his initial stance on being part of “No Way Home.” “There’s got to be a real reason that we’re all in this same multiverse, this particular universe together. It can’t just be like a cameo. It has to feel like there’s a purpose to it, some destiny there for these three to share space. And he was so up for that, as were the writers.”
Of course, “No Way Home” ended up being a fan favorite MCU film. And it’s also the last commercial mega-hit for Marvel Studios, with the 2021 blockbuster taking in $1.927 billion worldwide during its theatrical run. That success alone guarantees that Garfield has indeed had some conversations about returning for “Spider-Man 4.” But in reality, the upcoming film is likely still in the earliest stages of development. Even if Marvel fast-tracks the film to hit theaters before other Phase 6 films, it’s unlikely McKenna & Summers have a definitive story idea yet. And with even Zendaya‘s involvement in “Spider-Man 4” unclear, it’s silly to speculate anything from Garfield’s comments. Maybe his Peter Parker will be back, maybe not; it’s way too early to tell (and Marvel will play their cards very close to their chest, as they did with “No Way Home”).