10 MCU Characters Most Likely to Show Up in 'Spider-Man 4' (2024)

Three years after Spider-Man: No Way Home shattered box office records and expectations, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have finally announced plans for a fourth untitled Spider-Man movie, collectively called Spider-Man 4 by fans at the moment (not to be confused with Sam Raimi's canceled Spider-Man 4). The film will open in theaters on July 24, 2026, making it the longest appearance gap for Spider-Man since he joined the MCU in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.

While not much is known about the fourth entry, its release date between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars raises plenty of questions. One element fans are sure of is that at least one other MCU hero will appear. Ever since Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios made a deal to allow Spider-Man into the MCU, part of the deal is that not only can Spider-Man appear in Disney-produced MCU movies, but Sony Pictures can also use MCU characters in Spider-Man films. Sony Pictures has truly exploited this with Spider-Man: Homecoming featuring Iron Man and a small cameo from Captain America, Spider-Man: Far From Home featuring Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Talos and Soren, and Spider-Man: No Way Home featuring Doctor Strange and Wong.

With that in mind, here are the MCU characters that should (and might) appear in Spider-Man 4.

10 The Fantastic Four

Much like Spider-Man before, The Fantastic Four entry into the MCU has been a long time coming, and since Disney acquired the characters' rights in 2019, fans have been waiting for Marvel's First Family to get the big screen treatment they deserve. The MCU seems to be emphasizing the Fantastic Four as their upcoming film, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, will kick off Phase 6 in 2025.

The characters will also appear in 2026's Avengers: Doomsday and 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars. If The Fantastic Four becomes the cornerstone title of the MCU, it would make sense to put them into Tom Holland's next Spider-Man film, which will be between the two Avengers films.

Two of Marvel's Biggest Names United Together

The Fantastic Four and Spider-Man have a long history in the comics. The Amazing Spider-Man #1 from 1963 saw Peter Parker trying to join the Fantastic Four. Since then, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four have teamed up on many occasions, with Peter Parker even forming a close friendship with Johnny Storm/The Human Torch.

After the Fantastic Four rebranded as the Future Foundation following Johnny Storm's death, Peter Parker joined the team to honor his fallen friend. The Fantastic Four are so low on this list because their upcoming film is set in an alternate timeline, and it is unclear when or where Spider-Man 4 will take place. It feels difficult to pinpoint how Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four might meet at this point in the MCU.

9 Deadpool

One of the biggest obstacles facing Spider-Man 4 is how to top the high expectations and box office of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Without a big hook, Spider-Man 4 can't help but look like a step down, even if it still manages to gross $1 billion at the box office. Funny enough, that is the same issue Deadpool is facing following Deadpool & Wolverine. Where do they go for their next film after seemingly leaving all the cards on the table and making more money than any movie can reasonably follow up? How about solving both problems together and pairing Spider-Man and Deadpool?

Funny Business

While Deadpool and Wolverine were the pairing fans waited years for, Deadpool and Spider-Man is a close second. Spider-Man is often considered a comedic hero, but next to Deadpool, he can't help but be a straight man, making this a fun pairing where Spider-Man needs to be the more mature one. Deadpool & Wolverine established Deadpool inhabiting Earth 10005, but that doesn't mean he couldn't join Spider-Man in the MCU for a crossover. Deadpool & Spider-Man together is an easy pitch to print money that opens up plenty of comedic options.

8 The Punisher

On the surface, The Punisher seems like the last character to pair with Spider-Man, but Frank Castle originally debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 in 1974. The Punisher is a big-name Marvel hero who certainly would attract the attention of general audiences. Tom Holland previously co-starred with Punisher actor Jon Bernthal in the 2017 film Pilgrimage. With the two actors having a history working together and The Punisher being introduced in a Spider-Man story, it just feels natural for Spider-Man and Punisher to cross paths in the MCU.

The Punisher Can Solve the Kraven Problem

Including the Punisher might solve the Kraven the Hunter-sized hole the Sony spin-off films have created for the MCU. It appears that if a Spider-Man character gets a solo movie, that supposedly restricts them from appearing in the MCU Spider-Man films. This seems to mean Kraven the Hunter is barred from inclusion due to the Aaron Taylor-Johnson film.

With The Punisher, the MCU already has its own deadly killer character that could be used in an antagonist role to go after Spider-Man. Unlike Kraven the Hunter, The Punisher would likely then team up with Spider-Man to fight a more significant threat, just like he did in his original comic book appearance.

7 She-Hulk

While Peter Parker was already represented by Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, what if his superhero alter ego also needed a very good lawyer? Well, there would be no better pick than Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk to represent Spider-Man in a court of law, since superhero law is what she specializes in.

Since She-Hulk's debut in her Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, there have been no plans for her character, which seems odd because out of all the recent MCU characters, she feels like the one that is the easiest to slot in as a supporting character in other projects. Both She-Hulk and Spider-Man are comedic characters, which opens the door for plenty of great banter between them.

A Key Writer Has Shaped Both Characters

Spider-Man and She-Hulk have a link in the comics through writer Dan Slott. Slott wrote She-Hulk for 21 issues from 2004 to 2005, and in issue #4 of that run, Jennifer Walters represented Spider-Man in court. That issue served as a test run for Slott's run on various Spider-Man titles that lasted from 2010 to 2018 and included landmark storylines like Doc Ock taking over Peter Parker's body and becoming the Superior Spider-Man, as well as expanding the Spider-Verse concept. She-Hulk and Spider-Man are two characters who might not, on the surface, appear to have a lot in common but are linked through a specific creator.

6 Ms. Marvel

In many ways, the meeting of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel would be the perfect symbolic team-up. Both are teen superheroes, but Ms. Marvel is fundamental to the core identity of Marvel in the 21st century, the same way Spider-Man was for Marvel in the 20th century. Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel changed their comic publisher for the better and spoke to the desires of audiences, which made them immediate fan favorites whose popularity has grown considerably.

Two Young Fan-Favorite Heroes Uniting

With Ms. Marvel being centered in New Jersey right across the way from New York City, where Spider-Man swings around, it certainly makes sense that these two characters would come head to head at some point. We don't expect Spider-Man to join Ms. Marvel's Young Avengers team she is building, but Ms. Marvel is likely still going to have adventures outside of the young superhero team.

Iman Vellani has made Ms. Marvel one of the most endearing characters in the MCU, and audiences would love to see her bounce off Tom Holland's Peter Parker. Plenty of delightful comedic interactions could happen between two young heroes who have grown up idolizing superheroes.

5 Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel's possible appearance in Spider-Man 4 comes down to the fact that actress Brie Larson has appeared in every one of Destin Daniel Cretton's movies, from Short Term 12 to The Glass Castle to Just Mercy.

With Brie Larson being an MCU superhero, Cretton included her in a post-credit scene for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, continuing their tradition of working together. It would be a shame to have that tradition end with Spider-Man 4. While Captain Marvel could easily be a one-scene character, even a post-credit one like in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, we could also see her being a big supporting player for Spider-Man 4.

Not a Mentor but a Peer

Including Captain Marvel in Spider-Man 4 could be as simple as Carol Danvers briefly updating Peter Parker on the mysterious black symbiote left behind at the bar at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, since she has likely encountered a symbiote in her years traveling the cosmos. Captain Marvel only has one brief encounter with Peter Parker in Avengers: Endgame, the two have had plenty of interactions in the comics, and even briefly dated at one point.

4 Jessica Jones

With Marvel Studios bringing back Daredevil, Kingpin, and The Punisher, it feels only fitting they bring back other characters from the Defenders roster. The one that most fans seem to agree on wanting to return next is Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter. Ritter played the role of Jessica Jones for three seasons from 2015 to 2019 and The Defenders miniseries. A hard-boiled, bitter detective who likes to drink and has little patience for people is a nice contrast to the light-hearted, sweet-natured Spider-Man.

Spider-Man Needs a Detective Ally

If Spider-Man 4 wants to follow the setup at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home of Peter Parker/Spider-Man having more grounded New York-based crime stories, Jessica Jones' status as a private detective in New York City makes her a prime ally for Spider-Man to cross paths with.

Spider-Man and Jessica Jones could team up on a specific case, one that reveals a greater conspiracy. Their pairing would also be a nice callback to the characters' comic book history, as Jessica Jones was retconned into being a former classmate of Peter Parker.

3 Daredevil

Ever since Charlie Cox reprised his role as Matt Murdock to be Peter Paker's lawyer in Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans have been clamoring for their alter egos of Daredevil and Spider-Man, respectively, to team up. Daredevil seems to be positioned as an anchor character for the MCU as he has since appeared in 2022's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, 2024's Echo, and will next be seen in Daredevil: Born Again, a continuation of his 2015 Netflix series. Cox will also return to voice Matt Murdock in the animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, further linking The Man Without Fear and the Webhead.

A Long Awaited Team-Up

If Spider-Man 4 did want to go for a street-level story but give it a big-name character to feel like an event, Daredevil is a big name that would attract audience attention. With Daredevil and Spider-Man, both vigilantes in New York City who wear red, these two heroes have developed a long-established friendship in the comics.

Putting a young Peter Parker with an older Matt Murdock does change the dynamic but makes for a strong character arc. After years of being a vigilante and possibly growing more cynical, Daredevil could see Spider-Man as naive but also a hero who could remind him of the good in people. Meanwhile, Spider-Man could learn much from Daredevil and be put into a real culture shock by teaming up with a more violent vigilante and showing Peter Parker what he wants to do differently.

2 The Kingpin

While the previous Spider-Man movies have been about featuring a major MCU hero, Spider-Man 4 could change things up by putting a villain as the main draw, and none would be more appropriate than The Kingpin. While mostly associated as Daredevil's arch-enemy, The Kingpin actually debuted in The Amazing Spider-Man #50, the famous "Spider-Man No More" issue from which Sam Raimi lifted the shot of the Spider-Man costume in the trash from Spider-Man 2.

Kingpin's status as a Spider-Man villain has somewhat been restored thanks to 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Insomniac's Spider-Man game, and Spider-Man 4 could continue that trend. Since Vincent D'Onforio showed up as The Kingpin in Daredevil, fans have asked for him to go face-to-face with Spider-Man, and now is the chance.

A Villain That Could Unite Spider-Man With Many Other Heroes

Marvel Studios brought back Vincent D'Noforio as Kingpin first in Hawkeye before having him be the primary threat in Echo. Echo's mid-credit scene teased Wilson Fisk's campaign to run for mayor of New York City, which appears to be a big plot point in Daredevil: Born Again.

Putting The Kingpin in a position of power that would go after vigilantes would put Spider-Man, New York's most public superhero, right in the crossfire. Kingpin could not only hire a variety of supervillains to work for him, but he could also be a big enough threat that would unite other New York City heroes like Daredevil and Jessica Jones and bring him down. He could be the ultimate catalyst to bring together many plot points in Spider-Man 4.

1 Shang-Chi

Shang-Chi is one of the best new characters in the MCU following Avengers: Endgame, but since his debut film, he has been absent from other film and television series. His first return will be as a variant in the animated series What If...?, three years after his first film. While Shang-Chi 2 is in development, no release date has been announced, which means it could be up to five years from the time of his debut film until fans see him again. Marvel Studios needs to get Shang-Chi in another film, and Spider-Man 4 is a perfect movie to feature him in.

Shang-Chi Is an Obvious Pick

Shang-Chi feels like the most obvious MCU character to appear in Spider-Man 4 for several reasons. The first is that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton is also set to helm Spider-Man 4. The director is familiar with the character and could continue his story and build up to his sequel. The other is that Shang-Chi and Spider-Man have many connections in the comics.

One year after his debut, Shang-Chi appeared in Giant-Size Spider-Man #2 from 1974 and fought Spider-Man before teaming up. In Amazing Spider-Man #644 from 2011, Shang-Chi trained Spider-Man in a martial arts style called "the Way of the Spider" and was also a major player in the crossover event Spider-Island. More recently, the two heroes teamed up in the comics to stop a gang war in Manhattan.

With Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings teasing Shang Chi's sister Xu Xialing assuming control of the Ten Rings and reshaping it, her new criminal empire could factor into Spider-Man 4's story. It would give the crime story a larger scale, one with global implications. It forces Shang-Chi and Spider-Man to team up, further establishing Shang-Chi as part of the MCU while giving Spider-Man a new ally who wouldn't have known him before the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.