One Classic Location Can Help Define the New Era of Spider-Man in the MCU

Spider-Man 4 is on the horizon, with the new Tom Holland film set to hit theaters on July 24, 2026. Kicking off a new trilogy set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Spider-Man sequel is one of the most exciting projects in Phase 6. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton helm the next installment of Holland’s MCU franchise, paving the way for a bright and exciting future for the web-slinging superhero.

While Spider-Man 4 is still in early development, many fans know exactly what they want from the MCU movie. Holland’s depiction of the classic comic book hero has been well-received, but die-hard Spider-Man lovers have a few complaints about his film trilogy that Spider-Man 4 can finally resolve. Perhaps one of the simplest but most effective changes that Spider-Man 4 can make doesn’t have to do with how its titular superhero is represented, but rather the location of his high-strung adventures. If Marvel Studios wants to kick off Spider-Man’s next trilogy with a bang, they’ll let the hero hang around his iconic stomping grounds.

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Spider-Man 4 Needs to Stay in New York City

The Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Needs to Stick to His Neighborhood

One of the things that Spider-Man 4 must avoid is taking Peter Parker somewhere other than New York City. After five live-action Spider-Man films, it’s understandable that the MCU wanted to shake things up a bit with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. As a result, the “Home” trilogy took things in a slightly different direction, making some noticeable but non-offensive changes to the Spider-Man mythos to avoid treading the same ground as the Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield films. One such change included taking Spider-Man on more adventures outside of New York City. Spider-Man: Homecoming included an extended sequence in Washington D.C. before eventually returning to New York City for its climax. Spider-Man: Far From Home took place almost entirely in Europe, taking Spider-Man to exotic locations like Venice and London. No Way Home took place entirely in New York, but was heavily focused on visitors from other universes. While this worked well for the “Home” trilogy, Spider-Man 4 needs to stop this trend.

Spider-Man 4 can fix this by keeping Peter Parker in New York City for the entirety of the film–no visitors from the multiverse and globetrotting adventures, but rather a street-level story set in the Big Apple. Keeping the story set firmly in one setting would not only return to Spider-Man’s roots but also give the film a chance to set up its new supporting cast. New York is home to several iconic locations in the Spider-Man mythos, from the Daily Bugle building to Oscorp Tower. Sticking around Spider-Man’s home city would give the new movie a chance to explore these locations as well, rounding out the new trilogy’s story.

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Spider-Man’s Relationship With New York City, Explained

Spider-Man Has Become Synonymous With the Big Apple

Remaining in New York would also give Spider-Man 4 a chance to explore Peter Parker’s relationship with his home city. This is an important aspect of Spider-Man comics and needs to finally play a part in the MCU. Unlike other heroes who spend much of their time traveling to exotic locations and saving the world from major threats, Spider-Man mostly stays put in New York. While he occasionally takes a trip elsewhere, there’s a reason the hero is known as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The web-slinging superhero is synonymous with New York, devoting his life to protecting the innocent people therein. This is an important part of what makes Spider-Man such an endearing hero–he really does care about his hometown. Integrating this aspect of the character into the MCU would help grow Tom Holland’s Spider-Man into the hero that he needs to be now that he has fully accepted his responsibility.

The comics also explore how New York feels about Spider-Man–and it’s surprisingly complex. Even though Spider-Man uses his powers to save the city daily, many New Yorkers despise the web-slinging superhero. This is thanks in no small part to the machinations of Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson, who goes on regular tirades against Spider-Man in his newspaper. This is another important part of the Spider-Man mythos, as the hero continues to protect the city, even when it hates him. This isn’t to say that all New Yorkers harbor a grudge against Spidey, however. A recurring theme in Spider-Man stories is that, though the general public appears to be against him, there are always those who recognize his good deeds and cheer him on in the end. New York’s love-hate relationship with Spider-Man is an intriguing part of the character’s comic book storylines and would make for a terrific exploration in his upcoming MCU trilogy.

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It’s Time for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to Go Street-Level

The MCU’s Spider-Man Doesn’t Need to Fight World-Ending Threats

As a consequence of sticking around New York City, Spider-Man 4 needs to keep its story at the street level. All too often, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has been involved in massive world-threatening crises, from purple aliens wiping out half of the world’s population to multiversal villains whose very presence could destroy the universe. This is a natural result of joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has gotten bigger and more cosmic over the years. When teaming up with the Avengers, it makes sense that Spider-Man experiences otherworldly threats, but in his solo franchise, he needs to maintain the street-level status that makes him such an endearing character.

Spider-Man 4 is rumored to deal with the multiverse, but this would be a major mistake for the franchise. It makes sense that Marvel and Sony would want to replicate the success of No Way Home, which dealt heavily with the multiverse. However, while fans loved the last installment of the “Home” trilogy, a second multiverse story wouldn’t play as well. Fans had their fill of high-strung adventures and wanted to see Spider-Man back on the streets of New York, going back to basics.

There are endless story possibilities for Spider-Man 4, but the best path forward is to keep Tom Holland’s Spider-Man firmly rooted on the streets of New York City. By re-establishing the character’s roots, Marvel can set its new Spider-Man trilogy up for success, bringing back all of the street-level elements that fans have come to love about the character.

Spider-Man Homecoming 4

Release Date

July 24, 2026

Cast

Tom Holland , Zendaya , Jacob Batalon

Studio(s)

Columbia Pictures , Marvel Studios , Pascal Pictures

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