Regardless of the day, date, or even year, Marvel fans love Spider-Man. The webslinger is one of the most timeless heroes in the history of the comic book medium, saving people and making a name for himself since his debut in 1960. He has never looked back since that moment, becoming a star of the screen (and stage!) through the years.
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are currently spending this March eagerly anticipating the debut of the long-awaited Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer, the date of March 12 specifically was a sad one in Spidey history - because, in many ways, it's a reminder of a different day that never was. And a very different Spider-Man 4.
It's been 17 years since Sony announced Spider-Man 4 (which never came out)
March 12 is an important day for Spider-Man fans, and it isn't particularly one worth celebrating. On this specific date 17 years ago - March 12, 2009 - Sony Pictures officially announced that Spider-Man 4 would release in 2011. But the film would never make it into production, therefore ending the original series of Spidey movies.
Spider-Man 4 would have been the fourth installment in Sam Raimi's series of films. Tobey Maguire obviously would have reprised his role as Peter Parker and his webslinging alter-ego, while much of those films' supporting cast - from Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson to Rosemary Harris' Aunt May - likely would have returned as well. It would have looked to course-correct the franchise after the divisive Spider-Man 3, which released in theaters in 2007, received criticism for having too many villains and overstretched storylines.
Sony Pictures to release Spider-Man 4 on May 6, 2011.
— Sony Pictures (@SonyPictures) March 12, 2009
Somewhere along the lines, however, plans changed and Sony cancelled the film, opting to reboot instead. From there, they brought in Marc Webb to direct 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man, starring Andrew Garfield as Spidey and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. Although that film was well-received, it did receive criticism for being another Spider-Man origin story that was occasionally derivative of Raimi's original 2002 movie. Like Spider-Man 3, its overstuffed 2014 sequel promptly ended that film series, eventually resulting in Sony making a deal with Marvel to introduce a new Spider-Man into the MCU. Tom Holland took over the role and the rest is, well, ongoing history.
Nevertheless, it's interesting to look back on this tweet and reflect on what could have been for Sam Raimi's legendary Spider-Man story. We've gotten so used to calling it the "Raimi trilogy" over the years, but there is a timeline out there where the fourth movie happened. Oh how we would love to hop over into that timeline for a short stay - one long enought to watch that Spider-Man 4!
The good news is that we don't have to imagine what a fourth Spider-Man movie featuring Tobey Maguire would look like, as Marvel gave us the ultimate gift in 2021.
Tobey Maguire eventually returned as Spider-Man in the MCU
Although Spider-Man 4 never happened, Tobey Maguire did get another chance to play Spider-Man again. A decade after the Raimi movie was supposed to come out, he suited up again in Marvel Studios and Sony's Spider-Man: No Way Home. The movie exists as part of the MCU's Multiverse Saga and it's the third to star Tom Holland as the wall-crawler; but he's not the only Spider-Man to appear in that movie.
Maguire and Garfield reprise their roles as their respective Spider-Men, appearing alongside Holland's in a movie event that brought the three big-screen Spideys together. Considering the popularity of the Spider-Verse in both the Marvel Comics and the animated films, it was pretty fitting that the MCU managed to find a way to incorporate that idea by bringing the three Spider-Man stars together. To describe it as a moment in time still couldn't do it justice.
Seeing Maguire back in that iconic Spider-Man suit is truly a sight to behold and it's incredibly fulfilling to see him get one more chance to play his most famous role - especially after the opportunity of a fourth film was so unceremoniously robbed from him a decade prior. And what's even more exciting is that it might only be the beginning of a new chapter for his Peter Parker, as reports claim that he could make a cameo appearance in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars. And when you consider that both of those will bring about an end to the Multiverse Saga, the chances of that happening are really quite high.
Speaking of Holland, he will next reprise his role in this summer's Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The next installment in the MCU's Spidey franchise, it will directly address the fallout of Peter's sacrifice in the end of No Way Home (when he had Doctor Strange cast a new spell to make everyone forget that Peter Parker existed), showing him thriving at superheroics while struggling at almost all other aspects of his life.
Fans have been eagerly anticipating the trailer for the upcoming film for weeks now, with many of them constantly tweeting the official Sony Pictures account, asking them where the Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer is. Perhaps if Sony were to release that this year, it could forever change the story for March 12 - or at least it would for this year.