Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man is reportedly returning in the most unlikely of places

It's been more than two years since audiences lost their collective minds by watching three different versions of the wall-crawler take over the big screen in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Ever since the positive reception of that crossover, we've been left to wonder if either Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield could wear the Spidey suit once again in a future Marvel project. While the former has certainly expressed interest in returning to the role, the latter has kept his lips sealed tight. Fortunately, there's a new rumor swirling around that paints a clearer picture regarding the future of Andrew's Spider-Man, and it appears we could be really close to witnessing his return.

In an interview with Forbes, Tom Hardy revealed the upcoming Venom: The Last Dance would feature a version of the web-slinger different than that of the MCU. Interestingly enough, it appears the interview was modified after its initial publishing to remove any mention of this huge spoiler. Even then, this wouldn't mark the first we've heard of Spidey appearing in the third - and supposedly last - Venom movie.

Rumors suggest a 10-year-old version of Peter Parker would be integral to the plot, with Eddie looking to take him down before he ever turns into Spider-Man and "kills" the symbiotic supervillain. While that sounds like a strange concept, to say the least, there's a slight chance none of that will ever happen.

See, there's a new report floating around that suggests Spider-Man will indeed have a role in Venom: The Last Dance. However, it won't be as a 10-year-old kid being chased by Eddie Brock. Instead, it will be a beloved version of the character fans have already seen before in a franchise of his own. That's right, it appears Andrew could be back once again.

Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man could appear in Venom: The Last Dance

Initially, Marvel insider HolyField News teased Andrew Garfield would don the red and blue suit once again as his Spider-Man could return in Venom: The Last Dance. Later, they retweeted a post confirming that scoop.

Not only does this report make us incredibly excited for what already seems to be a pretty wild movie, but it also falls in line with another leak that indicates Sony wants to bring back both Tobey and Andrew as the friendly-neighborhood hero in their own universes separate from the MCU. So does that mean that all of the events of the two previous Venom movies took place in the same universe of The Amazing Spider-Man franchise? Well, not necessarily. It's reported that Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker winds up lost in another reality different from his own after the events of No Way Home. The same reality where - you guessed it! - Tom Hardy's Venom feeds off of the heads of criminals.

What's also interesting is that these rumors come after it was confirmed that The Amazing Spider-Man star Rhys Ifans will appear in Venom 3, too. He doesn't appear to be reprising his role from the 2012 film as Doctor Curt Connors, but with rumors of his very Spider-Man returning in the film too, perhaps the rumors of The Lizard's comeback could be true too. Hey, anything can happen in the multiverse of madness!

While there have been a lot of conflicting rumors regarding Venom: The Last Dance, they all agree on the idea that the movie will feature one version of the wall-crawler. That would finally allow the Lethal Protector to sport his signature white spider logo on the chest - bringing the whole trilogy to a fitting end. Now the only question remaining is: will that version of Peter Parker be a 10-year-old kid with no superpowers? Or will it be the beloved yet severely underrated Andrew Garfield? With Sony, you never really know. But let's hope for the latter!

Venom: The Last Dance will be released on October 25, 2024.