Sam Raimi’s unmade Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 could have achieved the same storytelling trick as the MCU’s Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. One of the most popular pre-MCU Marvel movie franchises is Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, which laid the foundations for the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside early-2000s hits like the Blade movies and Fox’s X-Men franchise. But while Spider-Man 2 raised the bar after Spider-Man‘s success, Spider-Man 3 failed to make the same impression, and director Sam Raimi decided not to make Spider-Man 4, which was then replaced by The Amazing Spider-Man.
Sam Raimi’s plans for Spider-Man 4 were almost ready for production before the movie’s cancelation. Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 storyboards show how Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man would have fought a few low-level enemies like Bruce Campbell’s Mysterio before taking on Spider-Man 4‘s main villain — John Malkovich’s Vulture. According to writer James Vanderbilt, Spider-Man 4‘s script was complete, but the project soon stopped development anyway, and Sam Raimi agreed with Sony to leave the Spider-Man franchise as a trilogy. Curiously, though, Spider-Man 4 wasn’t the only sequel originally devised as a continuation of Raimi’s Spider-Man 3.
Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 & 5 Originally Planned To Film At The Same Time
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Sequels Almost Filmed Back-To-Back
In 2008, Deadline reported that Sony was planning to film Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 back-to-back because “doing that is so cost effective” and the studio allegedly considered it the best way to ensure that the cast could reprise their roles for both sequels. The 2008 Deadline article also reported that Spider-Man 4 had hired the screenwriters for a Venom spinoff, which was also canceled after plans for Spider-Man 4 fell through. Back then, none of the members of Spider-Man 4‘s main cast were officially attached to the project, and Spider-Man 4‘s main antagonist was still unknown.
It made sense for Sony to fast-track Spider-Man 5 alongside Spider-Man 4, as it would have guaranteed a consistent continuation of Peter Parker’s story
At $895 million worldwide, Spider-Man 3 got the biggest box office of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy — $74 million above Spider-Man‘s $821 million and $100 million above Spider-Man 2‘s $795 million. Spider-Man 3 got much lower reviews, but general interest in a sequel was still high for a few years after Spider-Man 3‘s release. From a business perspective, it made sense for Sony to fast-track Spider-Man 5 alongside Spider-Man 4, as it would have guaranteed a consistent continuation of Peter Parker’s story. If Spider-Man 4 presented the first chapter of a new story and failed, it would have left a worse impression than Spider-Man 3‘s poorly received plot.
Avengers: Infinity War And Avengers: Endgame Had A Similar Filming Plan
The MCU’s Avengers: Infinity War And Avengers: Endgame Are A Single Two-Part Event
Sony’s early plans for Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 resemble Marvel Studios’ filming schedule for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Not only did Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame tell two parts of a single overarching story, but both movies were also filmed back-to-back specifically to guarantee continuity between the two installments. Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame‘s dozens of Marvel characters required most of Marvel Studios’ biggest stars to be available at the same time. Marvel filmed both Phase 3 crossover movies not simultaneously, but back-to-back, as certain characters’ physical appearance changed drastically from one film to the next.
Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were originally called Avengers: Infinity War – Part I and Avengers: Infinity War – Part II.
It must have been easier for Marvel Studios to budget and schedule Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame as a two-part event rather than two separate movies. Marvel basically filmed a huge $1 billion project split into two — both in terms of filming and release — in order to deliver a final chapter for the Infinity Saga that did justice to every major character introduced in the more than twenty installments that preceded it. This decision was entirely justified, as the five-year timejump between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame is a key element in the Infinity Saga’s conclusion.
What Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 & 5 Filming Plan Could’ve Meant For The Story
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 Could Have Ended In A Cliffhanger For Spider-Man 5
The split of the Infinity Saga’s conclusion into two movies has a clear in-story reason. Thanos needed to defeat the Avengers in Avengers: Infinity War to cement himself as the biggest enemy the heroes ever faced. The Avengers’ defeat also motivated the survivors to do “whatever it takes” in order to bring everyone back and give some MCU icons a well-deserved farewell. If it weren’t for Avengers: Infinity War‘s heart-wrenching cliffhanger, the Avengers’ victory in Avengers: Endgame‘s final battle likely wouldn’t have been so satisfying that theaters roared like stadiums when Phase 3’s final crossover movie came out.
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Like Avengers: Infinity War, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 could have ended with a harrowing cliffhanger that raised the stakes for Spider-Man 5. How Spider-Man 4 would have achieved a similar feat is a mystery, but it would have needed to be more dramatic than anything that happened in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. For instance, Vulture kidnapping Mary Jane wouldn’t have caused the same reaction as Thanos snapping away half of all life in the universe, as Mary Jane was kidnapped in every previous movie. Instead, Spider-Man 4 could have killed off Aunt May or left Peter Parker’s life hanging by a thread.
Everything We Know About What Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man 4 & 5 Could’ve Been About
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 And 5 Could Have Been As Crowded As Spider-Man 3
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 went through various drafts before settling on a story focused on Vulture, played by John Malkovich. Spider-Man would have also crossed paths with Felicia Hardy a.k.a. Black Cat, played either by Anne Hathaway or by Angelina Jolie. In some drafts, Felicia Hardy’s alter ego wouldn’t have been Black Cat, but Vulture’s villain daughter, “the Vulturess”. Dylan Baker’s Dr. Curt Connors would have also returned in a bigger role, meaning that he could have finally turn into The Lizard. Other villains in Spider-Man 4 would have included Mysterio, the Shocker, and Stilt-Man, who would have been defeated effortlessly by Spider-Man in an opening montage.
A two-part story split between Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 could have turned Vulture into an overarching villain like Thanos
While plenty of information about Spider-Man 4 has been made public, little is known about Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 5. None of the main villains in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy survived the events of their respective movies, and Vulture’s relentlessly evil personality (evidenced in storyboards for Spider-Man 4‘s action scenes) likely would have led him to a death similar to Green Goblin’s, Doctor Octopus’, and Venom’s. However, a two-part story split between Spider-Man 4 and Spider-Man 5 could have turned Vulture into an overarching villain like Thanos, and his death could have been reserved for Spider-Man 5, or perhaps even Spider-Man 6.
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