Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 has a lot riding on it. Regardless of how spectacular and magnificent the first three films were, there is no denying that something was missing from the essence of Spider-Man as a character. Fans have argued for years that the first three films lost the vision of why Peter Parker is as loved as he is, with him possessing a completely different personality than other iconic versions.
Considering this, many expect the fourth film to fix the mistakes made by the first three. With all the speculation and conversation surrounding the upcoming film, there is a new theory that could completely change fans’ image of the film.
Tom Holland—A Dark Knight Rising
It was recently alleged by The REDACTED Guy on X, that Spider-Man 4 is going to take a direction that no fan would have expected. It would seem that the film could be taking some pages out of DC’s book. It was claimed that Tom Holland’s next film will draw inspiration from The Batman.
Robert Pattinson’s The Batman was a brand new chapter, not only for the Dark Knight but the DCU as a whole. It took what worked for the character and explored other aspects of the Caped Crusader that fans have yet to see on screen. With this, the suggestion of Marvel trying to replicate this effect could mean many things.
What I’m hearing,
Point of inspiration for Spider-Man 4 is indeed The Batman. While the homecoming trilogy was more light hearted and optimistic, Destin and Marvel will lean into that anger. Expect more grit, and more focus on hand to hand combat, and no multiverse villains. The… https://t.co/gHl9kCjEXI pic.twitter.com/6hlGuVm7L5
— That REDACTED Guy (@REDACTEDSpider) February 23, 2025
However, in the case of Holland’s fourth film, it was claimed that the film would adopt the darkness and grit that was present in Pattinson’s project. Some might argue that this will not fit well in the previously established light-hearted theme in the Spider-Man franchise. However, there is a perfectly reasonable justification for why this is exactly what Holland’s Spider-Man needs.
The dark side of Spider-Man and his anger
There is a running gag in Marvel Comics that villains are safe as long as Spider-Man is joking. The moment that Peter Parker gets serious and stops his one-liners, the villains know to back off. There is one specific instance in Amazing Spider-Man #542 when Peter nearly kills Kingpin in a prison without his suit on, threatening to solidify his respiratory system with web fluid after Fisk almost kills Aunt May.
It is safe to say that the moment that Peter gets angry, he is closer to Batman than he is to Spider-Man. While fans have seen several examples of this in the comics, the closest that audiences have gotten to seeing this in live-action would be Bully Maguire.
Considering the amount of criticism that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has gotten for constantly relying on people, having the fourth film focus more on the darker parts of Peter’s psyche would certainly help. In addition to this, Spider-Man: No Way Home also showcased some glimpses of this when Holland’s Peter narrowly killed the Green Goblin.
Not only was that one of the most memorable moments in the film, but the actor was also incredibly praised for it. With this in mind, if Marvel were to take a more serious and darker approach to the next Spider-Man film, fans would be more than impressed. It could also help Marvel’s image in the eyes of the public and help them take Holland’s Spider-Man a lot more seriously.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
