Why Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man Was Removed From the MCU


The Tobey Maguire Spider-Man universe feels like a totally distinct thing in our minds from the Marvel Cinematic Universe — or at least they did until Tobey showed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home. But did you know that the original plan for the MCU, way back in Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, would have included references to Tobey Maguire’s Spidey?

It’s true. Remember: Spider-Man 3 came out in 2007, just one year before Iron Man, and Sony spent years working on a Spider-Man 4 before finally abandoning that concept in favor of Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man.

So how would Spidey have been integrated into the early MCU? And why did the plan fall apart? And if it hadn’t, how might Tobey’s Spider-Man have changed the course of the MCU? All of those questions are answered in our latest Marvel video; you can watch the whole thing below…

READ MORE: The Evolution of Marvel’s Iconic Logo

If you liked that video on how Tobey Maguire was almost the Spider-Man of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, check out more of our videos below, including one on the X-Men ’97 trailer and how it references old Marvel Comics and could influence future MCU films and shows, one on how Deadpool and Wolverine will show up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and one on how Marvel secretly set up Secret Wars (the title certainly makes sense!) way back in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Plus, there’s tons more videos over at ScreenCrush’s YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe to catch all our future episodes. X-Men ’97 is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on March 20.

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Every Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

It started with Iron Man and it’s continued and expanded ever since. It’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with 33 movies and counting. But what’s the best and the worst? We ranked them all.