Official promotional art for Avengers: Doomsday teased the potential return of a Spider-Man Variant. The upcoming MCU crossover event will feature a massive team-up between the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and the X-Men against Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, but one iconic hero remains unconfirmed in the imminent clash: Spider-Man. Speculation arose that Tom Holland's Spider-Man might be sitting out Doomsday, fueled by uncertainty over his fate in Spider-Man: Brand New Day and a March 2025 report stating he would not appear in the 2026 MCU film at all.
In May 2025, though, insider Daniel Richtman shared that Sony and Marvel were working out a deal to use Tom Holland's Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday, but no official details emerged online. In celebration of Easter Sunday, Robert Downey Jr. (via Instagram) shared official Doctor Doom art from Avengers: Doomsday, featuring the Marvel villain looking over a woven Easter basket filled with Easter eggs bearing symbols of MCU heroes, including Spider-Man.
This serves as the first major and official tease of Spider-Man's inclusion in Avengers: Doomsday, which is slated to hit theaters on December 18. This ignited speculation about which version of the web-slinger will appear in the film.
While the status of Tom Holland's Spider-Man in Doomsday is still up in the air, a November 2025 report from Richtman claimed that at least one Spider-Man would appear in the film, leading to the belief that he could be referring to either Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield's respective variants.
Maguire's Peter Parker was last seen at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, going back to his universe. If he appears in Doomsday, it will mark his second-ever appearance in the MCU. As for Garfield, the actor denied any involvement in Doomsday, but rumors point to his return in Avengers: Secret Wars instead.
Part of the rumor mill for Avengers: Doomsday noted that Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man will share scenes with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, and seeing these two legacy heroes together would be an intriguing sight for new and longtime fans.
How Spider-Man Fits in Avengers: Doomsday's Multiversal Plot
It would be a missed opportunity for Avengers: Doomsday not to feature any version of Spider-Man, given the hype surrounding Spider-Man: No Way Home and the movie's Multiverse-heavy story.
Whether it's Tom Holland's version or Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's respective variants, a Spider-Man is arguably needed in Doomsday to help raise the stakes of the imminent collapse of the Multiverse due to the incursions.
Maguire is ideal for Avengers: Doomsday because it offers him a great opportunity to share scenes with other legacy actors, such as Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Patrick Stewart's Charles Xavier, and Chris Evans' Steve Rogers. Seeing him side by side with other MCU characters would drum up hype for the upcoming MCU crossover.
While Spider-Man: Brand New Day's ending is (obviously) still being kept under wraps, there could be a justifiable reason why Holland's Spider-Man is being sidelined. He might be isolated for a while before eventually returning for his rumored role in Avengers: Secret Wars.
