Even for everything confirmed to be on the way in the Multiverse Saga, things have been largely absent on the MCU Spider-Man front. After a record-breaking third movie on the shoulders of Tom Holland, Jacob Batalon, and Zendaya, Sony and Marvel have confirmed development plans for Spider-Man 4, but nothing is set in stone yet.
One potential plot point that could become a reality in Spider-Man 4 centers on Jacob Batalon's Ned Leeds taking on his comic-accurate villain persona as the Hobgoblin, which has been discussed on numerous occasions over the past year. This could be something to pay attention to now that Ned and Peter have no memory of their prior relationship, especially with no signs pointing to who Spidey's next villain will be after the Vulture, Mysterio, and No Way Home's quintet of Multiversal visitors.
While fans remain anxious to see when Spider-Man 4 could really begin moving towards shooting and production, Batalon himself isn't looking ahead that far for the time being.
Jacob Batalon Addresses Spider-Man 4 Future
Speaking with Collider, Spider-Man: No Way Home star Jacob Batalon expressed his thoughts on looking forward to appearing in a potential fourth MCU Spider-Man movie.
While Batalon's Ned Leeds played a strong supporting role in the Jon Watts-directed Spider-Man trilogy, he hasn't heard anything from either Marvel Studios or Sony regarding a Spider-Man 4. Notably, Batalon shared that while he's open to the idea of a return in a fourth movie, he's "not hoping for it:"
“I feel like actors are the last people to know. I think that people assume that actors are always hiding secrets. I promise you, we don’t know anything. But again, if it’s the right place, at the right time, with the right group of people that we’ve been with, I would say, why not? But other than that, whatever happens, happens. Really, those decisions are up to the big bosses, the people who sign the checks. We’re open to the idea, but we’re not hoping for it.”
When asked about the idea of working with a different director on more Spidey movies, Batalon went on to explain himself, stating that he, Watts and his co-stars are "not really hoping for [a fourth Spider-Man movie] to happen" since they're all succeeding outside of the Marvel world:
“Honestly, I don’t really put too much thought into that. I feel like we’re all really moving in ways where we’re not really hoping for it to happen. Not that it’s bad, I just feel like we’re not really anticipating another movie. I just feel like we’re all doing our own thing. But again, whatever happens, happens.”
When Will Spider-Man 4 Start Development?
Jacob Batalon's career has taken off since appearing as Ned Leeds in the Spider-Man trilogy, with new opportunities popping up for him seemingly every year. He's now even leading the way in his own SyFy TV series, Reginald the Vampire, which is part of the success that he discussed in his most recent quotes.
While he doesn't say that he's against joining the fourth Spider-Man movie, he simply admits that it's not on his radar right now with his busy schedule and with how jam-packed the MCU will be with stories over the next few years.
Batalon has actually expressed that he's open to taking on a more villainous storyline with the chance that Ned could turn into the Hobgoblin in a future Spider-Man movie. It would certainly give Peter Parker his most emotional battle to date, having to find a way to defeat his former best friend after their relationship ended in No Way Home.
But for now, there are no indications that Ned will even be a part of Spider-Man 4, as no story details have been made public with production still well over the horizon. With a good chance that a fourth Spidey outing will make its way into the MCU before the next two Avengers movies, however, fans are hoping that Batalon will get another chance to shine in a new capacity.
The MCU's Spider-Man trilogy is now available for purchase, and Spider-Man 4 is in the early stages of development.
