Summary
The recently leaked concept art for the upcomingAvengers: Doomsdayhas sparked intense speculation about what Marvel Studios is planning forSpider-Man 4. With new visuals confirming that the next Avengers film will take place on a Battleworld — a chaotic patchwork realm stitched together from fragments of different universes — some fans are now wondering if Tom Holland’s next solo adventure will also forego its grounded, street-level storytelling for cosmic-scale spectacle.
This speculation among fans is being fueled by reports thatSpider-Man 4will act as a story bridge betweenAvengers: Doomsdayand the highly anticipatedSecret Wars. While some fans are intrigued by the possibility, others are mourning the smaller, more intimate sequel they hoped would followNo Way Home.
From Street-Level Spidey to Multiversal Battleworld
According to the new concept art leak,Avengers: Doomsdayis set primarily in a sprawling, post-apocalyptic Battleworld. The art depicts iconic Marvel heroes in unfamiliar terrain: desert-like ruins, alien taverns, and even a medieval castle. The conceptual environments appear to fuse a crumbling fantasy kingdom with aStar Wars-esque desert sci-fi battlefieldin a grim, almost feudal atmosphere with Doomsday himself seated on the throne. This old-world flair appears to be a deviation from typical futuristic MCU aesthetics.
Given thatMarvel and Sony’sSpider-Man 4is expected to come directly afterDoomsday, it’s no surprise that fans are beginning to suspect it will also be set on Battleworld. The dominoes are starting to line up.Spider-Man 4is rumored to be the key connector betweenDoomsdayandSecret Wars. Tom Holland’s Peter Parker remains a high-profile MCU figure with an untapped narrative arc post-No Way Home, and Battleworld opens the door to multiverse cameos, variant storylines, and larger-than-life stakes. OneReddituser summarized the general feeling among fans with a simple statement:
“RIP to everyone asking for grounded Spider-Man 4. That movie will probably take place on a Battleworld.”
Grounded Expectations forSpider-Man 4
Before theDoomsdayleaks, fan expectations forSpider-Man 4were grounded. The ending ofNo Way Homeset the stage for a stripped-down Peter Parker: no tech, no Avengers, no allies. It felt like the perfect opportunity for a smaller-scale story focused on personal consequences,street-level crime, and classic villains like Kingpin. Online discourse among fans often centered around this refreshing back-to-basics approach as an obvious direction for the franchise to head in, given the multiverse chaos of the last film.
But with the Battleworld backdrop now dominating speculation, that vision seems to be slipping away. Many fans fearSpider-Man 4will pivot toward high-concept multiverse insanity rather than the intimate storytelling they hoped for.
However, not everyone is convinced that this change is inevitable. Some fans have pointed out that Marvel has a history of releasing films out of chronological order, which could allowSpider-Man 4to remain groundedeven if it hits theaters afterDoomsday.
For example:
Some fans believe these previous examples offer hope thatSpider-Man 4could still explore Peter’s grounded post-No Way Homejourney without being swept into the convoluted Battleworld conflict right away.
However, this still poses the issue thatSpider-Man 4is supposedly intended to connect the two upcomingAvengersfilms. Some Reddit users have suggested the idea ofendingSpider-Man 4with a twist— perhaps a post-credits scene where Peter wakes up on Battleworld, effectively connecting it to the larger saga while preserving a more grounded story upfront.
Fan Theories: From Loki Echoes to Miles Morales Cameos
Fan theories are flying fast in the wake of the leak. Some Reddit users are even imagining waysSpider-Man 4could blend the grounded tone and cosmic stakes together:
A few fans hate the idea that the grounded setup fromNo Way Homemay be derailed by studio politics, with some placing blame on Sony for pushing a different direction. On the flip side, others are excited about doubling down onNo Way Home-style cameos and chaos, seeing Battleworld as a multiverse playground.
Is Marvel Shifting Priorities, Or Just Teasing Fans?
It’s important to remember that Marvel concept art doesn’t always make it to the screen. As with the infamous Hulk-in-Wakanda shot from theInfinity Wartrailer, Marvel Studios is no stranger to misdirection. It’s entirely possible that theBattleworld visuals fromDoomsdaywon’t directly impactSpider-Man 4.
Still, ifSpider-Man 4truly is the connective tissue betweenDoomsdayandSecret Wars, it may not be possible to avoid multiversal chaos. Whether it’s a cameo-laden epic or a cleverly disguised prequel, the reality is that the simple, grounded Spidey story fans wanted might not be coming.
