Spider-Man 4: Destin Daniel Cretton Is a Great Choice for a Different Kind of Spidey Movie
With Destin Daniel Cretton reportedly set as the director for Spider-Man 4, the time is right for the MCU to give us a different kind of Peter Parker.
Ever since Peter Parker launched himself from a dingy New York apartment at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, dressed in a familiar costume he made himself, people have wondered what was next for our favorite wall-crawler.
Now that Shang-Chi‘s Destin Daniel Cretton has been reportedly tapped to direct the fourth MCU Spider-Man film, the first without John Watts at the helm, and star Tom Holland is set to reprise his role, we can make some educated guesses about the direction of the franchise.
The Evolution of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man
Tom Holland’s Peter Parker entered the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, accompanied by a chyron that declared that we were meeting this version of the character in his hometown of “Queens,” following the boy to his urban apartment, carrying a thrift computer. That portrayal of Peter Parker tracked with the standard version, a guy whose money problems are only compounded by his super powers. But that take on Peter didn’t last long, as he walked into his home to find none other than Tony Stark sitting next to his Aunt May.
From that point on, the MCU gave the world a very different Peter Parker. Yes, Holland played Peter as an earnest, uncertain kid, whose motor mouth as Spider-Man betrayed a lack of confidence. But Peter’s relationship with Stark erased his money troubles. And with Aunt May, MJ, and Ned all aware of his superhero identity, the MCU Peter had none of the tensions that plagued other versions.
But then his trilogy of solo films slowly brought the MCU Peter back to his comic book roots. By the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, he’d lost Stark and Aunt May, and MJ and Ned had forgotten who he was. As he swung off for the final time, we were left with the sense that this next phase of Spidey’s crimefighting career would see him face many of the more grounded struggles that come with having powers and a secret identity without any actual resources (and, in this case, any of his closest loved ones).
This shift not only gives the MCU the kind of Spider-Man who has existed in the comics for decades, but also gives Holland a chance to play a more complex character who doesn’t have a rich and/or powerful benefactor guiding him through his journey. This would be a welcome shift for the franchise’s star. With the exception of MCU movies and, uh, Uncharted, Holland clearly has an interest in playing more dramatically rich characters and stories, as seen in Cherry, The Devil All the Time, and The Crowded Room. Although these projects have been largely substandard, Holland has been solid in all of them.
Now that Peter has real problems, Holland can bring some of those chops to his signature character, moving him from hero living the charmed life of a billionaire’s mentee to someone who doesn’t know how to balance his great power with his overwhelming responsibilities. This setup also perfectly complements Cretton’s own strengths as a filmmaker.
Destin Daniel Cretton’s Dramatic Potential
Those who mostly watch blockbuster films might only know Cretton as the director of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, a superhero film tinged with fantasy worlds and kung fu action. But Shang-Chi is an outlier in his filmography. Most of Cretton’s films are very good, very earnest dramas such as Short Term 12 and Just Mercy.
While the shift to Spider-Man is bad news for Shang-Chi fans who hoped for a sequel, Spider-Man 4 certainly seems like a better fit for Cretton’s filmmaking sensibilities than the movie formerly known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which he was at one point set to direct. While Shang-Chi featured some of the best action in the MCU, its most powerful moments were actually the dramatic ones. Cretton had the sense to slow things down in that film to let Tony Leung’s Wenwu discuss the importance of names, moving the Mandarin away from the Yellow Peril caricature from the comics.
Now that Peter has lost so much, there’s again plenty of space for Cretton to use his dramatic skills. Short Term 12, The Glass Castle (both of which star Captain Marvel‘s Brie Larson), and Just Mercy (which stars Black Panther‘s Michael B. Jordan) all feature idealists who struggle for a better world, despite the many disappointments they experience.
A scene in Short Term 12 illustrates Cretton’s ability to capture a character’s vulnerability. Midway through the film, Larson’s Grace Howard wakes up her boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) to tell him that she’s pregnant. Cretton lets the scene play out at a quiet pace. He uses handheld close-ups on the two actors’ faces when she’s breaking the news, whispering to one another. Cretton moves to a standard shot when the news hits Mason, who has a small freakout moment, but it doesn’t follow him as he paces the room. Instead, it gives him space to be human and stays with Grace, who tries to make sense of her partner’s reaction.
The moment in Short Term 12 stands out for how it doesn’t give into the potential for emotional fireworks. It’s complex and real, made all the better because it’s dealing with good people in a sticky situation.
In other words, it’s exactly the type of moment that Holland clearly wants to play, and Cretton is the kind of director who can give him the space to play this kind of complex scene. It’s also the type of drama that Spider-Man stories traditionally have, rather than calling off a drone strike on a romantic rival or dealing with other selves from across the multiverse.
A Not-So-Friendly Neighborhood
As much as we want good drama in a Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man 4 is still a superhero film and that calls for bad guys. Spidey has one of the best rogues galleries in comics history, but No Way Home really poisoned the well for some of his greats, bringing back old versions of Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus instead of making characters that fit the MCU. And then there’s Sony trying to turn Venom, Morbius, and Kraven the Hunter into anti-heroes in their terrible, terrible Spidey villain universe.
Still, if Cretton does keep Spider-Man closer to home this time around, there are some more grounded baddies out there to deal with. The MCU movies still haven’t done anything with Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan aka the Scorpion, after teasing him in Spider-Man: Homecoming. And then there’s Aaron Davis (Donald Glover), who might be the loving uncle of Miles Morales but is also the Prowler.
But there’s one big Spider-Man villain who Holland’s character hasn’t faced… and we do mean big. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin is back in the MCU and it appears that he’ll be the mayor of New York in Daredevil: Born Again. While many non-comic fans consider Kingpin a Daredevil baddie, he started out in Spider-Man comics and often crosses paths with the wall-crawler.
Pitting Spider-Man against the Kingpin would not only deliver a battle many fans have longed to see, but it would also allow Peter to deal with problems at home instead of battles across the multiverse, real or imagined. That’s what the MCU needs, especially as the rest of the franchise leans into alternate realities and familiar old faces. Let Spider-Man stay home, tell quips, worry about bills, and fight low-stakes villains. Cretton is just the guy to make it happen.
Spider-Man 4 doesn’t currently have a release date, but will reportedly begin shooting in early 2025.
Written by
Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!