Spider-Man director Sam Raimi gives thoughts on returning to the franchise

It’s been five years since Tobey Maguire slipped back into his red and blue suit as what many deem the OG Spider-Man (we see you, Nicholas Hammond) in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Ever since then, fans have had high hopes that his take on the wall-crawling menace would swing back into action under the direction of Sam Raimi, potentially giving us the fourth chapter from their take on the character that we never ended up getting. Well, now the director himself has finally cleared up just when we can expect to see this happen, and unfortunately, the answer is never.

In an interview with Screen Rant, the former director of the trilogy that began way back in 2002 has confirmed that his time weaving another story for the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man has long since passed.

Speaking about the current comic book world that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has been a part of since Captain America: Civil War, and that Raimi himself has contributed to with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the director said that it wouldn’t "be right for me to go back and try and resurrect my version of this story.”

It might be heartbreaking news for fans of Raimi’s run with the character, but just like anyone can wear the mask, anyone can deliver a new take on the character that can join the legacy Raimi is so proud to be a part of. “Stan Lee’s great character — that a bullpen of writers in New York at Marvel had come up with stories for — he created the character, but so many people contributed, so many artists, that for a brief time I was handed the torch to carry on after 40 years of Spider-Man comics,” the director explained. “And then after my three movies, I handed the torch off to someone else. And I think they’ve got to keep running with the storyline and the audience that is now following the torchbearer.”

But while Raimi has made it clear that he’s not really considering going back to the loveable web head’s world, other artists who contributed to his take have still shown interest. Kirsten Dunst did admit back in October that she’d be willing to reprise her role as Mary-Jane to Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker. Speaking of that pizza-time-focussed hero, there's still a chance that Spidey could make another comeback if internet rumours are to be believed. For now, we can be safe in the knowledge that while the beloved Peter 2 might have a story to tell in the future, Raimi won’t be the one to tell it.

As for every other upcoming MCU movie and show that may or may not have an old Spider-Man make an appearance in it, check out our guide here.