Speculation has been rampant surrounding Sony Pictures' and Marvel Studios' Spider-Man 4. Starring Tom Holland as Peter Parker, the movie is set for release on July 24, 2026. Beyond this release date, little has been confirmed. Fans have been faced with conflicting rumors, with some suggesting that the movie will continue Spider-Man: No Way Home's exploration of the Multiverse. Others have suggested Spider-Man 4 will be a street-level story. Amy Pascal, who serves as producer of the Spider-Man franchise for Sony Pictures, recently shared the first few plot details for Spider-Man 4.

Pascal made it apparent that the movie will follow Peter Parker as he withdraws from his civilian identity and instead throws himself fully into being Spider-Man. This follows on from his decision at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home to have the world forget Peter Parker, leaving him on his own and with little left in his life besides Spider-Man. This starting point might hint at a few possible directions the movie could take. Recently, new rumors have sprung up concerning the female lead of the MCU's Spider-Man 4. While some fans believe they have figured out the most likely candidate for the role, another Marvel character would be a far better fit for this chapter in Peter Parker's life.

In the comics, Gwen was one of Peter Parker's early love interests, becoming his girlfriend long before Peter's better known relationship with Mary Jane Watson began. Over the course of their relationship, Peter and Gwen endured much, including the death of Gwen's father, killed by falling debris in a battle between Spider-Man and Doc Ock. Gwen blamed Spider-Man for her father's death, leading her to resent the hero, whom she never discovered was her own boyfriend.

If Gwen Stacy comes to the MCU in Spider-Man 4, it wouldn't be the first time the character has appeared on the big screen. She was first portrayed in live-action by Bryce Dallas Howard in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, opposite Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker. Gwen then played a larger role in Marc Webb's reboot of the franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where she was played by Emma Stone. An alternate universe's Gwen Stacy with spider powers and a heroic alter ego also had a prominent role in the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel Across the Spider-Verse.

Rumors that Gwen might be coming to the MCU have been sparked by Spider-Man 4's working title of "Blue Oasis." Such coded working titles are commonly used by major productions to avoid attracting attention during shooting. The comic revolved around Peter, years after Gwen's death, recalling his lost love and paying tribute to her. The majority of the story played out in flashbacks, revealing previously unseen moments from Peter and Gwen's relationship.

There is good reason for fans to suspect the MCU's Spider-Man 4 will feature a new love interest for Peter Parker. This leaves an opening for a new female lead. However, the working titles for these productions are typically purely practical and carry little deeper meaning. "Blue Oasis" could just as easily refer to something as simple as the shiny blue color on Spider-Man's new suit, seen at the end of No Way Home. Bringing Gwen Stacy into Peter's life at this stage wouldn't make sense, and there is one character who would be a far better fit for a movie about Spider-Man giving up his life as Peter Parker.

Gwen Stacy loved Peter Parker, not Spider-Man, and Amy Pascal's recent comments make it clear that Spider-Man 4 will be focusing on the spider more than the man. The Black Cat and Spider-Man have dated on and off over the years in the pages of Marvel Comics. Unlike Gwen Stacy, the Black Cat has always been far more interested in Spider-Man than Peter Parker.

The Black Cat was initially introduced as a villain in the comics. The daughter of notorious cat burglar Walter Hardy, Felicia decided to follow in her father's footsteps and adopted the costumed persona of the Black Cat to do so. Upon crossing paths with Spider-Man, Felicia began to fall for the superhero. Believing he could see the good in her, Peter found himself reciprocating her feelings, and the two eventually started a relationship. Felicia didn't want to think of her partner as an ordinary man, but rather as the mysterious masked hero she had originally fallen for.

Within the context of the MCU. Peter meeting and falling for the Black Cat as Spider-Man would help the movie to tell a story where Peter is spending little time out of the costume. The pair's relationship has often been a tempestuous one thanks to the Black Cat's criminal nature. This could even be the factor that helps Peter realize it's not healthy for him to spend all his time in the mask, surrounded by dangerous criminals, potentially leading him to lose sight of the importance of Peter Parker.

Both Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson have been depicted multiple times in Spider-Man movies, but the Black Cat is yet to make her live-action debut. Though her surname was never confirmed, the implication was clear to any Spider-Man fan that this was Felicia Hardy.

With the Amazing Spider-Man series abandoned by Sony Pictures after its second installment, audiences never got to see Jones' Felicia become the Black Cat. . With Spider-Man 4, there's a chance to finally deliver the iconic character's first live-action appearance. Her unique relationship with Spider-Man, in which she became one of the wall-crawler's only partners to prefer Spider-Man to Peter Parker, would make for a radically different love story from any that have been seen in previous Spider-Man movies.

The fact that Black Cat is an anti-hero on her best days and an outright villain on her worst would also add an interesting new dynamic to a Spider-Man movie, with Holland's Peter Parker falling for someone who challenges his strict moral code. If Spider-Man 4 is going to introduce a new love interest for Peter Parker in MJ's absence and a new character from Spider-Man lore, the Black Cat is the obvious option.