Sadie Sink has been cast in Spider-Man 4 in an as-yet undisclosed role, but one clever MCU theory suggests that she’ll be playing the daughter of Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker. Spider-Man 4 is due to be released in the summer of 2026, between the release of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The movie is now in development, and casting decisions are being steadily revealed. Tom Holland will, of course, be returning as Peter Parker, and as a result, he will be nearing his self-imposed age limit. This could pave the way for a Spider-Man successor in the MCU.
With Spider-Man 4 being released directly after Avengers: Doomsday, it’s highly likely that it will center on a distinctly multiversal narrative. This could herald the second appearance of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men after their pivotal appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It is also fertile ground to introduce brand new characters, as Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned are potentially sidelined after having all memory of the MCU’s Peter Parker erased. While this opens the door for another love interest to enter Peter’s life, a new Marvel theory suggests Sadie Sink won’t be portraying them.
Sadie Sink Was Cast In Spider-Man 4 But Her Character Is Unknown
The Prevailing Theories Suggest She Could Be Mary Jane Watson Or Jean Gray
News broke on March 12 (via Deadline) that Sadie Sink has joined the cast of Spider-Man 4. This has sparked rampant speculation about which role she could be embodying, with most drawing from the fact that Sink has red hair. Of the four prevailing theories, the first is that Sink will be portraying Mary Jane Watson, ostensibly replacing Zendaya’s Michelle Jones-Watson. Meanwhile, a fan-favorite prediction is that she’ll be portraying an MCU-original Jean Gray, securing herself as one of the first X-Men to appear on-screen before the mutants presumably dominate the MCU’s next saga.
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Alternatively, instead of portraying the typically red-headed Mary Jane (Sink is a redhead herself, after all), Sink could be portraying Gwen Stacy. This theory is supported by past precedent, as Emma Stone’s red hair did not shoehorn her into the MJ role in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Then again, another red-headed Marvel character that fans have been associating with Sadie Sink is another mutant, Firestar, whose typical age is nearer to Holland’s Peter Parker. Out of all these theories, however, I find a new one to be the most applicable to the current Spider-Man narrative.
Marvel Theory: Sadie Sink Is Actually Playing Mayday Parker In Spider-Man 4
Mayday Becomes Spider-Girl In Marvel Comics
Mayday Parker is Peter Parker and Mary Jane Parker’s daughter in Marvel Comics, debuting in an alternate universe, Earth-982. Peter Parker resigns from his role as Spider-Man in this universe due to sustaining a back injury, with Mayday taking the reins as Spider-Girl. Given the proximity to the multiverse-altering events of Avengers: Secret Wars, this is the perfect space for a character like Mayday to debut, particularly if Spider-Man 4 takes place on Battleworld in the lead-up to the Multiverse Saga’s climax. While this fact alone isn’t sufficient justification to debut Mayday Parker, the surrounding circumstances are telling.
Mayday Parker was recently seen in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as the young daughter of Peter B. Parker.
At 49 years old, the eldest of the three Peter Parkers in the MCU, Tobey Maguire is of an appropriate age to have had a child. He is also the only Peter Parker to have ended up with Mary Jane. More convincing still, however, is the fact that he sustained a back injury in his fight with Green Goblin, while Spider-Man: No Way Home even referenced Spider-Man’s back pain. As much as this was a gag, it could also be foreshadowing the comic-accurate circumstances surrounding Mayday’s arrival.
Why Sadie Sink Playing Mayday Parker Would Be The Best Possible Outcome
It Avoids Replacing MJ
It would be wise to introduce Sadie Sink as someone other than Mary Jane. The possibility of her replacing Zendaya’s MJ as Peter Parker’s main love interest has stirred some controversy among franchise fans, given that MJ ostensibly represents that character anyway. The chemistry between MJ and Peter even makes entertaining another romance difficult to stomach. Instead, having Sink portray a character who can team up with Spidey is the preferable option – whether that is as a mutant or Spider-Girl.
Having Sink directly tied to Maguire’s Spider-Man and spotlighting her character instead of his would help justify Maguire’s presence even further.
Furthermore, there has been some trepidation about Maguire and Garfield possibly being reintroduced in Spider-Man 4, with some fans considering such a development to be a cynical move to re-capitalize on the incredible success of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Having Sink directly tied to Maguire’s Spider-Man and spotlighting her character instead of his would help justify Maguire’s presence even further. It would also help to meet Tom Holland’s stipulation about finding a successor as a 30-year-old Peter Parker.
MCU Spider-Man 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026