A Perfect Andrew Garfield Spider-Man Future Theory Has Been Crushed By Sony

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Sony, through Kraven The Hunter, has just squashed a long-running Andrew Garfield Spider-Man theory. Garfield first played Peter Parker in 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man, which presented a fresh take on the character, with a Peter that used a skateboard and had a cooler attitude than the one portrayed by Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. That change made sense, as Garfield was brought in to replace Maguire after Sony decided to cancel Spider-Man 4 and start over with the hero by rebooting the Spider-Man franchise. That is where Garfield came in, and given how beloved the original Spider-Man movies were, Sony needed to avoid just copying what came before.
The problem with that plan was that Sony decided to not only develop a new Spider-Man movie franchise, but a whole universe based on the character. Sony's meddling with 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, asking that certain plot lines and characters be added in to serve as setup for their future spinoff films, contributed to the divisive reception of Garfield's sequel, which ultimately led to that version of the franchise being rebooted with Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Since then, Garfield has fallen back into the audience's graces, but Sony has now given another cold bath to those excited for more Garfield as Spider-Man.
Andrew Garfield Was A Popular Choice To Be Sony's Spider-Man

After seven years away from the role, Garfield returned as his version of Peter Parker from The Amazing Spider-Man movies in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home. The movie was a generational event, bringing together Garfield, Maguire, and Hollands versions of Spider-Man in the MCU to fight with villains from the past two Spider-Man movie franchises, thanks to the multiverse. The movie, and Garfield's performance in it, helped change public opinion on his version of the character, with many asking that The Amazing Spider-Man 3 be made after the actor's scene-stealing turn in the MCU film. In fact, Spider-Man fans were asking for Garfield to come back in a specific way.
Marvel fans wanted The Amazing Spider-Man 3 in Sony's universe. Holland is doing a great job as the character and has a Spider-Man 4 on the way, so the MCU will not be looking for a new Spider-Man actor for some time. Garfield's The Amazing Spider-Man franchise was the only one of the character in live-action to not get a proper trilogy, and with the actor returning to the role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as being open to playing Spider-Man again after the film, Sony's Spider-Man Universe appeared as the perfect setting for that to happen.
Garfield's Spider-Man could interact with existing characters like Venom and Morbius, participating in a shared universe like Holland's Spider-Man in the MCU. It would be the perfect option for both Garfield and Sony, as the actor could only appear in supporting roles throughout Sony's many Spider-Man spinoff films if he wanted to have more time for non-Spider-Man projects while playing his favorite superhero. As for the studio, Sony's Spider-Man Universe can only go so long before without introducing the hero who gives the shared universe its name. It would be a win-win situation for Garfield and Sony, but it appears like that possibility is now out of the question.
Kraven The Hunter Trailer Destroys The Andrew Garfield Spider-Man Theory

Sony recently released Kraven The Hunter's first trailer, which focuses on Aaron Taylor-Johnson's version of the Spider-Man villain embarking on a bloody quest for revenge. The upcoming Sony film trailer also included the first look at another Spider-Man villain that will be present in Kraven The Hunter — Rhino. The theory that Garfield would be revealed to be the Spider-Man of the Sony universe based on the character hinged on the fact that Tom Hardy's Venom and Jared Leto's Morbius could be retroactively said to take place in the same world of The Amazing Spider-Man duology, as Garfield's films did not include the two characters.
However, Kraven The Hunter's Rhino breaks continuity with The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Garfield's last solo film as Spider-Man included the character going up against the Rhino twice, both at the start and end of the film. The villain was played by Paul Giamatti. Kraven The Hunter's new Rhino actor is Alessandro Nivola, which effectively puts an end to the theory that The Amazing Spider-Man films would be retconned to exist within the same universe as Venom, Morbius, Kraven The Hunter, and more.
How Andrew Garfield Could Still Be Spider-Man In Sony's Universe

While it is now unlikely, there is still a chance that Garfield's movies could be made part of Sony's Spider-Man Universe. Giamatti's Rhino in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 used a mechanical suit that was shaped in the form of a rhino to fight Garfield's Spider-Man, while Nivola's character becomes Rhino by physically transforming himself into a half-man half-animal being as teased by Kraven The Hunter's first trailer. Due to the two characters' differences, Sony could theoretically explain the situation as the two being versions of Rhino set in the same universe, allowing Garfield to appear as Sony's Spider-Man without creating such a big plot hole.
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