The MCU Brilliantly Paid Off Spider-Man 2"s Emergency Casting Plan

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Spider-Man (Tom Holland) has been the star of one of the best movie trilogies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far, and through it, the MCU subtly paid off a Spider-Man 2 emergency casting plan. After a long wait due to trouble with the rights to the characters, Spider-Man finally joined the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, where he was recruited by Tony Stark to join Team Iron Man, and after this first adventure, Spider-Man starred in his own trilogy, with the third installment, Spider-Man: No Way Home, being one of the biggest multiversal adventures the MCU has seen.
In each of his solo adventures in the MCU, Spider-Man has come across different villains, starting with Adrian Toomes/Vulture (Michael Keaton) in Spider-Man: Homecoming. In his second movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home, the web-slinger met Quentin Beck a.k.a. Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), who set up the conflict in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Peter faced villains from past Spider-Man movies and thus from different parts of the multiverse – and through the villain in Far From Home, the MCU subtly paid off an emergency casting for Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2.
Jake Gyllenhaal Was Going To Replace Tobey Maguire In Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man made his debut on the big screen in 2002 in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, with Tobey Maguire playing Peter Parker. Spider-Man was a big critical and commercial success, and its impact and influence were such that it’s credited for redefining the modern superhero genre, so it was not surprising that it made way for a sequel. Simply titled Spider-Man 2, the movie had Maguire back as Peter Parker, but that almost didn’t happen, and as his return was not guaranteed, the producers had to cast someone else to take his place. Maguire was given a three-film contract when he signed on for Spider-Man, but after filming Seabiscuit in late 2002, Maguire was dealing with a pre-existing back condition that almost kept him away from portraying Spider-Man again, and after hearing that Maguire could be paralyzed if he had a back injury, Jake Gyllenhaal was cast to replace him in Spider-Man 2.
By the time Spider-Man 2 was in pre-production, Jake Gyllenhaal was already a well-known actor thanks to his work in movies like Donnie Darko, Bubble Boy, and The Good Girl, but Spider-Man 2 would have been his biggest role at the time. In the end, Maguire was able to return for Spider-Man 2, and Gyllenhaal went on to star in The Day After Tomorrow in 2004. However, Gyllenhaal still became part of the Marvel family and the universe of Spider-Man 15 years later, though not as Spider-Man, as he played Mysterio in Far From Home. Mysterio is one of the few MCU villains whose actions have impacted their superhero counterparts beyond the movie they starred in, as by revealing Spider-Man’s identity and framing him for his death at the end of Far From Home, he made way for the chaotic events in No Way Home.
Will Mysterio Return In Spider-Man 4 Or Beyond?

Although the audience saw Mysterio die, the MCU has surprised viewers before by bringing characters back, more so now that the multiverse has become the main focus. Mysterio’s mastery in creating illusions, which is how he manipulated the video of his death to frame Spider-Man, has made way for theories on Mysterio not being dead, and instead, it was all an illusion and he will return at some point, becoming Spider-Man’s first archnemesis in the MCU. Mysterio was planned to return in No Way Home but his appearance was eventually scrapped, reigniting curiosity about his possible return. With Spider-Man returning to the MCU with a new trilogy, Mysterio’s return is still a possibility, though Marvel will most likely opt for another type of villain now that Spider-Man will become a street-level hero.
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