Sony and Marvel’s fourth installment in the Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man film series is arriving in theaters next year. Not much is known about the film, but Wednesday brought about the first big news since Daniel Destin Cretton was hired to direct it. Sadie Sink, star of Stranger Things and Fear Street, has been cast opposite Holland in the new film. Who she will play, however, remains a mystery.
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There are already all sorts of theories about her role floating around online, but there’s no concrete evidence to support any of them just yet. With that in mind, we put together a list of five characters who we think Sink could realistically be playing in Spider-Man 4.
Jean Grey
Let’s get the big one out of the way. Sadie Sink as Jean Grey has been a legitimate topic of conversation for a while. Fans have floated the idea around, especially if the MCU is going to start the X-Men characters young. Recent reports online have suggest that Marvel has been interested in Sink for the role, though none of those rumors have come from completely reliable sources.
This is a casting that makes sense for both actor and character, and the timing of this news lines up with a lot of the online rumblings in recent weeks. There’s one major issue with the idea, though. Why would Jean Grey be in a Spider-Man movie?
We know that Marvel always includes a non-Spidey character in these films, so it’s not totally out of the question. But it’s certainly an odd fit.
Julia Carpenter
This is perhaps the best fit for Spider-Man 4, as well as the most versatile role Sink could be taking on in the MCU.
Julia Carpenter has taken on some different personas in the Marvel Universe over the years. She stepped in as the second character to take on the mantle of Spider-Woman, making her a nice fit alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, who will likely still be trying to figure out the ropes of Spider-Man without his friends.
The character has gone on to become Arachne, as well as Madame Web. She probably isn’t going to be the latter, given how things went for Sony’s Madame Web movie, but her presence in the franchise leaves a lot of options on the table.
Firestar (Angelica Jones)
This is another one of those versatile characters that Marvel Studios could use in all kinds of different events and lineups in the years to come.
Angelica Jones, aka Firestar, has some fairly broad powers that have morphed and evolved over the years to fit different stories, but it always boils down to an ability to control heat. Through microwave radiation, she can create fire and use it to fly.
In the comics, Firestar has had a romantic relationship with Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, which could give her a way into the MCU via Spider-Man 4. But she’s also been a member of both the X-Men and the Avengers, allowing her to fill different roles across Marvel properties. If Marvel Studios wants to start slow-rolling the X-Men into the franchise, Firestar would be a very easy place to start.
Carlie Cooper
This is a deeper cut than the other characters on this list, but it would give the MCU and Sink a clean slate with a lot of fans.
Carlie Cooper is a love interest of Peter’s who eventually comes into a slew of powers and takes on the persona of Monster. The MCU version of the character wouldn’t have to take things that far, though, as the regular version of Carlie is awesome in her own right.
Mary Jane Watson
Look, we have to think about this as a real possibility, especially given the red hair of it all. Spider-Man: Homecoming pulled off a great twist by revealing Zendaya’s Michelle to actually be this franchise’s MJ (Michelle Jones-Watson). That character should always be the endgame for Holland’s Peter Parker and any other finale to their story will be disappointing.
That said, if Peter isn’t going to be around his MJ much in Spider-Man 4 (given that she doesn’t remember anything about their time together), it would make sense to give him another love interest and best pal for the time being. Why not bring in Mary Jane Watson?
This could be an alternate universe version of the character, or just another Mary Jane living in Peter’s current reality (Watson isn’t exactly an uncommon name). Having a “new MJ” would hopefully push Peter to fight even harder for the woman he already loves, even if she forgot about him.
