Marvel Phase 4: All the Shows, Concepts, Characters Introduced

Release date: December 17, 2021

What it’s about: Hoping to change the fact that everyone knows his secret identity, Peter Parker asks Doctor Strange to cast a special spell, but the spell backfires and opens up portals across the multiverse, bringing in Spider-Men and villains from the previously established canons.

Major new characters introduced (but not killed): Peter 2 and Peter 3, Matt Murdock, Eddie Brock/Venom, Doc Ock, Lizard, Green Goblin, Electro, Sandman.

Major new concepts introduced: That the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb Spider-Man films, and everything/one in them, are now part of the MCU. That no one knows who Peter Parker is in this universe. That while Eddie Brock may have gone back to his universe, part of the Venom symbiote is now in the MCU.

Analysis: No Way Home once again blew the doors of the MCU wide open, making something like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse very logically part of the canon, if it so chooses. But how the existence of multiple Spider-Men, or the future of the universe’s main Spider-Man, will unfold has yet to be officially determined, along with everything else. The one thing that has carried over is Matt Murdock, who appeared in She-Hulk and has his own show coming.

Running Total: Just counting main characters, we’ll go with nine, upping the total to 48.