Spider-Man 2’s Secret Cameo Would’ve Delivered A Marvel Crossover The MCU Still Hasn’t After 16 Years

A hidden Marvel cameo in Spider-Man 2 could have led to a crossover that now seems more likely to happen than ever before. The Raimi Spider-Man universe has always made it clear that Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man is not the only superhero in his world. The films and their canonical spinoff materials confirm the existence of other Marvel characters, with one particular anti-hero appearing at the end of Spider-Man 2. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe now in the midst of the Multiverse Saga, not only can the two heroes meet, but their MCU counterparts can interact as well.

Raimi’s Spider-Man films broke new ground in the superhero genre, thanks to their combination of phenomenal filmmaking and comic accuracy that many modern superhero film adaptations struggle to match. Notably, the franchise – which consists of three Spider-Man movies and tie-in materials in the form of video games, novelizations, and comics – acknowledges other Marvel heroes as inhabiting the Raimi universe. There have also been several attempts to connect the Raimi Spider-Man films with other Marvel movie adaptations, including those from other film studios, but only one was successful, as seen in an easter egg at the end of Spider-Man 2.

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Spider-Man 2 Has A Secret Punisher Cameo

In the heartfelt finale of 2004’s Spider-Man 2, Mary Jane Watson – now aware that Spider-Man is Peter Parker – runs through the city to Peter’s apartment, passing by a man who looks suspiciously similar to Thomas Jane’s Frank Castle, who debuted the same year in The Punisher. According to the commentary found in Spider-Man 2’s DVD, the man is intended to be The Punisher, though Thomas Jane was unavailable, so Castle is played by Jane’s stunt double instead. Fascinatingly, deleted dialogue from the canonical Spider-Man 3 video game mentions The Punisher by name.

Throughout its various properties, the Raimi Spider-Man franchise confirms the existence of Ant-Man, The Hulk, Mr. Fantastic, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Captain America, and Namor the Sub-Mariner, though The Avengers are implied to have not yet formed in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Fascinatingly, the Raimi universe was almost connected to the Fox X-Men universe, but Hugh Jackman’s planned cameo in Spider-Man never came to pass. The Raimi universe was nearly part of the MCU as well, with Tony Stark originally a colleague of Otto Octavius in Iron Man, and Tobey Maguire nearly having a cameo as Peter Parker in The Incredible Hulk, with the latter idea being vetoed by Sony, unfortunately.

A Spider-Man And Punisher MCU Crossover Seems More Likely Now Than Ever

With Marvel’s movie universes colliding in MCU films like No Way Home, The Marvels, and Deadpool 3, an interaction between Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Thomas Jane’s Punisher seems more likely now than ever. Future instalments like Avengers: Secret Wars could bring the two together, and perhaps reinforce the notion that the two share a continuity by acknowledging his cameo in Spider-Man 2. Moreover, even without a multiversal premise, an MCU property can also have Tom Holland’s Spider-Man interact with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, as the two already inhabit the same universe.