Sadie Sink Lands Major Role in ‘Spider-Man 4’

She joins Tom Holland, who returns as Peter Parker, with ‘Shang-Chi’ filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton in the director’s chair this time.

(Left) Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in 'Stranger Things'. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022. (Right) Tom Holland in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'. Photo: Marvel Studios.

Preview:

‘Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink has joined ‘Spider-Man 4.’
Her role is a mystery for now.
Tom Holland is returning to star as the titular web-crawler.

While we’ve been waiting for a while for fresh news about the next ‘Spider-Man’ movie, it’s clearly starting to crank into gear, as the first new piece of casting news has dropped for 'Spider-Man 4'.

Spider-Man 4

Not Yet RatedJul 31st, 2026

The next installment of the MCU Spider-Man franchise: a sequel to "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and the first in a possible new trilogy. Read the Plot

It does not come, however, from either Disney, Marvel or Sony which tend to be tight-lipped when it comes to casting announcements for their big superhero projects, but instead from Deadline’s sources, which has heard that ‘Stranger Things’ star Sadie Sink will be joining the fourth outing of everyone’s friendly neighborhood web-slinger.

The new film, which sees ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ director Destin Daniel Cretton inheriting the Spider-mantle from Jon Watts (who has been off doing other projects, including Apple’s ‘Wolfs’ and the ‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ series for Lucasfilm), really only has one person truly confirmed to appear: Tom Holland, who has player Peter Parker/Spider-Man for three of the character’s own movies and a sprinkling of appearances elsewhere.

With Holland currently at work on Christopher Nolan’s ambitious adaptation of ‘The Odyssey’ (along with a starry ensemble big enough to fill a small theater), shooting for the next Spidey movie should kick off this year once the actor’s schedule is worked out.

What’s the story of ‘Spider-Man 4’?

Tom Holland in 'Spider-Man: No Way Home.' Photo: Marvel Studios.

Given that ‘No Way Home’ changed things in a huge way for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker –– as you’ll likely recall, it ended with a spell that wiped everyone’s memory of him so as to protect the people he loves –– the storyline going forward is naturally something of a mystery.

Here’s what Holland said to The Hollywood Reporter about the movie:
“The first few meetings were about, ‘Why would we do this again?’ And I think we found the reason why.”

What is that reason? It’s only known to those involved with the movie right now and soon to anyone who talks to Tom Holland if his talent for divulging spoilers accidentally continues to hold.

We do at least know that Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who contributed to or wrote the previous three Spider-outings, are back on board for this one.

Holland also told Jimmy Fallon that the movie will be shooting this coming summer. Here’s what he had to say:

“Next summer, we start shooting. Everything’s good to go. We’re nearly there. “The project is super exciting.”

Who will appear in the new ‘Spider-Man’ movie?

Zendaya in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming.' Photo: Marvel Studios.

Though the game was changed considerably in ‘No Way Home’, we can’t imagine that the franchise would continue without Zendaya as MJ (Peter’s big love interest) and Jacob Batalon as Ned (his best friend). Surely a way will be found to have them remember him?

Yet Sink’s casting throws an interesting wrinkle in –– what if the plan is for MJ and Ned to have smaller roles while a new supporting cast rises to importance in Peter’s life, given the fallout of the mind-wiping spell.

Who will Sadie Sink play in ‘Spider-Man 4’?

Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in 'Stranger Things'. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022.

As you might expect at this point, Sink’s role is a mystery, one that Marvel and Sony will look to keep that way as long as possible (executives are probably already looking for a spell to wipe Holland’s mind of plot details to help that).

But speculation has already begun, with a few potentials floating out there.

Deadline’s story mentions the theory that Sink could be playing Jean Grey, the hugely powerful mutant character from the ‘X-Men’ comics who has enjoyed a variety of storylines in the pages and on screens, including the memorable “Dark Phoenix” arc.

The X-Men, are, of course, the next big group for Marvel to incorporate into the MCU and we’ve already seen examples of them in the dimension-spanning likes of ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ ‘The Marvels’ and ‘Deadpool & Wolverine,’ though none have been pointed up as the official versions of the characters to make the leap to Earth-616.

Using the ‘Spider-Man’ movie to introduce one or more characters could work, as the Marvel team has a history of seeding new recruits in other movies.

But if the focus is more on Peter’s story, there’s a chance that Sink might be Gwen Stacey, another famous love interest for our hero, who has appeared in other Spider-stories. Another option is Felicia Hardy, AKA Black Cat.
And, of course, Sink’s red hair could make her a natural fit for classic Peter partner Mary Jane Watson, but with Zendaya’s MJ (albeit not using the same name) filling that role, it seems unlikely.

Where else can we see Sadie Sink?

(L to R) Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Sadie Sink in 'O'dessa'. Photo: Nikola Predovic, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2025 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.

Sink, of course, saw her career skyrocket after landing the role of Max Mayfield in Netflix monster hit ‘Stranger Things.’

The fifth and final season is headed our way later this year.

Here’s what co-creator and co-showrunner Ross Duffer said about post-production process at this year’s SCAD TVfest:

“We’re focused on visual effects sequences right now, which started back in January. It’s going well. We’re actually ahead of schedule, which is rare for us. I will say that it is coming this year. We’re definitely on target.”

In addition to that, Sink has the lead in post-apocalyptic musical drama ‘O’Dessa’ due in theaters on March 20th.

And before she starts work on ‘Spider-Man 4,’ she’ll be treading the boards on Broadway in the play ‘John Proctor Is the Villain,’ which opens April 4th.

When will the new ‘Spider-Man’ movie be in theaters?

‘Spider-Man 4’ (or whatever it ends up being titled –– we’d guess they may move away from the “home” branding of the previous three to potentially launch a new run of movies) will swing into theaters on July 31st, 2026.

That date, perhaps not-so-coincidentally, puts it in between the two new ‘Avengers’ movies, ‘Doomsday’ and ‘Secret Wars,’ so the events of the first may (depending on when both it and the new ‘Spider-Man’ entry occur on the timeline) impact the events of this movie.