Stunning art for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man imagines what Tobey Maguire would look like as Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben in the MCU. While the live-action side of the Marvel Studios franchise will get a new entry in Tom Holland’s superhero series next year with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Marvel Television will also be continuing with their animated multiverse series.
Set in an alternate MCU universe, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man follows a different path for Peter Parker (Hudson Thames), one where his mentor is Norman Osborn (Colman Domingo) instead of Tony Stark. Like the main MCU, this version of the story starts after Uncle Ben’s death, so no one has been cast in the role.
For years before Maguire reprised his Peter Parker role in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Marvel fans supported the idea of casting him as the Uncle Ben to Holland’s younger Spider-Man. However, that didn’t come to fruition, and it wouldn’t work now that Maguire has appeared in the franchise — at least, not without retconning why Holland’s superhero didn’t recognize him in No Way Home.
But considering the ending of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 1 revealed Richard Parker is still alive, there’s always a possibility of flashbacks that include his brother Ben. In that case, the fancast of Maguire as Uncle Ben could become a reality, and art imagines what he would look like in the role.
What Tobey Maguire Would Look Like As Uncle Ben Parker In The MCU
Greg Grunberg as Uncle Ben with Peter Parker in Ultimate Spider-Man
On X (formerly Twitter), artist 21XFOUR shared their concept design for Tobey Maguire as Uncle Ben Parker in the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man universe within the MCU’s multiverse. Although rendered as if in live-action, the art includes references to Uncle Ben from Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man season 1.
Explaining the art in a follow-up post, 21XFOUR wrote, “Now that this new series exists in a different universe and has offered a few glimpses of its Uncle Ben, it feels like the perfect opportunity to revisit the idea.” This comment is in reference to the calls for Marvel Studios to cast Maguire as Uncle Ben in the main MCU prior to No Way Home.
Why Tobey Maguire Would Make A Great Uncle Ben In The MCU
Tobey Maguire As Spider-Man In Full Costume Spinning Midair In NYC In Spider-Man 2
Given Marvel has been leaning into the legacy of its characters on screen, including bringing back original X-Men actors for Avengers: Doomsday, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for the studio to try to cast Maguire in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Of course, whether the actor would accept the role is another thing entirely.
Maguire is selective in the projects he chooses, with Spider-Man: No Way Home being one of only three movies he’s been in over the last eight years. The Spider-Man actor may not want to commit to the Marvel TV series, even if Uncle Ben had a small part, but it still could happen.
That said, it’s likely the majority of audiences would rather see Maguire suit up as Spider-Man again than in the voice acting role of Ben Parker on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Now that he’s reprised the role for No Way Home, the opportunity seemingly exists for him to return yet again, either in Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.
While it would be exciting to see Maguire’s take on playing Uncle Ben in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, a live-action return in the MCU would be even more thrilling. And if we got both, that would truly be a Spider-Man spectacle.
- Release Date
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January 29, 2025
- Network
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Disney+
- Writers
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Charlie Neuner
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Hudson Thames
Peter Parker / Spider-Man (voice)
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