Which Marvel Hero Will Star Alongside Spidey In 'Spider-Man: Homecoming 2'?

If you've even remotely been paying attention, it's impossible to miss the fact that Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man has a big role in Sony's upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming. He's been a central part of all of the marketing, and it's clear that the studio – who was disappointed with the financial performance of The Amazing Spider-Man movies – isn't taking any chances with this entry and is hoping Downey's star power will draw in regular audiences.

But that tactic won't work forever. As we mentioned in another Spider-Man-related piece this morning, Downey's Iron Man won't be appearing in the film's sequel (probably because they can't afford him). So what will the Spider-Man Homecoming 2 MCU connection be? Let's take a look at some likely candidates who could show up instead.

To make sure we're all on the same page, The Hollywood Reporter's sources told them that "Sony will get a to-be-determined Marvel character for Spider-Man 2...But sources say it won't be Iron Man next time around." What follows is my entirely speculative ranking of which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero (or heroes) might appear in the Homecoming sequel:

When I interviewed Chris Pratt for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, he told me he was planning on working with Marvel for as long as possible. In that article, I speculated that after Guardians 3, Peter Quill might return to Earth full time and become a new member of the Avengers. If that does indeed end up happening, Sony (who worked with Pratt on Passengers) might want to include the character in a Spider-Man movie since Quill wouldn't be a Guardian of the Galaxy member anymore. But a lot of dominoes would have to fall in an exact way for this to happen, which is why it's at the bottom of this list.

Peter Parker is known for his intelligence, and if he's not going to be hanging out with Tony Stark, maybe he can hang with the Avengers' other resident Science Bro, Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner. They could invent elixirs and all sorts of cool science-y stuff by day...I was going to say "fight crime by night," but Spidey doesn't really do the night-time crime fighting thing because he has to get enough sleep for school the next day. Maybe he could spin his time with Banner as an internship...one that just happens to include busting the occasional bad guy.

I was chatting about this with /Film head honcho Peter Sciretta, and he correctly pointed out that Peter Parker and Steve Rogers had good chemistry in Civil War as they battled their way across the airport and bantered about how they're both from New York. Plus, we've seen in marketing and at Comic-Con that Cap has a cameo appearance in Homecoming on a TV screen, and that might be laying the groundwork for an appearance in a future Spidey movie. This sounds plausible to me, although considering Evans is near the end of his Marvel contract, Sony might be better off going with someone a bit cheaper and more attainable.

To me, Paul Rudd's Ant-Man seems like a healthy option for someone to spend time with Spider-Man. Sure, the two traded barbs in Civil War (remember Spidey's Empire Strikes Back quips when he took down Giant Man?), but I can easily see a situation in which Parker needs Scott Lang's heist skills to, for example, steal a piece of tech that will help him in a fight against a new villain. And from a financial standpoint, Rudd makes way more sense than any of the MCU's pricey superstars.

But ultimately, if I had to bet money on which hero would show up in Spider-Man 2, I'd go with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange. We haven't heard official word about a Doctor Strange sequel yet, so I imagine the actor is looking to check another MCU appearance off his contract following Infinity War. The Rudd rules apply here too since Cumberbatch isn't quite big enough yet to demand Downey or Evans-level money. Plus, the idea of incorporating Spider-Man in the mystical side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe gives me flashbacks to the Spider-Man animated series, in which Spidey and Strange came face to face during one plotline. The chemistry between Cumberbatch and Holland could be just as good as what Holland has with Downey – especially since, when you boil it down, Strange is essentially just a magic version of Iron Man anyway.

Which hero do you want to see appear alongside Spidey in the sequel?