The next Spider-Man movie looks to be a massive event movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). After re-introducing Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming and teasing the multiverse in Spider-Man: Far From Home, it looks like Marvel will pay it all off in the next movie and pull out all the stops in what might be the character's last movie under the MCU banner.
However, some theories (like this one on Reddit) suggest the movie might bring one of the most polarizing and hated storylines in Spider-Man history. This isn't "The Clone Saga," but one that fans hated even more — "One More Day."
The "One More Day" Spider-Man crossover focuses on the fallout of the "Civil War" event that spanned several Marvel titles, in which Spider-Man unmasked for the world to know his identity. However, by giving his identity to the public, he put his loved ones in danger, with Aunt May paying the highest price. She ended up getting shot, and as she was dying, Mephisto offered a deal to Spider-Man and Mary Jane Watson. If they traded in their relationship and erased their entire marriage from history, Mephisto would save Aunt May.
This was a dangerous decision on Spider-Man's part, but he did what he needed to do to save Aunt May. What resulted was May lived, the world forgot that Spider-Man was Peter Parker, Harry Osborn returned to life, and Mary Jane and Peter Parker never got married. It was a brand new day, and the most vocal fans hated it. Could this play out in the next movie?
Jamie Foxx said he was returning as Electro and the rumors hit that both Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire were coming to the movie. Then, the word broke that Doctor Strange was going to be in the third Spider-Man movie as a mentor for Peter Parker. This was possibly a replacement for Tony Stark's role in the franchise, but it could be a lot more, especially if Strange plays the role of the "devil" that Mephisto played in the comics. As the Reddit theory laid out, Doctor Strange could help Spider-Man protect his friends by undoing his identity reveal, but with a cost.
It has become a normal occurrence that Doctor Strange is the fixer for heroes who do unexpected things concerning magic in the comics. Rumor is this will play out in both WandaVision and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Spider-Man: Far From Home ended with a huge world-changing event when J. Jonah Jameson told the world Spider-Man's secret identity. With rumors that the Sinister Six is gunning for Spider-Man in the new movie, and with the world knowing he is Peter Parker, the villains could also gun for Ned, MJ, and Mary Jane. What would Spider-Man do to protect his identity and family again?
As the theory laid out, if Peter Parker knew his family and friends were in danger, he would do anything to save them. The problem is that all magic comes with a cost, and if he convinces Doctor Strange to help him, it could come with a high cost. That could be erasing the fact he is Spider-Man from the entire world, including May, Ned, and MJ. It would also erase his identity from the minds of The Avengers, and this is just as important. With Spider-Man going back to Sony and leaving the MCU soon, there has to be a way to remove him from The Avengers, and this would be a smart way to do it.
This could also be why Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, Jamie Foxx, and possibly more could return for the movie. If this major magical feat plays out like "One More Day," it would not just reset his secret identity but also change Spider-Man's past. The comic storyline brought people back from the dead and changed things from the past few years. The reappearance of the old actors could be a way to show his complicated movie history resetting into a brand-new, streamlined world for his next outing for Sony. The MCU has done this before with the world resetting after Avengers: End Game, and in the next Spider-Man movie, they could do it again and finally do "One More Day" right.