After his thrilling return during the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Thomas Haden Church may not be finished portraying the iconic supervillain Sandman just yet. After the character's live-action debut in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 fourteen years earlier, the Sandman, a.k.a. Flint Marko, found himself in Earth-616 alongside other supervillains as a result of Doctor Strange's botched spell. Despite the Marvel Cinematic Universe film ending with Sandman and the other villains being cured by a trio of Spider-Men, recent indications from the actor himself suggest that the character may still appear in a future project, and there are several intriguing possibilities.
In a recent interview, Thomas Haden Church revealed that he has spoken with Marvel Studios about Sandman's return, though he remains silent on any specific projects that might feature such an exciting event. This certainly comes as a surprise, especially since Sandman was one of the least featured of No Way Home's villains. Nevertheless, according to Church's comments, he hopes to explore a deeper story involving his character, one which would make better use of the reformed villain than No Way Home did. Based on what Marvel projects are currently slated for the next few years, several movies could feature Church's Sandman.
5 Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4
The likeliest project to feature the return of the Raimiverse's Sandman is the as-yet-untitled Spider-Man 4 with Tom Holland. After all, Flint Marko was last seen during the events of No Way Home, where he found himself magically transferred to Holland's universe. While the film's ending saw Flint and his compatriots transferred to their home universes, there is no reason that the Sandman variant couldn't find himself transferred back to Earth-616 for another bout with the amazing Spider-Man. If this was the case, it would be interesting for the film to explore whether or not individuals from other universes were affected by Doctor Strange's memory wipe spell.
As exciting as the return of Spider-Man 3's villain would be, it is also possible that the Sandman of Earth-616 is introduced in Spider-Man 4, with Thomas Haden Church now playing a new version of his original character. It isn't unheard of for certain actors to reprise their roles between different branches of reality, with JK Simmons's J. Jonah Jameson serving as a notable example. With a new variant of Flint Marko, Spider-Man 4 could by the character's heroic redemption and subsequent loss of power in No Way Home to once more make the Sandman one of Spider-Man's most lethal foes.
4 Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man 4
Although the film itself is not official by any means, the most exciting movie for Sandman's return is Sam Raimi's once-cancelled Spider-Man 4. As unlikely as a continuation of the original Spider-Man franchise once seemed, the return of several key characters, including Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, and Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus, certainly changed the paradigm regarding universes outside of the MCU. Should a fourth entry to the classic franchise finally be greenlit, it would certainly include an appearance from Thomas Haden Church's Sandman, finally picking up where his storyline was left off at the end of Spider-Man 3 over a decade ago.
Sandman's return in Spider-Man 4 can once more depict the character as an ally of Maguire's superhero, especially now that he has presumably lost his powers following the events of No Way Home. Moreover, the storyline revolving around Flint Marko's sick daughter can once more take the spotlight, exploring how far he is still willing to go in order to protect her--and whether or not that involves a return to villainy. Such a return would certainly prove far more complex for Thomas Haden Church's character than his part in No Way Home, giving Sandman greater depth and a more compelling arc overall.
3 Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
With a multiversal story like the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, truly anything is possible, laying the seeds for plenty of amazing cameos therein. A sequel to the hit 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the film is pushing the boundaries of what a multiversal story can be as it gathers more and more worlds into its sprawling universe. Already, Across the Spider-Verse is expected to span at least six different universes. This has led to theories that previously visited universes, including that of the Raimiverse, could show up in Across the Spider-Verse, bringing with them a host of surprise character cameos.
Although the Spider-Verse films generally focus on different versions of Spider-Man, there is still room for other characters from the multiverse to show up, including certain villains from previous movies. If the Raimiverse is among the world visited in Across the Spider-Verse, Tobey Maguire's superhero doesn't have to be the only familiar face that shows up therein. Indeed, he could be ed by any number of his memorable allies and villains, potentially including iconic characters like Norman Osborn, Doctor Otto Octavius, and even Flint Marko. Even brief cameos from these characters would go a long way in establishing their longevity within the realm of Spider-Man stories.
2 Venom 3
Sony's universe of Marvel characters is building toward its very own adaptation of the Sinister Six, uniting Spider-Man's most dangerous villains on a single team--and Venom 3 is certain to be a major part of the set-up for the squad's debut. Venom 3 will be the final chapter of the franchise, but definitely not the end for Tom Hardy's Lethal Protector, who will surely other characters like Kraven the Hunter, the Vulture, and Morbius the Living Vampire as a member of the Sinister Six. However, there are still several open spots on their burgeoning team, which could find themselves filled by returning characters like the Sandman.
Sony's Sinister Six has already borrowed from other cinematic universes in order to fill out its otherwise unimpressive roster, with Michael Keaton's Vulture jumping from the MCU to the Venomverse in the post-credit scenes of Morbius. As such, the franchise may take other characters from different universes to become the last few of the Sinister Six. If this is the case, Thomas Haden Church's return could be in Venom 3 or a similar installment of Sony's franchise that can explain both how he came to be there and how he ends up being recruited for the Sinister Six's future adventures.
1 Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers: Secret Wars ends the MCU's Multiverse Saga in what is sure to be one of the MCU's biggest stories. Already, theories are flying regarding the scale of Secret Wars, which will very likely incorporate realities from all across the multiverse into its epic saga-ending story. After the events of No Way Home, it is increasingly likely that the Raimiverse will be one of the many alternate realities visited in Secret Wars, bringing Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man back for one final adventure. Even more exciting, Maguire's next excursion to the MCU could involve several other characters from his universe.
The Secret Wars comic event makes heavy use of villains from other universes who are also transferred to Battleworld alongside the multiverse's greatest heroes. The film, which is set to hit theaters in 2026, could follow suit by incorporating various supervillains from multiple franchises for a collection of cameos dating back to Marvel's earliest films. As such, Thomas Haden Church's Sandman is a prime candidate to appear in the film, having appeared in one of the most classic franchises in Marvel's extensive filmography. Indeed, Spider-Man: No Way Home may have only been the beginning of Sandman's multiversal excursions.
