'Spider-Man' fans are theorizing that the 3rd movie's title could mean we'll see the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Here's what's going on.

• "Spider-Man: No Way Home," Tom Holland's third "Spider-Man" movie, is set for release in December.
• Publications have reported that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are set to appear in the movie.
• Additional clues have fans hoping that "No Way Home" will center on the multiverse.

The third installment of Jon Watts' "Spider-Man" franchise, starring Tom Holland, is set for release this December, and fans can't help but think that the movie will include Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Eagle-eyed fans have been following numerous reports about the aforementioned actors, who portrayed the iconic webslinger in separate franchises. Rumors grew significantly after the title for Holland's third "Spider-Man" film - "Spider-Man: No Way Home" - was revealed on Wednesday.

Here's what you need to know about the various reports that have gained traction and how plausible fan theories are based on where the Marvel Cinematic Universe is headed.

Reports of Maguire and Garfield's involvement in the 3rd movie began in October 2020

On October 12, 2020, FandomWire published an article stating that, according to an unnamed source at Sony (the studio that co-produces the films with Marvel), Maguire and Garfield signed on to reprise their roles in the forthcoming movie.

Maguire was the first actor to portray Peter Parker/Spider-Man in a major movie, beginning with "Spider-Man" in 2002. He returned as the titular character for sequels released in 2004 and 2007 as part of Sam Raimi's trilogy.

Garfield portrayed the role in "The Amazing Spider-Man" movies that hit theaters in 2012 and 2014.

He has since spoken out about feeling "heartbroken" by the direction his franchise went in, telling Amy Adams: "Story and character were actually not top of the priority list, ultimately, and I found that really, really tricky."

Days after FandomWire's report, a representative for Sony Pictures told Entertainment Tonight Canada: "Those rumored castings are not confirmed."

In late October, Holland headed to Atlanta to begin production of the movie.

In a video shared on social media, Holland said that he received the script and vowed to keep his spoiler habits in check "because I learned my lesson," hinting at his tendency to dole out spoilers.

Then on December 9, Collider reported the involvement of several past "Spider-Man" actors. According to the publication, Garfield will be reprising his role and Maguire was still in talks with Sony/Marvel.

Collider also reported more castings: Alfred Molina returning as Doctor Octopus from Maguire's "Spider-Man 2," Kirsten Dunst reprising her role as MJ from the original "Spider-Man" franchise, and Emma Stone returning as Gwen Stacy from the "Amazing Spider-Man" films.

The following day, Maguire - whose most recent acting credit was voice work for the 2017 animated movie "The Boss Baby" - was photographed in the parking lot of Wardrobe Workroom in North Hollywood, California. It's unclear why the actor was at a costume fitting. In his next project titled "Babylon," he's reportedly serving as a producer.

An interview Holland did with Jake Hamilton to promote "Spider: Man Far From Home" in 2019 also resurfaced as fans noticed the actor appearing nervous when asked about the possibility of a multiverse in which Maguire, Garfield, and Holland's versions of Spider-Man interacted.

Holland was seen twiddling his thumbs and turning to costars Jacob Batalon and Zendaya to handle the question.

Then he said, "It would be amazing. It would be really, really cool. And it's something that the fans really want. So whether Marvel and Sony decide to do that is up to them. It's not up to me."

Holland has continued to deny reports, but that doesn't necessarily mean Maguire and Garfield won't show up in the movie

In a cover story for Esquire published in February 2021, Holland said, "No, no, they will not be appearing in this film."

"Unless they have hidden the most massive piece of information from me, which I think is too big of a secret for them to keep from me," he added. "But as of yet, no. It'll be a continuation of the 'Spider-Man' movies that we've been making."

He made a similar comment during a virtual appearance on the "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" the same month, saying:

"It would be amazing if they were because they haven't told me that yet, and I am Spider-Man and I've read the script from the beginning to the end," Holland said, referring to Marvel. "So, it would be a miracle if they could've kept that from me, but at the moment there is no cameo from the two boys."

Given Holland's history of spoiling details about past Marvel films to fans and even his costars, it's possible that after starring in five MCU movies, he's better at keeping secrets.

Still, he could be lying because Marvel projects are typically shrouded in mystery prior to their release, so they probably wouldn't allow anyone to confirm such a major aspect. He also might not privy to these castings and story lines.

Even stars like Paul Rudd and Benedict Cumberbatch, who play Scott Lang/Ant-Man and Steven Strange/Doctor Strange in the MCU, previously denied their involvement before making their superhero debuts.

The title reveal for the 3rd movie further fueled fan speculation about Maguire and Garfield's potential appearances

Holland, Batalon, and Zendaya posted fake titles for the third "Spider-Man" movie - "Phone Home," "Home-Wrecker," and "Home Slice" - before unveiling the official name in late February 2021.

Though the titles were meant to be jokes, fans overanalyzed the phrases and colors used for each logo.

People theorized that the fake titles might be referring to the three big-screen versions of Spider-Man.

Fans said that "Home Slice" could be a nod to Maguire's character being a pizza delivery guy, while "Home-Wrecker" could refer to Garfield's Spider-Man driving a wedge in Gwen Stacy's family. Meanwhile, Holland's "Phone Home" could be referring to his version of the young webslinger often calling others for help.

—True Verdict (@_TrueVerdict) February 24, 2021

—lyanna ᱬ ۞ (@strangewiccan) February 24, 2021

In a viral tweet, another fan said that when the logos are arranged in a specific order, the color schemes align with an image of popular Spider-Man villain Green Goblin from the comics, standing on his silver glider and holding his pumpkin bombs.

—Jake Taylor (@jaketaylor5454) February 24, 2021

The real title, "No Way Home," also implies that perhaps Spider-Man will be trapped in the multiverse.

The multiverse will be a key aspect of the MCU going forward

The concept of the multiverse - the existence of more than one universes - has come up in "Doctor Strange," "Spider-Man: Far From Home," and the animated movie "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."

It'll continue to be explored in phase four of the MCU, especially since the shows and movies are interconnected.

Cumberbatch will reportedly appear in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," which makes sense because the two superheroes are based in New York. Plus, new stills from "No Way Home" suggest that Peter and his friends might pay a visit to Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum.

The multiverse could also explain why Molina and Jamie Foxx (Electro in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"), who played Spider-Man foes that were seemingly killed, are reportedly set to appear in "No Way Home."

Further evidence of the multiverse can see seen on Marvel's "WandaVision," currently streaming on Disney Plus. The mysterious mention of Nexus on the series might point to the multiverse at play.

"WandaVision" in turn sets up the Doctor Strange sequel, which is titled "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and features Elizabeth Olsen reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch.

If 'No Way Home' turns out to not include Maguire, Garfield, or past costars, it's still likely to have some impressive moments

Holland described "No Way Home" to Variety as "the most ambitious standalone superhero movie ever made." He also told Yahoo that he was shooting an "impressive" fight scene for about a month, which is a significant amount of time to spend on a sequence.

He further hyped up the movie with a post shared on Instagram in late January 2021, showing him and younger brother Harry Holland (who has a minor role in the film) on set together.

"Today was easily one of the highlights of my career," he captioned the post. "For those of you that were there, you know what I'm talking about and for those of you that weren't, you better buckle up!!!"

A post shared by Tom Holland (@tomholland2013)

Fans will have to wait until "Spider-Man: No Way Home" hits theaters this Christmas to see how many (if any) of the theories and speculation turn out to be true.