For a decade, Tom Holland has been a fixture in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing as Spider-Man in six films (three solo Spider-Man movies, two Avengers movies, and Captain America: Civil War). He’ll add a seventh to his resume with this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but the future beyond that is unclear. Though Brand New Day is positioned as the start of a new chapter for the MCU’s Peter Parker, Holland has not been officially confirmed to be in either Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars, and no other solo Spider-Man films have been scheduled yet. As fans wait to see what becomes of the friendly neighborhood hero, Holland himself has a great idea for a send-off.
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Speaking with Empire, Holland addressed his MCU future after Brand New Day. “For whoever’s next, whether that is a Miles Morales or a Spider-Gwen or a Spider-Woman or something like that, I would love to be a part of setting up the next chapter,” he said. “Whatever that looks like, I don’t know. But if I could do what [Robert Downey Jr.] did for me, then I would be so content swinging off into the sunset.”
It’s Time for the MCU to Move Away From Peter Parker
There have been three live-action Spider-Men on the big screen, and they’ve all been variants of Peter Parker. Each one is memorable in their own way, and they’ll always be fan favorites (especially after they teamed up in Spider-Man: No Way Home), but an argument can be made that the live-action films focusing exclusively on Peter Parker for so long (Sam Raimi’s first film released in 2002) is somewhat limiting. Throughout Marvel Comics history, there have been several other characters to take up the Spider-Man mantle, something brilliantly highlighted in the animated Spider-Verse movies. Based on Holland’s comments, he’s ready to pass the torch to someone like Miles Morales or Gwen Stacy.
This would be a smart move for Marvel Studios. As much as Holland enjoys playing Spider-Man, the fact that he’s thinking about a succession plan on the eve of Brand New Day indicates he’s envisioning his life and career post-Marvel. Acting is a creative field; signing on for a mega franchise like Marvel obviously comes with a lot of perks, but the time commitments required for studio tentpoles can limit other opportunities. To be fair, Holland has been able to take on projects like Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey amidst his Marvel obligations, but he probably doesn’t want to be portraying Spider-Man forever. At a certain point, even rewarding roles can become a bit stale for actors.
It doesn’t appear that Brand New Day will lay the groundwork for the next Spider-Man (unless there’s a major surprise being held back), but perhaps this could be the driving force for the MCU’s Spider-Man 5. Holland’s Peter taking a young protege under his wing would be an incredibly fun dynamic to watch for a myriad of reasons. For starters, it would be a new angle for a live-action Spider-Man movie to explore, and it’s vital for long-running franchises to find ways to stay fresh. Additionally, it would be a fitting culmination for Peter’s “Iron Man Jr.” arc in the MCU. Holland’s journey started alongside Downey, so it would bring things full circle to see Peter become a mentor figure and pass the torch.
As for when this all could happen, the safe money would be following the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga. There should be at least one of the veteran Spider-Man actors appearing in the upcoming Avengers movies, but after that, the MCU is going to go through a soft reset to streamline the continuity heading into the next saga. Some characters and storylines will be carried over, and given how strongly he’s resonated with fans, it seems all but a guarantee Holland will stick around for a while after Secret Wars. That would be the perfect time to run with a “passing the baton” narrative, establishing the new Spider-Man (whether it’s Miles or someone else) as one of the new faces of the MCU alongside the rebooted X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and more.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Forum Conversation: Tom Holland's Spider-Man Future
Go to ForumI would love to see Miles Morales in live action. So it’d be nice to see him. But having Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Miles Morales, and Gwen Stacy on the screen and in action at the same time would be nice.
I think Tom Holland’s Spider-Man still has some gas in the tank and would love for him to stick around while also introducing Miles and Spider-Gwen. We could get the best of both worlds.
Good point about the distance. I admit, I absolutely adore the character of Spider-Gwen, so I’d love to see her in the end. That said? I’d rather we had her in her own actual universe, so we could riff on the real one. Daredevil AS the Kingpin, for example, like in the original comic book run