Tom Holland has confirmed that Marvel Studios is already preparing for the day another actor takes over as Spider-Man, revealing that discussions about his eventual replacement have been underway for years.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the 30-year-old British actor said the creative team began mapping out the superhero’s future after Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“There’s a whole plan that we have been working on, I would say, since we finished Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s laid out. It’s going to change for sure, but I have a really clear vision for the passing on of the baton, and I think it’s really exciting,” Holland said.
The actor explained that one of his biggest goals before stepping away from the role is to help mentor the next Spider-Man, much like Robert Downey Jr. supported him when he first joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Downey, who famously portrayed Iron Man alongside Holland, is set to return to the franchise in a new role as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday.
Holland has previously floated a possible successor, naming Adolescence breakout star Owen Cooper as someone he believes would make an excellent Spider-Man.
“Owen Cooper would be awesome. Obviously, he’s super-talented and the talk of the town right now,” he said in June.
Holland first appeared as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War in 2016 before starring in Spider-Man: Homecoming the following year. He later reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
He became the third actor to portray Spider-Man on the big screen, following Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. His latest outing as the web-slinging superhero, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, opened in cinemas on Friday.
