Tom Holland Has a Major ‘Spider-Man’ Regret Involving Andrew Garfield
It’s safe to say that Marvel fans were satisfied with the result of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film bridged the gap between three generations of onscreen Spider-Man adaptations. It placed current star Tom Holland at the forefront, but it also brought back multiple villains from the franchise’s past, not to mention former Spider-Men Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire.
While Holland has been nothing but effusive in praising both Holland and Maguire, he did have one regret about the film involving Garfield. Let’s take a closer look at how Marvel brought this incredible trio together and what Holland said was his main regret.
Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield both hold a special place in the ‘Spider-Man’ universe
Holland is the MCU’s current version of Peter Parker, and he’s a big hit with fans. He first popped up in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Tony Stark recruited him to join his superhero versus superhero battle in that film. After Disney and Sony worked out a deal to share the character, Spider-Man officially joined the MCU. Subsequently, Holland appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Garfield was the second actor to take on the Spider-Man mantle. He first appeared as the web-slinger in 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man. He also appeared in a sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Sony had plans for a trilogy that fell through. This shelved many Spider-Man projects, including a rumored Sinister Six spinoff.
Sony continues to move forward with multiple Spider-Man-related projects such as the Venom series, Morbius, and a planned Madame Web adaptation.
Tom Holland’s ‘Spider-Man’ regret involving Andrew Garfield
Fans may love Holland’s take on the character now. But the talented and versatile Garfield was also a popular choice as Spider-Man. Holland and Garfield seem to get along great if this last film’s press tour is any indication. However, Holland did have one regret regarding Garfield.
Holland regretted not calling Garfield after being cast as Spider-Man. “Something I can look back on now with a little bit of clarity and regret is that I never called [Garfield] when I took over as Spider-Man,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
Holland added he later put himself in Garfield’s shoes, thinking of how he would feel if he were in the same position. “Had someone said to me after my second movie that I was done and this other kid was taking over, I would’ve been heartbroken.
While Holland wished he “had the chance to make amends with [Garfield],” he saw No Way Home as his opportunity to do that.
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ gave fans the chance to see Garfield and Holland together
So how does Spider-Man: No Way Home let Garfield and Holland share a connection? From a storytelling perspective, it was quite satisfying.
Garfield’s abrupt exit from the series left one plot thread unresolved: his character watches his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) die at the end of the second film, unable to save her. In No Way Home, a third act scene sees Garfield’s Parker saving MJ (Zendaya) from perishing in a similar situation. It’s a satisfying resolution for Garfield’s character. It gave him one more chance to be a hero and gain closure for that aspect of his emotional arc.
Holland may not have said anything to Garfield when he first got the role. But by sharing the screen with him, he was able to let him finish what he started.
