Skip to main content

Now that Sony and Tom Holland will have to move on with Spider-Man without Kevin Feige and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the actor is doing his best to think positively and be thankful for his time with Marvel Studios. Besides, Holland isn’t truly saying goodbye.

Holland intends to carry on playing Peter Parker for Sony. Plus, he’ll work with his Avengers superhero co-stars in three upcoming non-Marvel movies. The MCU may go away for Spider-Man, but the friendships that are more like family remain. 

The Avengers co-stars are like family to Tom Holland

Tom Holland | Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Holland is the baby of the Marvel family. The British actor is 23 now, but he was only 19 when he won the role of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in Captain America; Civil War. That made him not only the youngest actor in a key role in the MCU, but for the first time, Peter Parker would be played by a teenager, which is how the legendary Stan Lee originally wrote the character. 

Holland says his co-stars were not only welcoming but paternal. At the X Salt Lake Comic-Con, Holland said: “My first screen test was with (Robert) Downey, we did a scene that’s in the film — the scene where I first meet him. I just remember doing my auditions and I got to know the crew real well because we were there for a couple of days and you know, I like to introduce myself to everyone so that I get to know everyone. By the time I came back to actually start filming, I felt like I was already part of the family, which Marvel has done really well.”

Tom Holland will perform voice work with his Marvel co-stars

Holland will provide voices in three upcoming movies also featuring his Marvel family, although there will be nary a superhero to be found. First up is Spies in Disguise, featuring Will Smith as a James Bond-type transformed into a bird no thanks to a serum provided by Holland. Also in the film are Ben Mendelsohn, who was very briefly in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Karen Gillan, who played Nebula. It comes out Christmas Day. 

Next up is a reunion with Downey Jr., who is playing the title role in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle. That will be Downey Jr.’s first non-Marvel role since The Judge in 2014, with Holland voicing a character named Jip. That’s due out January 17.

Finally, Holland also plays one of the main characters in Pixar’s Onward, set in a mythical kingdom of elves, gnomes, and unicorns. Holland’s brother will be played by MCU’s Star-Lord, also known as Chris Pratt. That’s a rare non-holiday non-summer opening for the studio, with a release date of March 6. 

Tom Holland on the future of Spider-Man

Holland was promoting Onward when he appeared at D23, the Disney fan convention that took place the same week it was announced that the Sony/Marvel partnership would not continue. The deal had been for five films: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame and the two standalone Spider-Man movies. Sony and Marvel Studios were not able to agree on terms to renew the deal, with Sony claiming that Disney was asking for too much money. 

Holland, ever the good soldier, put a positive spin on the news that had greatly disappointed many fans. 

“Who knows what the future holds? But all I know is that I’m going to continue playing Spider-Man and having the time of my life,” he said. “It’s going to be so fun, however we choose to do it. The future for Spider-Man will be different, but it will be equally as awesome and amazing, and we’ll find new ways to make it even cooler.”

Best in Entertainment