Tom Holland Says Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man Advice Will Get Ignored In 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day': "It Is Having a Profound Effect on His Life As a Human Being"

Tom Holland says Peter Parker will actively ignore a lesson he learned from Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man when Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters. Garfield’s older, wearier Peter crossed the Multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home, helping Holland’s hero battle a host of villains, and before the web-slingers parted ways, he passed on advice shaped by his own losses. That film ended with a memory spell that erased Peter Parker from the mind of every person on Earth.

Holland opened up about that abandoned advice at the Brand New Day global press conference, which The Direct attended. The actor confirmed Peter begins the film refusing to ask anyone for help, and the choice is quietly wrecking his personal life even as his alter ego reaches new heights in New York City.

Moderator Josh Horowitz asked Holland where Peter and Spider-Man stand as the story begins, since the two halves of the character start the movie in very different places. Holland said audiences meet Peter at "the beginning of the darkest chapter of his life:"

"I think you really meet Peter Parker at the beginning of the darkest chapter of his life. You know, to me, the thing I love the most about the film is that it really represents, or it’s a cautionary tale for the dangers of living a life alone and not having a community, not having friends. And a lesson that he learned from Andrew’s character in the previous movie is that, you know, sometimes the bravest thing that you can do is ask for help. And he is actively ignoring that advice, and it is having a profound effect on his life as a human being."

In the same answer, Holland turned to the other half of the double life, noting that "as Spider-Man, he is thriving:"

"But then on the other side of that, as Spider-Man, he is thriving. You know, we’re probably seeing the most truthful version of what Spider-Man means to New York City at the beginning of this movie. And the smashing of those two worlds is such a fun thing for us to play with."

Holland continued by noting how Brand New Day's story direction "just felt so relatable," predicting that it will resonate with young people: 

"You know, standing on the world stage and beaming and doing all of this amazing stuff to then coming home to a pretty grubby New York apartment and, you know, nursing a headache to go to sleep, especially the scenes when we’re watching them on Instagram. It’s just so true to what young people are going through on a daily basis. So for me, I really kind of dove into this new idea because it just felt so relatable, so prevalent with what’s happening in the world. And I love telling a movie on this scale that is something that I really think will resonate with young people." 

Zendaya, who returns as MJ, spends the film on the other side of that spell. Her character and Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds meet Peter as a total stranger, so Horowitz asked whether the trio’s central relationship needed rebuilding from scratch. Zendaya compared the process to "a fun acting exercise:"

"Yeah, I don’t know, I feel like it was fun. We kind of describe it as like, you know, it’s like a fun acting exercise. Like, okay, do the scene, but now as if you’ve never met before, you know? But it was fun to investigate and think about like what their lives have been like without Peter. Cause, you know, for us, he never existed, you know, but clearly there’s an effect of Peter on our lives. The fact that we are even friends and still kind of living in New York together must mean something to them, you know."

Zendaya continued, noting that MJ "adopted his positivity without even knowing it:"

"And I think that, you know, in previous films MJ was always the pessimist and it was Peter that was always the optimist. And so it’s interesting to see that reversal. You know, now that he’s alone, he’s kind of adopted that negativity and she’s adopted his positivity without even knowing it. So there’s clearly something still there."

Zendaya then touched on Peter ignoring the advice of Garfield’s Spider-Man, noting that "he was cautioned, he was warned by the other Spider-Men":

"I mean, we always root for them and hope and, you know, because Peter is one of those characters you just love and you want them to make the right decisions. And I think to what you’re saying, in the last film, he was cautioned, he was warned by the other Spider-Men, what could happen. And I think in many ways this film is grappling with those ideas and really confronting the things that they warned him about, you know. So I’m rooting for him, but... Not looking good." 

Brand New Day hands the franchise to director Destin Daniel Cretton, the filmmaker behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, with Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal producing. Stranger Things star Sadie Sink joins the cast in a role Marvel keeps under wraps, alongside Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle, the Punisher, and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner. The movie arrives in theaters on Friday, July 31, where fans will get to see how Peter ignoring the advice of a more experienced Spider-Man affects him.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Is Peter Parker’s Toughest Battle Yet

Every previous Holland solo movie gave Peter challenges to deal with, but Brand New Day looks set to give him an even tougher time. The film's trailers show Peter's body changing in ways he cannot control, complete with blackouts, fully black eyes, organic webbing, and a morning spent breaking out of a cocoon he spun in his sleep. When Peter brings the mystery to Banner, the scientist warns him that mutating DNA would be "enormously dangerous."

Beyond these new changes his body is undergoing, Peter also has many enemies to deal with. The film’s marketing revolves around a villain nobody can see, a power that jumps between bodies and turns ordinary New Yorkers into weapons, and Spider-Man appears to be the only person immune to it. Michael Mando’s Mac Gargan, who threatened Peter from a prison cell at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, finally suits up as Scorpion. Marvin Jones III plays the crime lord Tombstone; Bernthal’s Punisher also clashes with the wall-crawler on multiple occasions, and one trailer even unleashes a rampaging Hulk on him. 

He also faces it all with barely any backup for the first time. Peter fought the Vulture with Tony Stark’s technology, took on Mysterio with Nick Fury a phone call away, and only survived No Way Home because two other Spider-Men showed up. Nobody is coming this time, except, of course, the Punisher, who isn’t exactly a team-up type of guy. MJ and Ned pass him on the street without a flicker of recognition, and Banner knows him only as a stranger asking odd questions. Four years of anonymous crime-fighting produced a stronger, stranger Spider-Man, but Peter Parker bears the brunt of the web-slinger enjoying so much attention while his well-being is ignored.