Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home is on the verge of its theatrical debut on December 17, 2021, questions about Spider-Man's future - as well as upcoming MCU projects - are beginning to surface. While Spider-Man actor Tom Holland has touched on his character's uncertain path moving forward, No Way Home director Jon Watts already has his next Marvel-related assignment: the MCU's version of the Fantastic Four.
After Fox Studios' rather underwhelming attempts at bringing Marvel's First Family to the big screen, during Disney Investor Day in 2020, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige announced that the Fantastic Four was coming to the MCU with Spider-Man trilogy director Jon Watts at the helm.
Now that Watts is wrapping up No Way Home, expectations are high for a Fantastic Four release date and casting confirmations; although, Spider-Man's own Tom Holland has a few thoughts on who should not star in the upcoming film.
Holland Against Fantastic Four Spider-Man Cameo
When asked by Comic Book Movie if the actor would like to reunite with director Jon Watts via a Spidey cameo in Fantastic Four, Holland responded by saying that the web-slinger "needs to take a break" and that a "cameo would defeat the purpose:"
"I think, for me, as the guy that plays Spider-Man - so you could say that I know him best - I think what's important is that he needs to take a break. We need to allow the audiences to let him breathe and figure out tonally how we're going to bring this back, if we bring this character back. You know, I think him popping up for a cameo would defeat the purpose."
While audiences don't know where Spider-Man: No Way Home leaves the web-slinger, Holland has already teased the film's "dark" and "sad" plot points.
If Spidey himself ends up with "no way home" or has suffered a significant loss, it would make sense that his character would need time and that a cameo "would defeat the purpose" of his own journey.
Now, even though Holland isn't in favor of Peter Parker showing up in Fantastic Four from a character standpoint, he still expressed interest in seeing what Watts does with Marvel's First Family, saying:
"While I'd love to be in that film [because] I love Jon and would be really excited to see what he does with the Fantastic Four, I think what we need to with Spider-Man is let it breathe and almost let the audience tell us what they want."
Are the Fantastic Four Already in the Spider-Man Trilogy?
While Tom Holland has expressed his interest in continuing to play the web-slinger, he has also shown a sense of responsibility for the character, his arc, and what may be best for the role moving forward.
His comments about why Spider-Man shouldn't appear in Fantastic Four are just another example of the duty he feels to the character. While he clearly enjoys working with Watts, he knows a cameo following the events of No Way Home wouldn't be best for Peter Parker's journey, considering what he's experienced.
Still, Jon Watt's connections to both franchises are hard to ignore, especially when it comes to Avengers Tower in Spider-Man's own New York City. In fact, while Holland's Spider-Man probably won't appear in Fantastic Four, that doesn't mean the crew hasn't already been referenced in a Spider-Man film.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Happy Hogan tells Peter that Tony Stark sold Avengers Tower. If its new owners turn out to be the Fantastic Four - and the tower is now known as the Baxter Building - Marvel's First Family technically had a presence in Spidey's first solo film.
Fortunately for Marvel fans, answers shouldn't be long in coming as Spider-Man: No Way Home is set to release in theaters on December 17, 2021.
