Tom Holland is the most recent MCU cast member to have a solo trilogy within the interconnected franchise. Spider-Man: No Way Home immediately became a box office success in December 2021 when it hit theaters, and it is still going strong two months later. The film recently surpassed Avatar to become the third-highest grossing movie domestically of all time.
No Way Home featured the return of many actors that appeared in past Spider-Man movies outside of the MCU. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield both suited up as web-slingers for the first time in years, and they were joined by villains of their own respective franchises, such as Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin and Jamie Foxx as Electro.
Some fans claimed that Holland's performance in No Way Home was the best of his career and immediately began campaigning for him to return in a fourth solo film.
The 25-year-old actor has teetered back and forth when it comes to comments about continuing to play the character in the future, sometimes suggesting that he will be back for more movies and other times mentioning that another character, such as Miles Morales, should get the spotlight.
Recently, Holland commented yet again on what his future will hold, and it seems as though moviegoers won't be seeing him again in the near future.
Tom Holland Wants a Break
In a recent interview with CinePOP, Tom Holland was promoting the upcoming film that he will be starring in, Uncharted.
Near the end of the session, the actor was asked if he would "go back to Spider-Man" or if he would be taking a little time off following the premiere of Uncharted. Holland took a moment to talk about Apple TV's The Crowded Room, which he will be shooting, and then claimed that he "can confidently say" he will "be taking a break."
However, it is important to note that he did not deny a return to Spider-Man:
"I am going back to shoot a TV show for Apple which I'm really excited about. It's a very, very challenging role written by the amazing Akiva Goldsman, and I think the script is some of the best I've ever read, so I'm really, really excited to do that. But I can confidently say, after I finish that TV show, I will be taking a break."
Marvel Studios and Sony are currently in early development on Spider-Man 4, yet no production schedule is set.
Swinging into the Future
Spider-Man: No Way Home ended in a toss-up. Now that the world doesn't know Peter Parker, he has no connections to anyone that needs to be further explored. He made his new suit and started swinging through New York to fight crime as a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. On the other hand, the characters that were closest to him before Dr. Strange performed the spell, such as MJ, Ned Leeds, and Happy Hogan, essentially have no future without him.
At the least, Holland would need to return, even if it was only to have a brief interaction with someone like Miles Morales. Holland's Spider-Man is still in the MCU, even if he isn't on-screen, so if another Spider-Man or Spider-Woman entered the fold, it would be hard to sell viewers on a story where there isn't that passing-of-the-torch moment.
Holland's recent comments have most likely been because of negotiating a new deal. Spider-Man: No Way Home is close to the $2 billion mark, and the character is arguably the most popular superhero of all time, so it is safe to say that Holland could get an extremely large paycheck in return.
Holland has stated in the past that he loves playing Peter Parker, and he was also a major reason that Sony and Marvel Studios were able to come to an agreement when the rights of the character were being discussed. It is important to emphasize that he did not mention walking away from Spider-Man when answering the question in the interview, he simply stated that he needed a break due to the many roles he has been able to grab in a short amount of time.
While the future is never certain, fans can expect Tom Holland to be putting on the web-shooters again in the future, and if nothing else, returning to the franchise to help introduce the next Spider-Man.
