Fans can look forward to seeing more Peter Parker this year after Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but Tom Holland is reportedly standing aside for Tobey Maguire. It's hard to believe that there hasn't been a live-action Spider-Man movie in almost five years since No Way Home, which concluded Holland's first trilogy by bringing back his predecessors, Maguire and Andrew Garfield, for a Multiversal crossover.
Years later, the Multiverse is falling apart in Avengers: Doomsday, as universes collide in Incursions that destroy one or both realities. Marvel Studios recently unveiled Doomsday's first teaser to the world ahead of Brand New Day, and yet there was no sign of any Spider-Man swinging into action. Fortunately, the latest reports indicate that a Peter Parker Variant is coming out to play, even if it isn't the one with several movies' worth of history in the Avengers saga.
Is Spider-Man In Avengers: Doomsday? MCU Reports Explained
Before production began, there were reports that Holland would have a "major role" in Doomsday, although that no longer seems likely. After the British actor was omitted from Avengers 5’s cast reveal last February, there has, sadly, been nothing to suggest that he will appear, even with a minor role.
Fortunately, Holland seems to have sent a friend along in his stead, as Tobey Maguire is heavily rumored to reprise his Spider-Man during Doomsday’s opening sequence. This will mark Maguire’s fifth appearance as Peter 2 after the Sam Raimi-directed trilogy and, more recently, Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Rumors have claimed that Doomsday will top Infinity War's grand opening with an Incursion between the RaimiVerse and the Fox X-Men universe, forcing Maguire's Spider-Man to battle Hugh Jackman's Wolverine for the fate of their universes. There has even been talk that Spidey will be backed by others from his world, such as Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, which makes sense after Maguire helped cure his foes in No Way Home, setting them up for a heroic path upon returning home.
Recently, Tom Holland told Cinemania that he hasn't yet joined the production of the next Avengers movies, but he expressed curiosity about "when [he does] get to grace that set." With Doomsday already in the can, that seems to rule out his chances of returning again this year, but Secret Wars still hasn't started production, thereby leaving the door open to his inclusion in the 2027 blockbuster:
"I don't know a lot about those movies, I think by design... I have a reputation for spoiling certain things, and I think the studios are keeping me from the juicy details. But when I do get to grace that set, I'm so curious — you know, what does that mean for Peter? And how does that work? I'm very excited about... whatever it is they're doing."
Funnily enough, Destin Daniel Cretton, the director behind Shang-Chi and Brand New Day, was once signed on to direct Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. He exited the Phase 6 blockbuster before it evolved into Avengers: Doomsday and took on Spider-Man’s next adventure in its place, which many would argue is a stronger match given the acclaim his last solo superhero movie earned.
Why Is Tom Holland's Spider-Man Getting Sidelined For Tobey Maguire In Avengers: Doomsday?
If Marvel Studios once hoped to include Tom Holland's Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday, his absence was likely a logistical decision. The 30-year-old was busy with The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day during Doomsday's entire April-to-December 2025 production, leaving no time to shoot any meaningful role.
While Maguire's comeback may initially feel like a fan service-driven cameo, it has the potential to bring something meaningful to Doomsday. More so than even Doctor Doom, Avengers 5's greatest threat is the Incursions laying waste to the Multiverse, and showcasing their devastating impact on characters fans are already invested in ought to make the world-ending stakes very clear.
The MCU may be sidelining Holland for Maguire this time around, but both are expected to return with a "major role" in 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars, alongside Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine made it clear that the TVA had chosen the Merc with a Mouth for a "higher purpose," and that Wolverine had his own significance as an Anchor Being holding his universe together. Perhaps the TVA will take a similar interest in the two Spider-Men, bringing together a unique group of heroes who, at most, had a minor role in Doomsday to save all of reality in Secret Wars.
When Doctor Doom creates Battleworld in Marvel Comics, most of the heroes have no memory of the Multiverse that was, and it falls to the few who do remember to restore reality. The TVA may be assembling this group, which includes the two Spider-Men (hopefully, along with Andrew Garfield's Peter 3, reuniting the No Way Home trio), to lead the charge against Doom in Secret Wars.
