Spider-Man: Brand New Day star Tom Holland has adopted a new martial arts style for his MCU return, one that is famously linked to Venom star Tom Hardy. Five years after No Way Home, Holland will finally be seen swinging through New York once again this July in Brand New Day. The MCU's Peter Parker will face a growing roster of Marvel villains, with some help from Jon Bernthal's Punisher and Mark Ruffalo's Hulk. One long-requested addition to the Spider-Man franchise who won't be appearing is Hardy's Eddie Brock, who seems to have called it quits with his superhero tenure after 2024's Venom: The Last Dance.
During a recent episode of The Sidney Gordon Podcast, martial arts master Colton confirmed that, during the production of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, he guided Tom Holland through his "second class ever" in Jiu-Jitsu:
"I did Jiu-Jitsu with Tom Holland. He said it was his second class ever. It was really interesting, especially being a complete outsider. A lot of people work very, very hard for many, many years and most of their lives to get on some of the movie sets that I've been fortunate to be on."
He added that he has heard from Holland's head of security, Jack English, that the MCU star has gotten "really into" jiu-jitsu and has been training "all the time:"
"But Tom, Jack (his head of security), and some of the stunt guys came out. I had a fantastic time doing Jiu-Jitsu with those guys, and from what I hear, Tom is really into it now. Jack said he's going all the time. So, hopefully I spread the gospel of jiu jitsu to Tom Holland."
Holland isn't the only MCU star to dive into the martial arts world, as Venom star Tom Hardy is a dedicated practitioner of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (which could be considered a modern evolution of Jiu-Jitsu due to their common lineage). He holds a blue belt in the sport and even took home first place at a U.K. BJJ tournament.
Hill also noted that Jon Bernthal himself chose him to be the weapons and tactics consultant for The Punisher's upcoming Disney+ Special Presentation, which evolved into a military advisor role for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In fact, he noted that he ended up "in front of the camera" with roles in both MCU ventures.
Spider-Man's Martial Arts Future May Just Be Getting Started
Tom Holland dialing up his martial arts training for Spider-Man: Brand New Day ought to further drive excitement for the movie's hand-to-hand action, especially as the British star is renowned for doing many of his own stunts.
As Spider-Man 4 hails from director Destin Daniel Cretton, who helmed the martial-arts-centric MCU blockbuster Shang-Chi, it seems likely that more intricate hand-to-hand combat will be featured more prominently in Peter Parker's MCU future.
If Marvel Studios continues its trend of adding other MCU heroes to its Spider-Man solo flicks, one has to wonder if Cretton could bring in Simu Liu's Shang-Chi for a future sequel. Such a tale could introduce the "Way of the Spider," a martial arts style developed by Spider-Man and Shang-Chi at one point in Marvel Comics.
Liu himself expressed great interest in adapting this beloved storyline, which comes to pass after Spider-Man loses his Spider-Sense in the Spider-Island storyline, developing the "Way of the Spider" to compensate.
While martial arts may be vital to Brand New Day, it sadly appears Tom Hardy won't be, as he looks to have bid his alien symbiote farewell, for now at least. That said, one theory speculates that the Venom symbiote has a secret role in Spider-Man 4 that could bring a major twist for its villains.
