With Eternals finally in theaters and the hype surrounding it beginning to die down, all eyes are turned toward December for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The upcoming film, directed by Jon Watts, will follow Tom Holland's Spider-Man as he attempts to navigate through the consequential waters that Mysterio left him with when his identity was revealed to the world in Far From Home.
Anticipation is at an all-time high due to the return of many key villains from past Spider-Man titles, as well as the possible returns of both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. However, what will come after the film as far as the character of Spider-Man is concerned is still a mystery.
It is unclear whether Holland will continue his role as Peter Parker in the MCU after No Way Home is released. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently assured fans that they will not have to go through the same "emotional rollercoaster" that they did in 2019 during the negotiations for the character's rights. However, he didn't confirm or deny that the web-slinger would be staying in the MCU.
Holland has spent much of his recent time promoting the film and dodging questions that could possibly spoil the experience for viewers. It seems that he is just as much in the dark as the fans are when it comes to his character's future.
Tom Holland Unsure of Spider-Man's Future
In the latest issue of Total Film, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland spoke about the future of the character in the MCU, a question which he seems to "genuinely (not) know" the answer to.
Holland also admitted that it is something he has been "thinking about a lot," proving just how much playing the character means to him:
"I don't know. I don't know. I genuinely don't know. It's something I'm thinking about a lot, and it's something that's on my mind all the time. But I genuinely don't have an answer for you."
Will Spider-Man be Staying?
It is no secret that Spider-Man is arguably the most popular superhero of all time. The Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer broke Avengers: Endgame's record for most views within 24 hours of release, and if the trend continues, the highly anticipated second trailer could possibly surpass the first.
Taking New York's web-slinger completely out of the MCU would not only bring fan disappointment, but it would also be a huge loss for Marvel Studios and its plans for future projects.
Sony is clearly attempting to build its own comic book movie universe, kicking it off with both Venom films and the upcoming Morbius movie, and it seems as though it is trying to make Spider-Man the center of it all. Venom: Let There Be Carnage's post-credits scene actually showed Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock crossing over into the MCU, and Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes, also known as Vulture, is confirmed to be appearing in Morbius.
Sony is blatantly teasing that Holland will be a part of its future, but with the Spider-Man actor seeming to genuinely not know what is in store for him, it is possible that the two studios have not yet fully worked out a deal that will benefit both sides.
Spider-Man: No Way Home will premiere exclusively in theaters on December 17, 2021.
