Spider-Man actor Tom Holland revealed his hopes to do for another young star what Robert Downey Jr. and his iconic Iron Man once did. Arguably, the most controversial aspect of the MCU's Spider-Man is the close mentorship he received from Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. The Armored Avenger brought the web-slinger into the fold with Captain America: Civil War, continued to mentor him in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War, while his death in Avengers: Endgame left a lasting impact on Far From Home.
During a recent interview with Empire, Tom Holland revealed that, whichever superhero may succeed his Peter Parker in the MCU, be it Miles Morales or otherwise, he would "love to be a part of setting up the next chapter:
“For whoever’s next, whether that is a Miles Morales or a Spider-Gwen or a Spider-Woman or something like that, I would love to be a part of setting up the next chapter."
The actor compared his aspirations to how Iron Man mentored Peter Parker through his early days in the MCU, while Robert Downey Jr. did the same for him as an actor in the real world. He noted how, if he could fulfill that dream, he would be "so content swinging off into the sunset" whenever his MCU exit comes:
"Whatever that looks like, I don’t know. But if I could do what [Robert Downey Jr.] did for me, then I would be so content swinging off into the sunset."
Holland previously spoke with The Rich Roll Podcast and spoke about how Downey Jr. was "so great and sweet" to him. Having landed the Spider-Man role after a screen test with RDJ, Holland arrived on the Captain America: Civil War set only to find his lines had been "cut down significantly."
While the Russo Brothers initially justified the decision by citing the movie's already long script, the Iron Man actor insisted that "you're going to want to spend some time on this" and shoot the whole scene as it was in the audition. Ultimately, RDJ won out; the complete scene was shot, and it all made it into Civil War's final cut.
The MCU actor explained that if he ever got to usher Miles Morales into the franchise, he would "love to do for a young kid what Downey did for [him]" and use the influence he has developed to help to support them:
"I owe that to him. I'd love to one day do that. If I'd be lucky enough to somehow bring Miles Morales into my Spider-Man universe and into the MCU, I'd love to do for a young kid what Downey did for me."
Both Holland and RDJ will return to the MCU this year, with the Spider-Man actor once again leading the way in Brand New Day on July 31, while the Iron Man star steps into a new role as Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday on December 18.
Why Miles Morales' MCU Debut Needs to Happen in Spider-Man 5
Tom Holland's Peter Parker is about to begin his second era in the MCU with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, now that he is out of high school and into adult life. That era is expected to include a whole second trilogy with a "Thanos-like" overarching foe that many have speculated will also introduce Miles Morales.
Once Sony's animated Spider-Verse trilogy concludes next summer, Miles Morales' MCU introduction will finally become possible. Perhaps Spider-Man 5 could finally introduce the young Afro-Latino, ending with him getting his superpowers before Peter Parker mentors him into a fully-fledged hero in the sequel.
In recent years, Miles Morales' popularity has skyrocketed thanks to the Spider-Verse trilogy and Insomniac Games' PlayStation saga. That makes now the perfect time for Miles' live-action debut, especially as Holland, of course, won't be playing Spider-Man forever, and the MCU will need someone to succeed him.
Holland placed an endpoint on his acting career, and with it, his time as Spider-Man, telling Men's Health that "when [he has] kids, you will not see [him] in movies anymore." There's no sign of that coming anytime soon, although he is taking steps into the family life, as he is engaged to Spider-Man co-star Zendaya.
While many love to fancast big names like Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin as the MCU's Miles Morales, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures are likely to seek out another lesser-known teenage actor, just as they did with Tom Holland. When that time comes, it would be fitting for Holland to mentor his own successor, both on and off screen, just as Robert Downey Jr. once did for him.
