Tom Holland Has Had Meetings About Passing Baton To Next Spider-Man

I’m still floored that Spider-Man: No Way Home works. It shouldn’t! It’s a sequel to eight movies across three different series. And not only does it tie up threads from all those series, but it also improves upon what came before (Andrew Garfield catching Zendaya and having a quiet moment to himself afterward is a perfect example of both). But a big part of why it works is that Garfield, Tobey Maguire, and Tom Holland are all really good at playing Spider-Man.

While they all bring a different energy to Peter Parker, the depth and emotion are on full display. They bring nuance to all three, especially in the mega-sequel. Garfield is arguably the best actor of the three, but they’ve all capable of so much that anyone who would follow in their footsteps, whether they’re playing Peter Parker or not, has a lot to live up to. That was the case for Holland and Garfield before him, and the former is looking forward to it.

“There’s a whole plan that we have been working on for, I would say, since we finished Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Holland recently explained to Josh Horowitz on Happy, Sad, Confused, according to Deadline. “It’s laid out. It’s gonna change for sure, but I have a really clear vision to the passing on of the baton, and I think it’s really exciting… I know I get really excited when we have these meetings and chat about it. But that is the thing I want to do most in this character, for sure.”

Now, it will likely be some time before Holland moves on. He has made it clear that he’s happy to play the role for as long as Marvel will have him, and given the reception to Spider-Man: Brand New Day, that will probably be a while. Still, Marvel could easily decide to introduce another Spider-Man character, like the Miles Morales or Gwen Stacey versions (something Holland has expressed excitement for) and use his standing as the hero to help usher in the next wave, much like Garfield and Maguire did for him.

That’s not to say that Holland needed the boost. His Spider-Man has been well received, to say the least. But there’s something special about uniting those generations and having a passing-of-the-baton type situation. It’s one of the most exciting parts of superhero comics (when done correctly), and while the MCU has certainly bitten off a bit more than it can chew regarding the multiverse, there’s still room to connect legacy characters on screen if it’s done thoughtfully. But that’s a big ole if.