Tom Holland has been at the helm of one of cinema’s strongest summers in recent years. Spiderman: Brand New Day has raked in a global gross of $2.2 billion, while Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey continues to sail upwards of $1.5 billion. In helping create these seismic box office dents, Holland has brought audiences to the theaters all summer long, breaking records for both Universal Studios and Sony.
Holland has played the iconic Peter Parker for over a decade, establishing himself as a fan-favorite among Marvel enthusiasts and casual viewers alike. His four-movie franchise is accompanied by a powerhouse roster including Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jon Bernthal (Skidmore alum), and others. Since the 2016 release of Captain America: Civil War, Holland has captivated audiences with his earnest take on the awkward, unassuming teen from New York. Holland brings a humanity to Parker that serves just as powerful as his web-slinging abilities, providing a trademark depth to the iconic superhero. Holland’s Parker in specific has also reigned the most successful amongst adaptations, beating out Tobey Macguire and Andrew Garfield, with his MCU solo projects and other superhero appearances producing over $5 billion worldwide.
Brand New Day’s Peter Parker is at rock bottom – which if you ask most Spiderman fans – is an absolute treat. Facets of Parker’s psyche are getting explored on the screen in a new way, veering away from the friendly neighborhood Spiderman persona and instead dealing with feelings of loss and self-isolation. Following the events of Spiderman: No Way Home, Peter Parker is living in a world where nobody remembers who he is, including his best friend Ned (played by Jacob Batalon) and his girlfriend MJ (played by Zendaya). To make matters worse, Peter is dealing with the recent death of his Aunt May (played by Marisa Tomei) and the lasting effects of losing his mentor, Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr). No longer supported by the people who enrich his inner life, Peter retreats further into his persona of Spiderman, and both assets of his identity suffer. By leaning fully into the responsibilities he has as a superhero, he neglects processing his grief, which leads to shortcomings in both areas. By the end of the movie, he learns how to merge his two realities and accept both his strengths as Spiderman and his imperfections as Peter Parker. He emerges a stronger superhero and a more confident person.
Themes of loneliness and loss of personal direction are universal, and it’s special to see a movie where a superhero on top of his game can still deal with these struggles. This kind of portrayal can only have this level of payoff with Holland’s sharp sense of humility and raw introspectiveness that he brings to the table as an actor.
You’d think Brand New Day would serve as a victory lap for Holland, but there’s been no confirmation from Marvel or Sony that the Spiderman franchise is coming to an end. When asked about the future of the franchise, Sony Pictures boss, Tom Rothman, responded “I love these questions. It’s like when a coach wins the Super Bowl and he goes into the press conference and they say to him, ‘Are you going to win it next year?’ The honest truth is we don’t know at this point. This (Brand New Day) has been the focus of your studio for almost two years. I can tell you this: I certainly, certainly hope.” As far as Holland himself feels, a 2021 quote from GQ hints at some hesitation to linger in the suit too long: “If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong.” Flashing forward to 2026, Holland is now 30, and has revised his expiration date. He says “I think the point of it is that I would love to pass the baton on, and I haven’t achieved that yet. It’s definitely something that we talk about a lot at the studio. So maybe I need to change the quote to 37.”
Over the years, people have become more accustomed to the claim that ‘the MCU is not what it used to be’. It’s been 7 years since the release of Avengers: Endgame and Marvel Studios has evidently struggled to gain back the traction it once had. Without the assurance of seeing Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America on the screens again, many viewers have felt like the MCU has lost its familiar emotional pull and the beats that kept it exciting. That, and there are just so many new characters that Marvel has introduced. Holland’s Spiderman has significantly outperformed recent Marvel pictures such as Thunderbolts and Captain America: Brave New World. Having established a 10 year career in the suit, Holland’s performance in Brand New Day evokes a sense of familiarity while also providing new facets to the character without repackaging the same product.
Looking ahead, the MCU is already setting up its next phase. Having introduced mutants in Brand New Day with Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey, a new era of X-Men is planning to hit screens in 2028. Sink is set to star in the reboot alongside Heartstopper’s Kit Connor and Obsession’s Inde Navarette.
In terms of the upcoming projects, I believe Marvel's choice to bring in big names popular amongst Gen Z viewers is a smart way to get superhero movies back in the conversation in a positive way. Viewers are excited to see the Sink/Connor package take on one of Marvel’s most iconic couples in Jean Grey and Scott Summers, as well as seeing how Adam Driver’s portrayal of Mister Sinister will play out in the new franchise. With these performances on the way, as well as Avengers: Doomsday coming to screens this December and Avengers: Secret Wars already in the works, the MCU may be on the right track for the first time in a while.
A transition like this is never seamless. Let us not forget it was Holland who replaced Andrew Garfield’s Spiderman back in 2016 – which did not heed positive reactions from everyone. All the same, change must happen. But who knows? We could very well see a 60 year old Tom Holland swinging from the sky scrapers of Manhattan one day. I don’t know if I love that particular idea – all in the interest of keeping the richness of a performance sacred in the confines of its place in time – but our interests and needs as an audience are always evolving, just like the media we consume. We as viewers should extend our patience to studios in the midst of a transitional stage, while also keeping our taste for quality intact.