Tom Holland says he didn't think Marvel could pull off the ambitious story of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Holland once again plays Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the conclusion of the Homecoming trilogy, a studio collaboration between Marvel and Sony. The film co-stars franchise regulars Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Marisa Tomei, and Jon Favreau, with new and returning stars including Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, Jamie Foxx as Electro, Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin, J.K. Simmons as J.Jonah Jameson, and many more guest appearances expected.
Spider-Man: No Way Home reviews and reactions are pouring in from the first screenings of the film, but without spoilers, it will be the first time in a Marvel film that characters from prior non-MCU Spider-Man films are pulled into the new universe. This concept was teased in the animated film, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, but with No Way Home, the events are folded into live action. The multiverse has been brewing ever since Avengers: Endgame, flowing through movies and shows ever since, particularly Loki and What If...? on Disney+
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Holland (along with co-stars Zendaya and Batalon) elaborates that he was "blown away" by the idea for Spider-Man: No Way Home, but that he didn't think Marvel Studios could pull it off. "I was very excited. I thought it was a really cool idea. In all honesty, I didn't think it was something that they could pull off," the actor said. His co-star, Zendaya, agreed, with Holland saying, "I thinking, 'Oh that's nice idea. That's never going to happen, but it's really cool.' And here we are promoting the movie..." The actor seemed every bit as surprised as audiences will surely be, saying, "They did it, they pulled it off. They made it happen. So it was incredible."
Holland starred as Spider-Man in the previous two solo films between Marvel/Sony, as well as appearances in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Sony has since stated that Holland will appear in another Spider-Man trilogy, as well as a crossover role in another Marvel film. While no deals have been signed as of yet, the success of No Way Home will almost assuredly leave to dry ink by the end of the year, as the hype and early projections for the film are sure to be massive.
Spider-Man is one of Marvel's most prominent characters, so whether it's Holland or someone else in the red-and-blue suit, the web-head will continue to swing. However, Holland is in a unique position, being still in his 20s, as the actor could presumably play Spider-Man for decades if he was willing and able. Of course, there are many factors that play into that, but getting an early start on a character like this, which will most assuredly define Holland's career, is a tremendous advantage. With Sony and Marvel changing up the storytelling rules with a multiverse of characters, it creates a vast arena of possibilities, which Holland will surely want to be a part of post Spider-Man: No Way Home.
