Tom Holland's Spider-Man is easily one of the breakout characters for the next generation of the MCU, and clearly, Marvel has taken notice. Even before Phase 4 was announced, the company was already setting up the character as a successor to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, positioning him as an apprentice of sorts who was learning from and looked up to Iron Man.
So when Tony Stark sacrificed himself in Avengers: Endgame, it wasn't a big surprise that Spider-Man: Far From Home centered Peter Parker's arc on moving past Iron Man and forging his own identity as a hero. As phase 4 winds up, many fans have been wondering: just how far will Marvel go with Spider-Man as a rallying point for the MCU?
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Having Spider-Man take the spotlight in Phase 4 would require Tom Holland to get even more involved in the MCU, but interestingly, Holland seems ready to step back for a minute and catch his breath. While Spider-Man: No Way Home has gotten an official title reveal and some marketing push, a recent interview had Holland admitting he was ready to slow down from the hustle of big-budget acting.
During a conversation on USA Today's Entertain This, Holland was asked about what his plans were after wrapping up on No Way Home, to which the actor said he planned to take a break: "I'm gonna go home and just enjoy some time, you know – it's the first time since I signed on to Spider-Man that I don't have a contract with someone." It's certainly a reasonable decision since between the MCU and projects like Uncharted and Apple TV Plus' Cherry, he's been bouncing around quite a few productions without much downtime. Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War in 2016 and has reprised the role five times since then, with No Way Home currently in production as his sixth outing as the wall-crawler.
That doesn't necessarily mean he's planning to retire from the superhero game, as no doubt Sony and Marvel will have an interest in signing him again as long as Spider-Man: No Way Home does well, but it will be a well-deserved rest. It does, however, seem to suggest that there are no imminent plans to film another Spider-Man sequel or any cameos in other MCU films once No Way Home is wrapped.
Whatever Holland decides to do after Spider-Man: No Way Home, hopefully, it provides a much-needed rest from all his work in the MCU. That way he'll be ready for action if Marvel or Sony decides to call him in again for another swing at the web-slinging hero.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 17, 2021.
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Source: USA Today's Entertain This