
While fans await news of the fourth Spider-Man movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, new information about Tom Holland’s Peter Parker replacement in the major Disney franchise has surfaced.
Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy, starring Tom Holland, revitalized the iconic superhero by integrating him into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Starting with Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), the trilogy follows Peter Parker’s journey as a high school student balancing the pressures of being Spider-Man.
Following Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), the final installment of Jon Watts’ trilogy, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), pushed the character into new territory by exploring the Multiverse, bringing back legacy villains and previous Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield).
This movie became a massive box office success, grossing nearly $2 billion worldwide, cementing its place as one of the highest-grossing films of all time, and was the last time Marvel Studios and The Walt Disney Company saw that kind of monetary success with a superhero entry.
More recently, Shawn Levy’s Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)–starring Ryan Reynolds (Wade Wilson/Deadpool) and Hugh Jackman (Logan/Wolverine) –marked a successful comeback for the MCU, winning the summer box office and becoming Disney’s second film of 2024 to cross the $1 billion club. The first is Kelsey Mann’s Inside Out 2 (2024).
The trilogy’s commercial and critical success was bolstered by Tom Holland’s charismatic performance and its blend of humor, heart, and action. No Way Home, in particular, captured audiences with its Multiverse concept and nostalgic elements, leaving a lasting impact on superhero cinema–and, arguably, inspiring Levy and Reynolds’ own Multiversal venture three years later.
Additionally, the trilogy redefined Peter Parker’s origin story, focusing on his evolution into a grounded, independent hero. As director Jon Watts confirmed last year, the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home is actually the beginning of Spider-Man’s story—it just took almost seven hours of filmmaking to get there.
Work had commenced on Spider-Man 4, with producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal attached, but, as Holland confirmed last year, it was shut down due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strikes that rolled through the nation. In July 2024, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige assured fans work was commencing on the fourth movie, telling io9 that he and Amy Pascal have people working on it and that “[they] have writers who are going to be delivering [them] a draft relatively soon.”
While it would seem that Tom Holland’s future as Spider-Man will at least extend to Spider-Man 4, the actor has been recast before.
Tom Holland Recast as Spider-Man
In 2021, Marvel Animation began releasing its acclaimed series, What If…? The Disney+ series told famous stories from new angles, with each episode focusing on a different character or event. The premiere episode, for example, asked what would happen if Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) took the super-solider serum (the answer, as it would appear, would be Captain Carter, not Captain America).
Most of the star-studded MCU cast returned to voice their respective roles, including the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange) and Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), but many were recast with new actors. Mick Wingert portrayed Tony Stark/Iron Man, while Alexandra Daniels took on Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, Josh Keaton played Steve Rogers, and Lake Bell voiced Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow.
Another missing voice was Tom Holland, who was replaced by Hudson Thames.
Now, Marvel Studios has confirmed that Thames will be voicing the New York web-slinger once again in its next Spider-Man release, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (formerly Spider-Man: Freshman Year).
While it was already known that Thames would be portraying Peter Parker in this alternate universe animated TV show, Thames was revealed on stage at the recent D23 Expo Marvel Animation panel hosted by Brandon Davis, formerly of ComicBook.com. IGN (@IGN) posted a photo of Thames speaking at the Anaheim, Southern California event.
Hudson Thames returns to voice Peter Parker / Spider-Man in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. #D23
Hudson Thames returns to voice Peter Parker / Spider-Man in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. #D23 pic.twitter.com/grk7MurRWy
— IGN (@IGN) August 10, 2024
As Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum (Head of Streaming, Television and Animation) told Comic Book in 2022, the new Disney+ show follows an alternate timeline during the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), where someone altogether different from Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is waiting for Peter Parker.
“It’s Norman Osborn, and that sends his life in an unexpected trajectory that collides him with many unexpected characters in the Marvel universe,” the producer told the outlet. However, Freshman Year wouldn’t be a Marvel Studios project if it had not been significantly altered before release.
During a December 2023 Disney presentation, Marvel announced that Spider-Man: Freshman Year had been renamed Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Although the project was initially revealed two years ago on Disney+ Day 2021, Marvel did not provide an explanation for the title change.
After the original announcement of Freshman Year, Marvel confirmed plans for a sequel titled Spider-Man: Sophomore Year. It remains unclear how this renaming will impact the planned follow-up seasons, raising the question of whether the animated series is being restructured as a standalone project.
The trailer for this first installment recently leaked online.
Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and…Nicolas Cage?
Beyond Tom Holland’s MCU portrayal, there are several other notable versions of Spider-Man across live-action and animated films, with Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios playing key roles in bringing them to life. Tobey Maguire first portrayed Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007), which set the stage for modern superhero films.
Andrew Garfield followed in The Amazing Spider-Man series (2012, 2014), offering a more modern and emotionally driven take on Peter Parker. Directed by Marc Webb, this version leaned into Peter’s relationship with Gwen Stacy while exploring the darker consequences of being Spider-Man.
Related: Five Years Later, Marvel Officially Changes Its ‘Spider-Man’ Sequel Movie
These two versions of Spider-Man and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker famously converged in Spider-Man: No Way Home, truly putting the Multiverse in Multiverse Saga and uniting the actors in a groundbreaking cinematic event.
In animation, Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) introduced Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a Brooklyn teenager who takes on the Spider-Man mantle after Peter Parker’s death in his universe. The success of Into the Spider-Verse led to its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse slated for the future.
Nicolas Cage will soon reprise his Into the Spider-Verse series role, Spider-Man Noir, in a live-action series from MGM+ and Amazon Prime.
“Expanding the Marvel universe with Noir is a uniquely special opportunity, and we are honored to bring this series to our global Prime Video customers,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios (via Variety). “The extremely talented Nicolas Cage is an ideal choice for our new superhero, and the accomplished producing team with Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, and the incredible team at Sony is dedicated to expanding this franchise in the most authentic way.”
Last month, Deadline revealed that Li Jun Li (Babylon) will join Cage as a series regular.
Related: New Captain Marvel Actress Speaks Out After the MCU Replaced Brie Larson
Of course, there is also the whole situation with Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, which will soon gain J. C. Chandor’s Kraven the Hunter (2024) in December, following Madame Web‘s (2024) disastrous release earlier this year.
Are you looking forward to the future of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comments down below!