Marvel fans eagerly awaiting news on the next installment of the Spider-Man franchise were met with an unexpected controversy that reignited discussions around the web-slinger—but not for the reasons they had hoped.
Since his introduction in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has become a cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His standalone trilogy—Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)—blended high school drama with superhero spectacle, culminating in an ambitious Multiversal crossover featuring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
The film’s massive success, earning nearly $2 billion worldwide, cemented Spider-Man’s legacy as one of Marvel’s biggest box office draws.
However, following No Way Home, progress on Spider-Man 4 has initially been slow. While Holland previously revealed that development had been stalled due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige reassured fans in mid-2024 that the project was still in motion.
Later that year, Holland confirmed that filming would begin in summer 2025, with a planned July 31, 2026 release following Avengers: Doomsday (2026). Latest reports claim that Stranger Things star Sadie Sink, who plays Max Mayfield in the hit Netflix series, has joined Holland in the cast.
Meanwhile, the animated side of Spider-Man’s universe has continued to grow. Marvel Animation’s What If…? introduced alternate versions of iconic MCU characters, though Holland was among those who did not reprise their roles and was recast. Instead, Hudson Thames voiced Peter Parker—a role he would continue in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, formerly known as Spider-Man: Freshman Year.
Marvel confirmed Thames’ return at D23 Expo 2024, alongside an ensemble cast featuring Colman Domingo as Norman Osborn, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Eugene Byrd as Lonnie Lincoln, Grace Song as Nico Minoru, Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius, Kari Wahlgren as May Parker, Zeno Robinson as Harry Osborn, and Paul F. Tompkins as Bentley Whittman.
The Disney+ series presents an alternate timeline where Osborn mentors Peter Parker instead of Tony Stark, setting up an entirely different trajectory for the hero.
However, what should have been an exciting release became overshadowed by controversy surrounding Thames’ remarks in an interview with Collider.
“I thought it was awesome. I mean, my biggest fear was that it was gonna be annoying and woke, and it wasn't, and I was like, ‘Yes, this is great, it's so well written,' like it feels real,” Thames stated. “I'm the oldest of five boys, so I feel like I kind of know what's happening in their lives and in high school, and it felt like it was doing that justice.”
The term “woke” has become politically charged in recent years, often used in a derogatory manner to criticize diversity and inclusion efforts in entertainment. Thames’ comments drew immediate backlash on social media, with many fans calling for him to be recast.
Over a month later, and with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man having completed its run, Thames responded to the controversy during an interview with Juju Green/Straw Hat Goofy.
“So, obviously, something that I said was cherry-picked and used essentially with no context just to kind of stir up some drama,” Thames explained.
“We were talking about that little period of time before the show came out, and I was noticing a lot of comments online that I was getting, that was either people being nervous or expressing concern that the show was using topics of diversity and equality in an inauthentic or disingenuous way.”
The debate comes as Disney continues to be at the center of discussions regarding diversity in its projects. Recent live-action remakes like Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), The Little Mermaid (2023), and the upcoming Disney's Snow White (2025) have sparked controversy over casting decisions.
Meanwhile, animated films like Lightyear (2022) and Strange World (2022) faced criticism for their LGBTQIAP+ representation, while Win or Lose Pixar’s long-form Disney+ series, drew backlash when a transgender storyline was removed.
Thames further clarified his statement, saying:
“It made me defensive, like I wanted to kind of defend our show a little bit. It was such a poor choice of words. My point was that our show doesn’t have to do that, it doesn’t have to pull any tricks. Jeff [Trammell] did such a brilliant job, in my opinion, of writing what he knew. Equality and diversity were just already baked into the story he wrote, and nothing felt forced, I suppose, so I was really just trying to compliment the grace in which that all plays out in the show, and ironically, it’s what attracted me to the show so much in the first place.”
For his part, series creator Jeff Trammell responded shortly after Thames' initial comments went viral, offering his take on the situation.
“Ha, I love Hudson and didn’t focus too much on what he said,” Trammell wrote on Reddit. “I believe he simply misspoke, and I know that’s been weighing on him. I think we made a fantastic show that is going to appeal to a wide audience and hopefully captures what I love about this Spider-Man: that he’s a guy who cares deeply about the people around him and always tries to do the right thing.”
Beyond Holland’s tenure, Spider-Man’s legacy remains firmly intact across multiple iterations. Sam Raimi’s original trilogy (2002–2007) helped define the modern superhero genre, while Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man films (2012, 2014) offered a more emotionally charged take on Peter Parker.
The animated Spider-Verse franchise introduced audiences to Miles Morales, with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) taking home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), continued Miles' story, with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse still in development.
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