It's no secret that comic book movies are everywhere, with various cinematic universes competing for box office supremacy. Moviegoers who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have watched Tom Holland's wildly popular tenure as Spider-Man (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription), including Brand New Day's wild box office success. The actor recently mused about which superhero movie his Peter Parker would love, and some points were made.

While fans are wondering what upcoming Marvel movies he'll appear in next, Tom Holland is fresh off the promotion tour of both Brand New Day and The Odyssey. In an interview on Instagram for the latter movie, the 30 year-old actor was asked which of Christopher Nolan's movies would be his signature character's favorite. He responded with:

I'm not mad about this answer, as Holland offered a trifecta of A+ titles from the acclaimed filmmaker. Although his comments about The Dark Knight started a larger conversation about how Spider-Man might have reacted to Christopher Nolan's take on Batman. It's the DC/Marvel crossover I didn't know we needed.

The Dark Knight Trilogy (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription) is universally acclaimed, so it tracks that Peter Parker would love the movies as well. In the same interview, the Uncharted actor mused about how he might have been influenced by seeing Nolan's Batman films, as he said in the same interview:

Honestly, this feels so on brand. Holland's Peter has the most childlike energy out of the three Spider-Men, so it tracks that he might have changed up his style if he got a chance to watch Christian Bale's Batman kick ass in the Dark Knight films. Although I have to assume that wearing a cape would make swinging on webs throughout New York City a bit more challenging.

During that interview, alongside Dark Knight Rises star Anne Hathaway, the Cherry actor went on to share how Spider-Man might have wanted to emulate Batman. As he put it:

Who needs to web swing if you've got your very own Spideymobile? I mean, Batman's signature ride is truly iconic, and its usually fit with an array of helpful weapons and gadgets. And given Peter Parker's intellect and proficiency with technology, it actually doesn't feel impossible that he'd get his own sweet ride. Now I kind of want to see this happen on the big screen.

I do wonder if superhero movies exist in the MCU. We saw that Rogers: The Musical went to Broadway in-universe, so are there film adaptations of The Avengers' missions? I need to know more.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is still in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. Fans are hoping to see Holland in one of the upcoming Avengers movies, but only time will tell if he shows up.

With Spider-Man: Brand New Day still pulling in millions of dollars daily, it doesn’t seem extremely likely that Tom Holland will pass the webslinging baton completely over to another actor for upcoming Marvel movies anytime soon, but that day will definitely come at some point. Which means there are of course already fans hypothesizing about Holland making the leap to the DCU, and someone actually got response from co-head honcho James Gunn about it.

Amazingly enough, Gunn didn’t deliver a flat-out denial in response. Granted, his reply also wasn’t any kind of confirmation that plans are in place to bring Holland into Superman’s orbit, but anyone looking out for the most optimistic approach has something to latch onto here. Check out this fan question posed to Gunn on Threads, followed by the filmmaker’s sarcasm-imbued response.

• Q: Will Tom Holland have a DCU Role in the Future ? I can see him as Either Beast Boy, Kid Flash, Speedy, Aqualad, one of the Robins, Kyle Rayner, Brainiac 5, or Mon-El
  • JAMES GUNN: Not sure 30-year-old Tom wants to follow up Spider-Man with Aqualad.

To first speak to James Gunn's direct point...what a bizarre batch of characters to suggest for Tom Holland's DCU debut, considering most of the ones listed are teenagers or are in their early 20s. I get that it can be easy to forget Tom Holland's exact age, but just remember that he first put on the Spidey suit for Captain America: Civil War a full decade ago, so it probably wouldn't feel like a step up career-wise to jump from a "Man" character to anything more diminuative like Kid Flash or Beast Boy.

Could he pull off looking like a 20-year-old Aqualad or Mon-El? Absolutely, but he's at the point where any long-term franchise roles he takes on should probably skew older, so that he's not forever stuck playing characters so much younger than his own age.

To that end, Tom Holland might indeed be best utilized as a Dick Grayson already rocking his Nightwing persona. Considering we still don't know who the DCU's Batman is, it's not super-likely that he's already on his second or third Robin during the current DCU timeline. So even that most-likely scenario doesn't seem too likely. (Of course, the currently developing Brave and the Bold animated film is supposed to center on Bruce Wayne's relationship with son Damien, maybe the timeline isn't so predictable.

To circle back around how Gunn addressed the main question: all he did was somewhat jokingly comment on Holland probably not wanting to play a "lad" character. But did he actually provide a clear "No" to the general idea of Holland in the DCU? Not at all. Which is obviously not proof that the Spidey star will be popping up in Man of Tomorrow or anything so drastic. But it does seem to leave the door open for a possible team-up in a post-Spider-Man future.

Of course, Tom Holland made enough money to retire 100 times over with Brand New Day's massive success, so it also seems possible that he could just retire from any live-action projects that force him to break a sweat. And no judgment from me if that happens.

We're still waiting to get answers on big questions from Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and to learn what in the (off)world that post-credits scene meant. So there are definitely still stories that need to be told with Holland under the mask. But if there's a future where the actor gets courted to play Booster Gold or even the aforementioned Lantern Kyle Rayner, I won't necessarily shed any spider-shaped tears.

Which DC heroes or villains would you guys like to see Tom Holland play in the DCU's future?

The romance between Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet has often been compared to Zendaya and Tom Holland’s relationship, and there’s probably several reasons for that. They’re all around the same age, and both couples have gone to lengths to keep that part of their lives private — even after being together for years. Sources say there’s another similarity between the two, as Chalamet allegedly wants to take a cue from his Dune: Part Three co-star and marry The Kardashians star in a top-secret ceremony.

Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach let it slip earlier this year that Tom Holland and Zendaya tied the knot, which the Spider-Man: Brand New Day star confirmed in June. Sources for RadarOnline say Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet are now aspiring to follow in their footsteps, as a supposed insider said:

While Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet haven’t hidden their relationship, they have mostly refused to speak publicly about each other in the nearly four years since they were first connected. There’s been plenty of PDA, though, from making out at a Beyoncé concert to getting touchy-feely at Coachella.

In fact, after footage caught them kissing at a tennis tournament a couple of years ago, many fans compared them negatively to Tom Holland and Zendaya, who seemed to exhibit a more comfortable and secure dynamic as they also took in a tennis tournament.

When it comes to a wedding, however, Kylie Jenner allegedly wants to keep prying eyes away, the insider said:

Just as fans were on ring watch amid the rumors of Zendaya and Tom Holland’s wedding, there have been theories that Kylie Jenner and the Marty Supreme star might already be engaged. I can definitely see these two keeping a proposal secret, because they’ve never made a point of announcing any other stage of their relationship publicly.

Of course, keeping things out of the public eye kind of goes against the whole Kardashian-Jenner family brand, and there’s allegedly one person who’s not on board with a secret wedding: Kylie's mom and manager, Kris Jenner. The source said:

While Kylie Jenner has been on reality TV since she was 10 years old, she and sister Kendall have not featured their romantic partners on the shows like their older Kardashian sisters have.

We have to take these rumors with a grain of salt, though it does seem pretty on brand that if and when Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet tie the knot, they’ll take a page from Tom Holland and Zendaya’s playbook.

While we wait for more hints about what lies ahead, you’ll be able to see Chalamet and Zendaya on the big screen when Dune: Part Three hits the 2026 movie calendar in December. Kylie Jenner, meanwhile, will be back on The Kardashians when Season 8 premieres on Hulu in October.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always releasing exciting new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The latest big screen release was Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which broke records at the box office and is still making money to this day. And Kevin Feige recently explained the wild way that Brand New Day's ending mirrored the first day of shooting the blockbuster. Let's break it all down.

While fans are still trying to decode Brand New Day's credits scene, more information about its production is slowly trickling out. Marvel boss Kevin Feige recently spoke at his alma matter USC about the movie's production (via Instagram) where she spoke about the explosive way filming began. In his words:

This definitely got the internet talking, on top of attracting crowds to watch as Spider-Man swung through the air practically. On top of starting off production for Destin Daniel Cretton's movie with a bang, this moment of fan excitement came full circle when it came to shooting the movie's ending hospital scene.

The Punisher accidentally shoots Spidey during the movie's final battle, and he spends time in the hospital as a result. Frank Castle helps him leave the place undetected, as a crowd of adoring fans waited outside. In the same appearance, Kevin Feige shared how this connected to Brand New Day's first day of filming, offering:

Talk about a full circle moment. Sometimes art can imitate life, and it seems like that's exactly what happened during the production of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In the end this synergy helped make the movie one of Marvel's biggest success stories in years. And fans are already hoping to see Spidey back on the big screen in one of the upcoming Marvel movies like Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars.

Brand New Day is still in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. The next Marvel movie hitting theaters will be Doomsday on December 18th. Hopefully Peter Parker will get in on the fun.

There's been a lot of emotional Marvel scenes over the years, like when MJ doesn’t remember Peter Parker at all in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, or Steve Rogers' last appearance as an old man in Avengers: Endgame. However, to me, nothing signified a shift in Marvel's tone more blatantly than Tom Holland’s death scene in Avengers: Infinity War. While it was only a temporary departure of that character, it was still extremely emotional, and truly one of the most memorable scenes in the MCU. Now, Robert Downey Jr. is opening up about filming the scene in 2017, and the acting chops Holland had that blew everyone away.

Downey and directors Joe and Anthony Russo opened up about filming Infinity War with CBR. At the time, it was a truly uncertain point for multiple MCU characters, as half of them disintegrated at the end of the film, with the future of their characters in question. Chris Pratt nobly volunteered to go first, infusing some humor into his death scene, but they also wanted to have a more gut-wrenching death as well. Thankfully, Holland was up for the task. Downey explained:

Not only did Holland’s performance break the hearts of the audience members who saw Infinity War in theaters, but it also broke the hearts of the Russo Brothers. They admitted to crying at the monitor during this scene because Holland’s boyish innocence made them think about their own kids. Downey also noted that this kind of emotional performance was a key for him to take a step back with his own, and let Holland command the scene. He said:

Joe Russo explained that while Holland had words like “I’m sorry” and “I don’t feel so good” in the script, direction really helped him get all the way there. He told Holland that his character, Peter Parker, was only 16 years old and wasn’t ready to go. The actor may now be playing Peter in his 30s, but Holland was only 21 when they were filming Infinity War. He took the note and delivered a gut-wrenching, childlike performance as he held Tony Stark, played by Downey. The Oscar winner was beyond impressed by the performance from such a young actor, saying:

It truly is a masterclass in acting. In that moment, the tone shifts completely, and the audience understands the true gravity of the situation. The heroes lost, and now they are dying. It also totally sets the tone for the dark place Avengers: Endgame stars in, raising the stakes for everything to come, including real character deaths that are even more permanent, like the passing of Black Widow and Tony Stark himself. It is a scene that rarely gets its flowers, and I’m glad this trio took the time to give Holland the praise he deserves for this performance.

You can revisit Tom Holland’s gut-wrenching performance in Avengers: Infinity War with a Disney+ subscription. Fans can also look forward to Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday, which hits theaters on December 18, 2026.

I hear the saying, “It’s a small world,” all the time, but I love those stories where it actually feels like it is. So, I got a real kick out of this case involving Tom Holland and Gordon Ramsay, who apparently became good buds after sharing the same flight not once, but multiple times. Crazy, right?

Since Gordon Ramsay comes from the TV cooking world, with more coming on the upcoming TV schedule, and Tom Holland is in the movie business and just had the highest-grossing projects on the 2026 movie schedule, I do not naturally associate them. Sure, there’s some overlap, but they are quite a random pairing, aren't they? Explaining how they ended up spending time together, Holland recalled:

It’s kind of sweet, right? It’s an unexpected pairing, but clearly they got along if they kept choosing to sit next to each other on one flight after another. Though there was this one time when their being flight buddies backfired, specifically for Ramsay. In his words:

This is so funny to me. Since Gordon Ramsay has a reputation for letting his anger out on camera for things like overcooked food, I would expect him to have told Tom Holland off on that flight. But he was very kind and respectful of Holland, and got lost in the chat they were having. Even though he had planned to sleep the whole flight. Here’s how a surprised Tom Holland responded:

This must have been years ago because, as they shared, they’d hang out over champagne, and Holland has been sober since 2022. The pair reunited recently to cook with Holland’s non-alcoholic beer company, BERO. You can check out the full video below:

They seem like such good mates! I had no idea. I have to wonder if they’ve gone on double dates with their partners. Tom Holland and Zendaya’s relationship recently took the next step when they became husband and wife. Meanwhile, Ramsay and his wife have been together for almost 30 years.

Anyways, both of them are booked and busy as usual. Holland is taking a much-deserved break from the spotlight after being in two huge movies back-to-back, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Ramsay has Hell’s Kitchen coming back this fall, and another season of Being Gordon Ramsay is coming next year for those with a Netflix subscription.

I hope these two will reunite in the future. I also hope there’s another cooking collaboration on the way!

Tom Holland and Zendaya are just married. Despite the rumor mill and the coincidence that was Zendaya method dressing for her hit 2026 movie release The Drama, Law Roach and finally the couple themselves confirmed the nuptials happened. It was about time, too, as the game of talking around it was starting to get a little stale.

What’s not stale? Holland his partner (nicknamed Maree by the Spidey star)’s full romance timeline. It’s amazing they’ve been spending time together for over a decade, now, and managed to maintain a lovely, private, but fully blossoming romance while still spending a ton of time in the public eye. This is how they did it.

Mid-Late 2016: Remember When Both Stars Were Very Active On Instagram?

Tom Holland and Zendaya made their big screen debut together in Spider-Man: Homecoming. That one came out in 2017, but as often happens with big movie releases, it actually started filming quite a bit earlier. Zendaya and Tom Holland actually had a lot of heartwarming moments on the press, starting in the summer of 2016 when the movie filmed and continuing ahead of release.

At the time, they couldn’t have known what was ahead from both career and relationship standpoints.

July, 2017 – Rumors Start To Spread About Them Dating (Plus, Lip Sync Battle)

Tom Holland and Zendaya filmed Spider-Man: Homecoming together a year prior to the release of the actual Marvel movie, but from early on after Z was confirmed to play MJ, there were plenty of rumors flying around about their relationship. At the time of the flick’s release, an insider seemingly confirmed (via People) they’d been seeing one another for a while.

That month, Holland and Zendaya also famously appeared on the popular series Lip Sync Battle, otherwise known as the episode where Tom Holland dressed in drag and performed Rihanna’s "Umbrella." People still ask the actor about his Lip Sync Battle to this day, and it’s clear from the appearance the two were spending time together.

August, 2017: Zendaya Says That They're Just Friends

Per usual, Zendaya liked to throw a little water on the fire. A month after rumors ran around they might very well be seeing one another, she dissented saying in a famous interview with interview with Variety they were “just friends.”

Listen, Zendaya, I’ve seen that Ryan Reynolds movie and I know how it ends.

May, 2018: Met Gala Momentum

In May of 2018, Zendaya was seen in armor for “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” She’s been in wilder outfits at this point, including her Dune C3P0 armor, but out the time this was pretty outlandish for the star, and a very memorable celebrity fashion moment. Tom Holland didn’t attend with her, but he did say the following on social media:

They were leaving breadcrumbs at this point, but very much in the pal "mate" phase on social media.

June, 2019: Peter and MJ Shared Their First On-Screen Kiss In Spider-Man: Far From Home

Tom Holland and Zendaya were not officially confirmed to be together when they filmed Spider-Man: Far From Home. In fact, we were more than a year away from a confirmation at this point, but MJ and Peter Parker taking things a step forward certainly did nothing to dissuade the rumor mill.

Jul-Sept, 2021: Tom Holland And Zendaya In A Car, K-I-S-S-I-N-G (+ Instagram Official)

By 2021, the rumors Zendaya and Tom Holland had gone on date nights seemed pretty substantial, and were seemingly confirmed when Page Six caught them kissing in a car in July of that year. Would Tom Holland and Zendaya have confirmed they were dating otherwise? We'll probably never know, because they were caught.

With the cat out of the bag, just a couple of months later, Tom Holland celebrated Zendaya's birthday with this cool post:

In 2021, a lot of famous a-listers were still frequent posters and Holland was no exception. He's said several times over the past few years he'll delete Instagram on his phone for his mental health. There are some exceptions, like specifically popping on for a Bero campaign, etc, but he was much more online still around this time.

October, 2021: Zendaya Shared What She Likes About Tom Holland

If this were a Zendaya article, I'd be talking about her awesome In Style cover. It's bomb.com, but what she said inside about her new beau Tom Holland was the real page-turner.

I have seen separate footage of Tom Holland offering Zendaya a Jaffa Cake, and in no way, shape or form, does she sound British.

January, 2022: The One Where We Thought Tom Holland Would Cameo In Euphoria

By 2022, the two were posting about one another on social media on the regular for releases like Spider-Man: No Way Home or other events when Zendaya looked stunning on the red carpet. In January of that year, Zendaya also spilled the beans about Tom Holland popping by the Euphoria set during Season 2. At the time, she even teased a cameo in an interview with Access Hollywood, noting, "Maybe we can get him in the background of a shot eventually."

Chloe Cherry later confirmed to CinemaBlend he would just pop by, telling us:

There was a long period of time when I hoped this cameo would happen, but given the way Euphoria Season 3 ended, that feels unlikely now.

Feb, 2022-Early 2023: The Two Glowed On The Red Carpet (And At Other Events)

As often happens with a-lister celebrity couples, Tom Holland and Zendaya were mostly noted for their work and their red carpet appearances in 2022 and 2023. They were firmly together in the public eye at this point and were photographed together for all of the Spider-Man promotional stuff at the end of 2021. In 2022, Holland's blockbuster Uncharted debuted, and Zendaya was seen holding hands with him in New York around the time he was doing press. They visited the Louvre and also reportedly took a trip to see Usher in Mumbai.

Closer to home, they were photographed together during a Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Golden State Warriors game in May of 2023. The two got around. During this period, Tom Holland also famously got sober.

June, 2023: Tom Holland Opened Up About Keeping Their Relationship Private

In 2023, Tom Holland first got candid about taking initiative to keep his relationship with Zendaya private. He said at the time:

This was the first time he really got candid about their philosophy. However, In the time since, this has become a common theme for both stars. Zendaya spoke about this again a few years later when she confirmed she likes to keep things under lock and key so the Internet doesn't catch wind of it.

February, 2024: Tom Holland And Zendaya Perfected Privacy In The Moment With Dune 2

We know Tom Holland and Zendaya like privacy, and while they often have to do red carpets together when they star in the same movie, when it is their time to shine, they have a system. This was reported on in a big way with Dune 2 when Zendaya walked the red carpet alone, and Tom Holland joined her at the afterparty following the event in Leicester Square in which she donned her now-infamous armored look. Way to have your cake and eat it too.

January, 2025: Tom Holland And Zendaya Got Engaged!

While rumors began spreading at the 2025 Golden Globes thanks to the rock on Zendaya's finger, and independent outlets seemingly confirmed it, Tom Holland’s father actually confirmed the couple got engaged a short time later. He said it happened over the holidays, and that his son had done the traditional thing and asked for permission from Zendaya's dad in advance. So, it didn't take long for this cat to be out of the bag.

March, 2026: A Real Wedding Or Just The Drama?

In March of 2026, an insider said Tom Holland and Zendaya had gotten married. She was seen out in public for weeks with a ring on her finger, but the story was muddied a bit due to Zendaya wearing a slew of wedding-themed clothing for her movie The Drama with Robert Pattinson. Was it method dressing at its finest or a hint she was already married? You can definitely say she brought the drama to the press tour.

Her famous stylist eventually confirmed we weren't going to get to see Zendaya's dress because they were already married. That put the rumor mill to rest, mostly, but thankfully Holland also admitted AI photos running around didn't phase (most of) his family because they'd all been at his real wedding. He also joked about his wedding on The Odyssey press tour, taking some pressure off the question.

August, 2026: The Summer Of Tom Holland And Zendaya Continues With A Second Wedidng

We'd been talking about it being a big summer for Tom Holland and Zendaya well before all of the marriage rumors came down the pipeline. With all of the press tour work the two did for The Odyssey and then Spider-Man: Brand New Day the couple had been together a lot over the summer months. There were interviews. There were photocalls. There were red carpets. There was a lot of press work, but after it was all over, the couple also opted for a second wedding.

This one people found out about the weekend it happened at the Beaverbrook Hotel near their home in London. I'm not sure if the leak was intentional or an accident, but fans were happy to hear some of the details this time. It certainly put the wedding rumors to rest for good.

Tom Holland and Zendaya both turn 30 this year, and still have a lot of life ahead of them. For now, we're sending our congrats to the happy couple and a hope for many felicitous returns.

Tom Holland and Zendaya are in the public eye a lot, and oftentimes they are at carpets and events together. This year, they had a whopping two press tours to complete together, with both starring in the two biggest movies of the year so far: Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey. Because of this, we sometimes do get tidbits of information about Tom and Zendaya's relationship, but it’s not because they are often openly talking about one another.

A short time before the cat was officially out of the bag regarding Zendaya’s nuptials to the Spider-man star, she was asked to comment on whether or not she was married. She was wearing a gold band on her ring finger, so Elle’s question didn’t feel too pushy. Still, her answer was a polished “no” coupled with a second comment that helps us to understand why she doesn’t talk about Tom so often, at least not publicly.

"They're" in this context is likely the Internet as a collective. In fact, Zendaya’s spoken in the past about people online having a “parasocial” investment in her and Tom Holland as a couple. They grew up together on the big screen, and found love on Spider-Man, which makes their attraction an obvious source of public fascination. She’s said she is not trying to “hide from the world,” but she wants things close that can still be private for herself and her partner.

Holland, too, has confirmed he tries hard to keep things “private” when it comes to Zendaya. However, he’s also a frequent spoiler in Hollywood, and sometimes slips up. This happened recently when he revealed what he really calls Zendaya on the red carpet. Catching her attention, he called out the name “Maree,” which is one of Zendaya Coleman’s middle names: Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman (and maybe now Holland at the end). It was a sweet, organic moment, and an exchange we wouldn't typically get to see.

They do let loose home information periodically. In the same interview as above, Zendaya talked about the puppy she and her partner adopted recently. For his part, Tom Holland's talked about finding it hard to plan holidays given their busy schedules. Yet as the Peter Parker actor has also mentioned, they both hold the relationship sacred and don't share too many details.

Of course, secrets don’t usually stay secrets forever. After a friend copped to an under-the-radar wedding back in March (and Law Roach seemingly confirmed this), Tom Holland casually mentioned his family wasn’t fooled by AI photos of his wedding since “they were all there” in June. Then, Tom Holland started wearing his wedding band out early this month. Following that, there was reportedly a second set of nuptials at the Beaverbrook Hotel. So, the spring and summer has really been all about the couple.

She just doesn’t want to talk about it much, and that’s OK.

Tom Holland has never exactly looked out of shape. The guy spent years flipping through Spider-Man movies and somehow found time to play an extremely physical Telemachus in The Odyssey. Still, anyone who took time to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day probably noticed Peter Parker came back looking considerably more built this time around. Now, we have at least one clue about what he does when he needs a workout without sacrificing half his day.

In a viral clip posted to Instagram, Men’s Health caught up with the actor while he was hosting an event for his nonalcoholic beer brand, BERO. He was asked for his go-to workout when he is short on time. His answer was a CrossFit staple called “Cindy.” Here’s how the Spidey actor described it:

Five pull-ups. Ten push-ups. Fifteen squats. Reading those numbers, I briefly suffered from the delusion that I could hang with Spider-Man. Then Holland mentioned his personal best:

Never mind. Twenty-seven rounds works out to 135 pull-ups, 270 push-ups and 405 squats. That is 810 reps in 20 minutes, or roughly one full round every 44 seconds. The classic CrossFit workout is designed as an AMRAP, meaning you complete as many rounds and reps as possible before the 20-minute clock expires.

Suddenly, Peter Parker’s arms in Brand New Day make considerably more sense. Once the blockbuster star’s 27-round record started circulating again, social media did what social media does best: collectively decide that a movie star has issued a challenge he never actually issued.

People have been filming themselves attempting Cindy, and 27 rounds have proven to be a nasty target. The Washington Post reported that the routine started spreading online shortly after Brand New Day opened on July 31, while other outlets described the workout as practically unavoidable across fitness feeds this summer.

Even fitness influencer Skye Mackintosh, known online as Daily Reps Guy, reportedly managed 24 rounds during an attempt. That is an absurd workout by any normal standard and still leaves him three rounds behind Holland. Check it out:

The Uncharted lead does offer a slightly more merciful version. When he is tired, he limits himself to one round at the start of every minute, using whatever time remains before the next minute begins to rest. Twenty rounds still means 600 total reps, so “merciful” is doing some heavy lifting there.

Also, the routine explains why Holland's physique can look muscular without drifting into God-of-Thunder territory. Cindy is built around bodyweight movements performed quickly and repeatedly, which makes plenty of sense for an actor whose superhero spends considerably more time swinging, climbing and flipping than posing with a hammer.

I’m impressed Holland can knock out 27 rounds. I am considerably less impressed by the tiny voice in my head that heard the workout takes only 20 minutes and immediately said, “You could probably try that.”

Fans can still catch Holland and those increasingly noticeable guns on the big screen, because both Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey are still playing in theaters and making plenty of box office noise. Brand New Day has become the highest-grossing release among 2026 movie releases so far, that is, until "Dunesday" later this year. While The Odyssey has been putting up some ridiculous numbers of its own. So, if you need workout motivation, apparently the answer is to watch Tom Holland save New York or sail around ancient Greece with his sleeves doing considerably less work than they used to.

Brand New Day may go down in history as one of the best Spider-Man movies, but once it was simply a work in progress. During the movie’s press tour, Tom Holland spoke about there being some less-than-desirable test screenings during post-production. But it led the movie’s director to need to set something straight about his comments. Let’s get into it.

What Tom Holland Said About Brand New Day Test Screenings

Tom Holland was more involved than ever with Brand New Day (and he reportedly received a huge pay bump, too). And that means he was present during some test screenings – which is when the studio invites people to watch an unfinished cut and provide feedback. First, here’s what Holland told Quotable:

It sounds like the production played around a lot with how to cut the movie after filming wrapped in late 2025. And in one instance, the editorial team apparently decided to completely cater to reactions from the screenings that had happened. Holland said this exercise “totally didn’t work” and reminded the filmmakers that there has to be a line between following feedback and going with their own gut.

How The Director Set The Rumors Straight

Tom Holland’s comments in context really don’t speak ill of Brand New Day. But I’d guess a lot of people read that those early screenings were bad and ran with it. Here’s how director Destin Daniel Cretton addressed his star’s comments:

While some films are made with a specific vision for every shot from start to finish by the filmmakers, Marvel Studios’ movies famously change a lot throughout production. Oftentimes that’s why additional photography happens, too. In the case of Brand New Day, Cretton clarified that the test screenings he was talking about still scored quite high among audiences.

Perhaps from Holland’s perspective, the movie that catered to audiences just was not at all on the same level as other versions. While it may sound like Holland is talking about a whole different take on the movie, his director seems to be saying that it was essentially the same movie, just with edits in different places here and there. As Cretton also added to The Wrap:

Ultimately, Brand New Day's reviews were off-the-charts good once it came out, and the movie has become the highest-grossing release among 2026 movies so far. But Avengers: Doomsday could top it, given early sales projections.

Anyway, Brand New Day is still in theaters if you want to experience the latest Spidey film on the big screen.

Tom Holland has been playing Spider-Man for a decade now, and considering how much money his version of Peter Parker has made for Sony and Marvel, I figured his latest contract would come with one heck of a raise. Still, I was not prepared for this. Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already become a $2 billion monster at the worldwide box office and, apparently, Holland's paycheck is impressively growing right alongside it.

30-year-old Holland received at least $20 million upfront to return for his fourth solo Spider-Man movie, according to TheWrap. That alone doubled the reported $10 million salary he earned for No Way Home. The really wild part is Holland’s backend deal, which sources told the outlet could push his total compensation past $100 million. Even better for him, the bonus is reportedly uncapped.

Per reports, the former West End star turned A-lister earned just $250,000 when he first swung into the MCU for Captain America: Civil War in 2016. His salary increased to $500,000 for Spider-Man: Homecoming, then $4 million for Far From Home and $10 million for No Way Home. His original six-picture agreement expired after that third solo outing, which meant returning for Brand New Day required an entirely new deal.

The Uncharted actor’s giant bonus is tied to Brand New Day’s ridiculous theatrical performance. The movie passed $2 billion worldwide during its third weekend, becoming only the eighth movie ever to cross that mark and the second-fastest to do it behind Avengers: Endgame. Kudos to Holland for not just helping to make an incredible Spidey movie but for also securing the bag in the process.

Since Holland’s backend reportedly has no ceiling, the $100 million figure could keep climbing as Peter Parker continues to sell more and more tickets. This deal is crossing into Robert Downey Jr. territory. It's fair to say the Marvel comparison is Downey, who basically wrote the blueprint for turning a new superhero flick's success into enormous backend paydays.

Downey famously started with $500,000 for 2008’s Iron Man before negotiating increasingly lucrative deals as Tony Stark became the face of the MCU. Reportedly, RDJ's compensation for Iron Man 3 reached roughly $50 million after backend participation, while his later Avengers deals pushed his earnings above $100 million across Infinity War and Endgame. It was previously reported that Downey earned at least $75 million for Infinity War alone, largely thanks to his back-end arrangement.

That is pretty rare company for a young and in-demand actor like Holland to be entering, especially when we are talking about compensation for a single Spider-Man movie. The timing also could not be better for him. Brand New Day is now Sony’s highest-grossing movie ever, while Holland also starred in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, which has crossed $1.3 billion globally. The British star is having the kind of year that gives an actor considerably more leverage the next time a studio calls.

As for Marvel and Sony, they certainly seem interested in calling again. According to the outlet's reporting, Holland, Kevin Feige and Sony chairman Tom Rothman have all expressed interest in continuing his Spider-Man's story, though it remains unclear whether his current contract already covers another movie. If another negotiation is required after Brand New Day finishes its run, I suspect those conversations will be very expensive.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently playing in theaters as part of the 2026 movie calendar. Be sure to check your local listings for showtimes.

Tom Holland has spent a good chunk of his career playing one of the most recognizable movie characters on the planet, but apparently Spider-Man was not enough. Years ago, the British actor marched into Sony chairman Tom Rothman’s office and pitched himself as James Bond. I knew he had once floated a young 007 movie, but I had never heard the full idea. Now that I have, I completely understand why somebody politely showed it the door.

Tom Holland's basic idea was actually kind of clever: he would play a young SAS recruit on a dangerous mission, and audiences would not learn his real identity until the end. Surprise, you have been watching James Bond the whole time. As he explained it during a BBC Radio 1 interview:

I can already hear a studio marketing department screaming. The Avengers staple said his character would eventually be recruited into MI6, earn double-O status, and finally be revealed as James Bond. The Spider-Man actor still maintains it was a good pitch, but he also identified the fairly obvious problem himself:

Keeping Bond’s identity secret would indeed create a marketing nightmare, but I’m not gonna lie, I would have kind of loved to have seen this. But Holland’s assessment feels dead-on. You either put 007 all over the posters and destroy your twist six months before opening night, or advertise a movie about some random young SAS guy and hope audiences discover they secretly bought tickets to a Bond film. Neither sounds like a particularly good plan when hundreds of millions of dollars are involved.

The failed pitch did have one pretty significant consolation prize. Holland’s desire to make a young Bond adventure helped Sony realize it could take a similar origin-story approach to Nathan Drake. That conversation eventually contributed to him starring in the 2022 video game-to-film adaptation of Uncharted, which introduced a younger version of the video game treasure hunter rather than directly adapting the older Drake players already knew.

A young Bond origin story no longer sounds nearly as bizarre. The official 007 franchise launched 007 First Light this year, a video game centered on a 26-year-old Bond as he enters MI6 and works his way toward becoming the agent audiences know. Pretty much the Odyssey actor’s exact movie pitch. But the “Bond before Bond” part wasn't missing in the video game's marketing. So, clearly the idea wasn't entirely crazy. And who knows, maybeThe Devil All the Time actor might even still get his shot at 007 the old-fashioned way.

He was recently asked about playing James Bond and made it clear he would hardly turn down the opportunity. The complication is Amy Pascal, who has helped shepherd his Spider-Man career and is now producing the next Bond movie alongside David Heyman. Holland said he does not want to overstep that professional relationship by openly campaigning for the tuxedo.

The next 007 movie already has Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve directing and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight writing. At the same time, Amazon MGM confirmed this spring that the search for Daniel Craig’s successor is underway. So Holland’s first Bond plan may have died because nobody could advertise the thing without ruining it. Maybe Pitch No. 2 should just be: “I play James Bond.” That’s a much easier poster to sell.

Holland can be seen (unfortunately, not as 007) on the 2026 movie calendar in two major summer flicks: Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Be sure to check your local listings for showtimes.

Coming from the highly secretive and fan-obsessed world of Severance, Tramell Tillman certainly knows how to play the spoiler-free game in interviews, but he’s not always so used to being in the dark on the other side of those conversations. As such, his early experiences when joining the cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day sound like he was trying to get into some kind of highly classified government outpost, like Area 51. (Or wait, was that just Venom?)

With Brand New Day already having earned more than $2 billion at the box office, Tillman can now speak more freely about his previously under-wraps role of Department of Damage Control’s unsettlingly calm boss Bill Metzger, Speaking with GQ about landing the role, among other details, Tillman said he was initially excited to be told that Marvel execs wanted to meet with him, but that excitement was temporarily tamped down by a lack of pertinent information. In his words:

That sounds like the most interesting version of a near-stalemate, with Tramell Tillman not so eager to accept an offer for a role he knows nothing about, and director Destin Daniel Cretton & Co. not so eager to divulge any information about a role that Tillman wasn't automatically ready to sign off on. Is it still called ouroboros if you're talking about a spider eating its own legs?

Tillman revealed how he and the director finally reached an agreement when the bare minimum of insight was shared with him. In his words:

I can certainly understand Tillman's hesitance to just dive into a blockbuster role like this without having a clear idea of who he'll be playing. To be sure, I doubt Kevin Feige and Cretton ever had him in mind to play Tombstone or Scorpion or any of the more action-based villains. Not because I don't think he could do it or anything, but because he's so good at oozing menace while doing nothing beyond just standing in an office in dapper clothing. His gravitas was worth the creative team's effort of stringing him along with minor details.

Specifically, this is the character foundation that Tillman started to develop his performance around when agreeing to take the role. As he put it:

Will Bill Metzger show up in any upcoming Marvel movies to spread the Department of Damage Control’s influence out across the rest of the MCU? The only thing that’ll apparently answer that question with efficiency is time, and possibly a lot of it, since he’s not automatically expected to be popping up in Avengers: Doomsday.

Tillman himself, however, is co-starring in one of my more anticipated upcoming 2026 movies of the fall, Bassam Tariq’s crime thriller Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother opposite Mahershala Ali and Giancarlo Esposito. In the meantime, Brand New Day will no doubt continue to crush it at the box office, and I'll be one of many waiting more Severance Season 3 production updates.

Disney’s live-action Hercules remake has spent years somewhere on Mount Olympus, waiting for Zeus to hurl his lightning bolt at it to bring it to life. There have been a lot of wild rumors around the project, but we still do not have an official cast or release date, which means there remains plenty of time to argue over who should play Hercules and Megara. Now, the woman who knows Meg better than just about anyone has given her two cents on the remake by throwing two very familiar names into the ring: power couple and newly married partners Tom Holland and Zendaya.

Susan Egan, who voiced Meg in Disney’s 1997 animated movie, was asked about her dream casting while speaking with Deadline at D23. She has apparently been campaigning for Zendaya for a while, but this time she went all-in and suggested pairing her with Tom Holland as Hercules. And, yes, Egan knows the couple may eventually ask her to stop doing this. She explained:

I’m completely with her on half of this. The Euphoria star as Meg feels perfect to me. She can sing and give the dry delivery needed for Meg’s constant eye-rolling. Not only that, but she can sell both the character’s toughness and the hurt underneath it.

Egan sees many of those same qualities and made it clear she is not simply casting Z because putting her opposite Holland would make the internet explode. She continued:

Absolutely. Zendaya also has plenty of musical experience between her Disney Channel years and The Greatest Showman, so I have no trouble imagining her tackling “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love).” The Uncharted star as Hercules is where I need a little more convincing.

These Are The Guys I’d Send To Mount Olympus

Tom Holland certainly has the athleticism, charm and Disney résumé. He has also had one heck of a 2026 movie schedule, as he played Telemachus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, so apparently ancient Greece is already becoming part of his personal cinematic universe. He is also still tearing up the box office as Spidey in the fourth entry in the franchise. But Disney’s Hercules is a huge, wonderfully earnest golden retriever of a demigod, and he has spent much of his career thriving as characters who feel smaller, scrappier and slightly overwhelmed by whatever disaster they have wandered into.

I’m not totally sold on Holland as Hercules, but I’m hardly short on alternatives. If Disney ever gets serious about casting this thing, there are a handful of actors I think could bring the right mix of sincerity and lovable doofus energy to the role. Here are my picks for who could fill Herc’s leather cuirass:

• Kit Connor: Connor may have the best natural combination of physicality and puppy-dog sincerity on this list. Put him opposite a more guarded Meg, and I can already see the chemistry working.
• Taron Egerton: Probably the safest all-around choice. Egerton proved in Rocketman that he can carry a musical, and the Kingsman movies covered the action side. More importantly, he can play vulnerable and slightly uncool without losing his leading-man appeal.
• Mike Faist: This is the more interesting left-field pick. Faist already has serious musical credentials from West Side Story, but what really sells me is how well he plays insecurity. Hercules spends a surprising amount of the animated movie wondering whether he belongs anywhere, and Faist could make that side of him land.
• Mason Gooding: Gooding has the size and charisma, but there is also a warmth to him that keeps him from feeling untouchable.
• Joshua Bassett: Bassett would probably require the biggest physical transformation but, emotionally, he makes a lot of sense. He can sing, has plenty of musical experience and wears his heart directly on his face.

Maybe Holland could still surprise me. I just do not see him in the role as immediately as I see the Dune franchise actress walking into frame in Meg’s purple dress and telling Hercules to keep his tunic on.

For now, all of this remains fantasy casting. Disney announced the live-action Hercules remake years ago, with Joe and Anthony Russo producing through AGBO and Guy Ritchie attached to direct. Development has moved slowly, and Disney still has not announced its Hercules, Meg, Hades or, most importantly, those Muses. So Egan still has time to keep campaigning and, restraining order jokes aside, I hope Zendaya is listening.

Until more information is released about the project, I'll just have to revisit the original animated classic, as it's streaming on with my Disney+ subscription.

Spoilers below for the handful of people who maybe haven’t seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day yet, so be warned!

There’s no question Spider-Man: Brand New Day is one of the most successful movies of all time, with over a billion box-office dollars earned thus far, and many millions more to come. There’s also no question we’re going to see Peter Parker’s Spider-Man again in an Avengers sequel, thanks to that confusing post-credits scene. But the movie did leave me with several questions that I really hope get answers or clarification without before either Secret Wars or Tom Holland’s fifth Spider-Man solo movie hits theaters in 2027 and beyond. My Spidey-Patience is not so powerful.

And I’m not specifically talking about the biggest-picture questions here, like what Peter and Ned’s handshake really meant, and whether or not Doctor Strange’s spell was broken by the power of friendship. They are related, though. Since first watching Brand New Day, my brain has been preoccupied with speculation about the limits of such magical spells, and how it all works within the characters’ own brains.

Where Does MJ Think Her Necklace Came From?

Taken completely at face value, MJ still wearing her black dahlia necklace throughout the entirety of Spider-Man: Brand New Day is an oh-so-sweet sign that her love for Peter is pure enough that not even sorcery can eliminate all signs of it. In that way, it's also possibly the biggest clue early on that Doctor Strange's spell left room for certain loophole-esque situations where Peter's friends still have totems from the years they spent together. But I'm baffled by what their brains are doing to fill in the memory gaps.

Peter gives MJ the necklace in Far From Home, inspired by learning the black dahlia is her favorite flower. The pendant doesn't make it out fully intact, but MJ chooses to continue wearing it for all the adorable thematic reasons, and it's as much a symbol of their bond as Peter and Ned's signature hand-smacks is of theirs. So from a creative perspective, of course she's still wearing it in BND.

But from a more logistical real-world angle, I think it's lowkey terrifying to consider MJ compulsively wearing this necklace on a daily basis without any front-of-mind reasoning for it. Like, if I made a point of wearing the same watch for years on end, only to realize one day that I had zero clue where it came from or when I got it, I miiiight be too freaked out to put it back on. Sure, I can't tell you exactly when and where I bought every T-shirt or pair of pants that I own, but I still have the general blueprint of events up there. But if my favorite accessory only inspired blank spots, I might need a therapist.

When MJ sees her necklace in a mirror, or moves it with her hands, does her brain attempt to flash back to where it came from, only to short-circuit before real memories can appear? Or does Doctor Strange's spell intentionally dull the part of her brain that attempt to make such connections? I really hope there's a slide-show presentation explaining it before any other MCU movies come out.

Is Jean Grey's Telepathy Powerful Enough To Reverse Magic?

One of the ongoing fan theories about Spider-Man: Brand New Day is that Sadie Sink's Jean Grey knocks a few mental dominos loose in MJ and Ned when her telepathic powers bubble out and force zillions of New Yorkers to stay locked in place. I don't really buy into that idea, though, since everyone is affected by the "forget about Peter" spell, and it'd be amazingly convenient for two of his friends to be the only ones to have such adverse affects to Jean's actions. A little too amazingly convenient.

That said, I do think it's entirely possible that the vengeful mutant has (or will have) the ability to perform more distinctive tasks within people's brains. Such as making someone think they're a different person, that they can only eat brown foods, or any other kind of behavioral change that a state hypnotist might also use in an act. But is telepathy (hers or anyone's) powerful enough to reverse a spell crafted by such a magically dominant entity as Doctor Strange?

I almost have to think so at this point, because part of me doesn't want to just buy into the feel-good notion that MJ and Ned's love for Peter alone is enough to shatter such an ironclad enchantment. That's a little too pat and smooth for my tastes.

I guess now I can start pondering whether Doctor Strange's spell will continue to work if he gets killed off in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars. Might as well brew some coffee now, because this could take a while.

If I'm honest, I didn’t have high expectations when I went to watch Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is still tearing up the 2026 movie schedule. I have seen all the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man movies. I have enjoyed all of them, except one. One of my most controversial movie takes is that I didn’t think Spider-Man: No Way Home was good. Lots of fan service, but the product left a lot to be desired, leaving me questioning the future of Tom Holland's series.

That I've seen it, I would now probably rank Brand New Day high among the best Spider-Man movies. It really made me excited to see where Marvel goes with the franchise now, and I think I know why this movie worked so well.

Warning: Spider-Man: Brand New Day spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.

This Spider-Man Film Feels Equally Hopeful And Bleak

Spider-Man: Brand New Day feels a lot darker than many of the other Marvel and Spider-Man movies. It feels even darker than a lot of the MCU films, but it doesn’t feel gritty. It doesn’t become something the Holland Spider-Man movies never were, but evolves to something a little bleaker.

The storyline of the unseeable entity already has a dark tone to it because the idea of someone taking over your body has sinister connotations. We later learn that Jean Grey (Sadie Sink) is behind it all, and we have seen Jean do plenty of dark things throughout her history in films. We didn’t know how dangerous and murderous she could become. It almost seemed like she would become a foe that Peter (Tom Holland) couldn’t stop.

However, despite how dark things get, Peter manages to save the day. Then he’s greeted with a hero’s applause for all his hard work. It shows that no matter how bleak things get, keep fighting, and maybe you will win in the end.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Feels More Mature Than Previous Movies, Which Works With The Growing Up Theme

Sometimes as we age and grow up, life feels harder and darker. We lose people we love, or our jobs become increasingly more stressful, and we battle outer and inner demons. It’s hard growing up. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also a coming-of-age movie. Peter goes from a teen with a complicated life to an adult with an even more complicated life.

It shows him maturing but also growing lonelier and more driven, at the cost of existing outside his Spider-Man persona. I thought the film showcases the complexities of adulthood in a sad but fascinating and accurate way, especially for a superhero movie. It felt the closest to the cancelled-too-soon Wonder-Man than any of the other Marvel projects so far. It did this by grounding the superhero story in a more relatable way without compromising the concept of a superhero.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day Doesn’t Completely Leave You Feeling Satisfied

Peter essentially saves the day, but his life still has a lot of holes in it. MJ (Zendaya) possibly still doesn’t remember him, and Ned (Jacob Batalon) might remember him. He stopped Jean, but there will always be more bad guys, so he can’t fully be satisfied with everything, and Jean was a complicated villain. Her actions are justified at times.

You leave the movie slightly happy for him, because Ned may remember now, but you leave with so many more questions. I think this is a good reflection of life in general. You may win in the moment, but the fight never ends, and things are never perfectly resolved.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day deserves its box-office success because it succeeds where other superhero movies fail. It makes the human parts just as important as the superhero elements.

Spider-Man has and will always be my favorite superhero. I’ll never forget seeing the first Spidey movie when I was a kid, and I’ve been devotedly following each installment since. While the Sam Raimi trilogy may always be my No. 1 (faults and all), I think the Tom Holland movies have been fantastic. With Brand New Day here, I decided to binge the “Home” trilogy for the first time in one day, and I have some takeaways to talk through.

First off, I still think 2017’s Homecoming is one of the best MCU movies that’s been made. The script is so sharp, and it feels like you’re watching a John Hughes film that also happens to include superheroes. It really nails the awkwardness of being a high schooler in a way no other Spider-Man movie has done before. But, my big problem with rewatching the trilogy happens in its sequel, Far From Home.

The Thing That Doesn’t Hold Up In Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Trilogy

Now, I had totally forgotten until I turned it on, but 2019’s Far From Home was the first MCU movie to come out after Avengers: Endgame and the final installment of The Infinity Saga. It opens with a hilarious high school news video of Betty Brant and Jason Ionelle explaining The Blip – which is when everyone came back five years after The Snap wiped out half the universe.

I proceeded to spend half of Far From Home feeling very confused about what was going on with the students of Midtown High in the fallout of the major universe event. I found it weird that Peter, Ned, MJ along with most of the students from Homecoming just happened to all be part of the Snapped so the plot could move along without a hitch. And yet, there’s this weird thing going on with Remy Hii’s Brad Davis, who aged up five years from a middle-schooler to a high school junior.

I think Far From Home did a decent job of explaining it, and they had a clever way of lore dumping at the top of the movie, but it also had me considering all these existential questions around The Snap and The Blip that I sort of wish the Spider-Man sequel didn’t have. In the moment when we were watching all the MCU movies one-by-one it made sense, but if you decide to skip the movies in between like I did, I think it kind of stunts an otherwise great set of movies.

If you’re thinking “just watch Infinity War and Endgame” before Far From Home, you’re right. I probably should have, but that would have added over five hours to my binge.

The Other Thoughts I Had Watching Them

Now, to put aside my gripes, and share some quick reasons why I liked the “Home” trilogy on my recent rewatch.

• I didn’t totally realize how many suits Tom Holland gets as Spider-Man until now. Like, it’s actually wild how many.
• Happy Hogan is an underrated character in this trilogy. I'm delighted he was part of it.
• Uncle Ben isn’t mentioned once in this Peter Parker’s story. Does he even exist in this version?
• While it feels forced at times, I think it’s really fun to see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man interact with a couple of other MCU characters in each movie. My favorite instance of this is the “suit” moment with Tony Stark in Homecoming.
• It’s still weird to me that they go on a class trip to Italy.
• Peter and MJ are so, so adorable to watch fall in love.
• The “Night Monkey” bit in Far From Home is actually so hilarious to me.
• I hate the Skrull twist during the end credits of Far From Home.
• I wish there was a time jump between Far From Home and No Way Home because they look visibly older, but conceptually I get it. Fine.

And now, we have Brand New Day! I hope it’s the start of another Spider-Man trilogy. You can check out what CinemaBlend thought of the movie as it plays in theaters.

Not just anyone gets to wear Tom Holland’s Spider-Man suit. And yet… How to Train Your Dragon actor Mason Thames got to. How the heck? There’s actually an adorable story behind how it happened.

The 19-year-old actor has been all over the movies lately, playing Hiccup in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon movies and starring in The Black Phone films. He was also in the romance Regretting You and actually has two new comedies out this month. It turns out he also got to visit the set of Spider-Man: Brand New Day during production. Here’s what happened in Thames words:

That is pretty "dope." However, the whole experience got cooler when Holland asked Thames if he wanted to try on the Spider-Man costume, as the HTTYD actor recalled:

How did Mason Thames get to go on the set of Brand New Day? We don’t know for sure, but we do know that Spider-Man was filmed in Glasgow, Scotland and England’s Pinewood Studios in the second half of 2025. Thames' How to Train Your Dragon movies were also filmed in England. Perhaps there was overlap? Anyway, getting back to this impromptu costume fitting:

Mason Thames is a “big comic book nerd,” as he told CinemaBlend when we caught up with him at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. His personal favorite comic book characters are DC’s Robin (specifically Dick Grayson) and Marvel’s Spider-Man. Check out what he said to us:

As you can imagine, getting to not only visit a Spider-Man movie set, but also put on the suit? He was geeking out. In the new interview, Patrick Dougall then asked Thames if we’re ever going to see pictures of him in the suit. Here’s what he said:

Honestly, how sweet of Tom Holland to allow Thames to wear the suit. He surely didn’t have to, and it definitely doesn’t seem like the actor was expecting it at all. Mason Thames could certainly pass off as a Peter Parker from another universe, too.

Talk about a flex. Mason Thames can say he’s actually worn the Spider-Man suit forever and always. While the actor hasn’t had the opportunity to play a superhero, he’s got plenty of time to earn a role of his own either in the MCU or DC Universe. My vote would definitely be to see the actor in his favorite superhero, Robin.

You can see Mason Thames in the Green Day comedy, Nimrods, this weekend. Then, his next film, Idiots, comes out later this month on August 28. Thames also has How to Train Your Dragon 2 on the 2027 movie schedule, and it will hit theaters on June 11. Hopefully, he’ll get a supersuit of his own one day, too!

SPOILERS are ahead for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

I saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day a few days ago, and it’s been sticking with me like the webs that (now) come straight from the wrists of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. It has all the things I’d want out of a Spider-Man movie, like cool team-ups and great surprises. But, there’s also a warmth to it I wasn’t necessarily expecting to feel four Spidey films in. Peter’s storyline has also led to some online chatter about how it connects to living with autism.

Now, Peter Parker is not canonically thought of as a character on the autism spectrum. But the fact that enough people are having similar reactions to Brand New Day certainly makes it worthy of discussion. Let’s get into it.

People Are Making Brand New Day Connections To Autism

Brand New Day has already soared to become the highest-grossing of 2026 movie releases with over $1 billion in box office returns in addition to being highly acclaimed. So, a lot of people have seen it and are talking about it. Check out this video about the connections one person made between Peter Parker and what it’s like to be in the autism community:

There’s quite a few things to break down here. Azia Celestino, whose own brother has autism, mentions three moments in Brand New Day that made her think Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is an autism icon. For one, Peter Parker’s sudden mutation of his powers gives him sensory overload, which is often thought of as a common symptom of autism. Peter finds himself dealing with this, but it’s within the context of his arachnid hormones going through some changes.

She also brings up the subject of “masking”, which is when someone with autism hides their natural traits to appear non-autistic. Again, Peter Parker is hiding his identity for a different reason, but it’s an interesting connection. Lastly, she brings up the scene between Aunt May and Jean Grey, where she says the following to the future X-Men character:

Aunt May may be talking about what it’s like to have special powers in the context of the movie, but how sweet is it that it could be read as a message to people with autism? I also saw this video regarding the same topic:

Autism is something that millions of people live with everyday, and there’s still a small amount of movies and TV shows that tackle how it really feels. I love knowing that the community is connecting to Spider-Man in the context of Brand New Day.

How The Autism Community Is Reacting

The comments to these videos really speak volumes, too. Check out what people are saying:

• “omg! I felt so deeply understood by this movie, especially during that overload scene I told my brother ‘this is essentially what feels like to be autistic!’ 😂🙌 like the whole movie was very coded and it also referred to the struggle of masking and unmasking in certain aspects. A VERY GREAT REPRESENTATION🔥🙌” - @angelic_depression
• “The sensory overload scenes in the new film are imo extremely accurate to how it feels for a ND person.” - @accccroowww
• “In the scene where Peter is talking to Aunt May and then Peter talking to Jean the message was something like”people who love you love you not because you’re special but because you’re you” That’s the reason why we mask because we don’t think we’re lovable unmasked. But I believe that people who love you will love you not despite your ND but because that’s what makes you you. For the first time ever I felt like I got a big comforting warm hug from a friend watching this movie like “you’re going to be okay”😢” - @shweta_nav1
• "It hit so hard when Jean was talking about how special people don’t get to have real connections or friends or family. They’re just alone. I cried because I see that with my son who loves people but they ignore him. Even some of his close family members. Just because he can’t verbalize a reciprocal conversation." - @sandisueperry
• "My son has autism and when I watched the movie all I could think was of him and was just crying for the rest of the movie ❤️." - @tutsieq

While Spider-Man may not have autism specifically in the movie, it’s clearly making an impact on the community and their support systems. The late Stan Lee talked in the past about why Spider-Man is “easy for fans to relate to” and I love that it continues perhaps in a new way with Brand New Day.

The emotional depth of the new Spider-Man flick is just one of many reasons why I really enjoyed Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and I can’t wait to see what themes fans see in the upcoming Marvel movies to come.

Buying wrap gifts for an entire movie crew seems like a pretty thoughtful gesture. Unfortunately for Tom Holland, there is apparently a very important step between picking out the gift and handing it to several hundred people: Make sure you check the sizing. The Spider-Man: Brand New Day lead just explained why the entire crew trash-talked his gift right to his face.

While appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers to promote Brand New Day, Holland revealed that after his 2026 movie release wrapped, he decided to buy personalized Spidey beanies for the movie’s crew. Meyers asked the natural follow-up: “Was it well received?” Well, not exactly. The actor explained:

Calling Casali “legendary” is not just Holland being nice, either. The production sound mixer won an Academy Award as part of the sound mixing team behind Bohemian Rhapsody in 2019. However, I'd assume none of that experience prepared him for a tiny Spider-Man hat trying to crush his skull.

The best part is that Casali apparently assumed the studio had bought the gifts. So he walked straight up to Holland and started complaining about how cheap Sony had been. The former West End performer continued:

In Casali’s defense, I probably would not have guessed the actor playing Spider-Man personally ordered a box of child-sized beanies either. Holland clearly found the whole thing hilarious rather than taking offense. You have to check out the full interview in the video below.

It also sounds exactly like the kind of mistake that becomes part of a new superhero movie crew’s mythology long after production wraps. Forget the giant action sequences and complicated stunt work. Somewhere there are Spider-Man crew members who will forever remember the day Peter Parker handed them hats built for 8-year-olds.

Brand New Day has worked out considerably better than The Odyssey actor’s gift order. The fourth solo Spider-Man movie has become a massive theatrical hit since arriving on July 31, with its worldwide haul already climbing well past $1 billion.

Honestly, Holland can probably afford to double-check the hat sizes next time. Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already crossed $1.6 billion worldwide, while The Odyssey has pushed past $1 billion as well. Those two monster releases have the 30-year-old closing in on the all-time box office leaderboard, where Zoe Saldaña and Scarlett Johansson currently sit at the top.

If Brand New Day keeps swinging, the Marvel movie veteran could soon move past names like Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Pratt, putting him within striking distance of Saldaña and Johansson. Tiny hats aside, it has been a pretty good summer to be Tom Holland.

All of the Spidey flicks, past and present, are streaming with a Disney+ subscription.

I’ve been watching Spider-Man movies my whole life, and one thing I’ve always loved about them is how they’ve never been without romance. What can I say, Peter Parker is a lover boy, and I eat it up every time. But, Brand New Day took things in a completely new direction with the MJ storyline this time around, and I’m still not over it.

Peter Parker And MJ’s Story In Brand New Day Is Rough

After what happened in No Way Home, I knew going into it that Peter Parker was going to be without his best bud Ned and girlfriend MJ, but it really went a few steps further than I thought it would. For one, in the movie we follow Peter as he goes years without anyone from his past. (Oof, the way I thought it was going to reverse somehow before their second semester).

When Peter finally collides with MJ and Ned again, they truly have no idea who he is. Sure, there’s a brief note between the two of them that there’s something they are missing, but they are completely clueless. When MJ reads the letter and finds out what’s been going on, my heart broke for Spidey when he told her he loved her, and there was not only no reciprocation behind those eyes, but she straight up rejected him. As sad as it is, I also need to praise it.

But, I Think It Deserves Its Flowers

Peter Parker’s decision not to tell Ned and MJ completely made sense to me. While I feel like the actions of some past Peter Parkers have felt not only flawed, but just unnecessary, Brand New Day feels different.

After the death of Aunt May in No Way Home, I really understood why he would isolate himself and lean into becoming the best Spider-Man he could be. Of course, he wanted to have them back, but “with great power comes great responsibility.” In the scene where MJ reads the letter and you feel her sadness about a piece of her life being kept from her, I see why she’s frustrated, but I’m actually happy the movie didn’t bring their romance back right away.

Peter has had messy relationships before, and sure, it would have brought a huge smile to my face to see these two together again. But, I’m living for the slow burn the franchise is going for instead. Instead, the hopeful gratification we got was between Peter and Ned, and it was perfect.

Peter and Ned have known each other much longer than Peter and MJ have, and have seemingly been doing that best friend handshake most of their lives. It was the perfect way to hint at a new chapter where Peter will reestablish his relationships, but without rushing the Peter and MJ romance.

We know that Spider-Man will return among upcoming Marvel movies, so why not give these two some time to fall in love again? I’m personally even hoping that Spider-Man meets one of his other famous love interests like Gwen Stacy or Black Cat before MJ is his endgame. Yearning is like the No. 1 rule of a good romance, and I’m so happy Brand New Day got it.

Tom Holland was already one of the biggest box office stars on the planet before the 2026 movie calendar started. Playing Spider-Man in the MCU tends to have that effect. But having Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrive within two weeks of each other has sent the actor’s career numbers into another stratosphere. And he now has a legitimate shot at climbing near Zoe Saldaña and Scarlett Johansson at the very top of Hollywood’s box office rankings.

The numbers are still changing, especially because Brand New Day is nowhere near finished with its theatrical run. The latest data from The Numbers puts the fourth Holland-led Spider-Man movie at $1.689 billion worldwide, while The Odyssey, in which he plays Telemachus, has reached $1.138 billion. Together, his two 2026 movies have already generated more than $2.8 billion worldwide.

There are several ways to calculate an actor’s career box office, depending on whether cameos and supporting appearances are included. Using the commonly cited ranking based on leading and lead ensemble roles, Holland sat at No. 6 with roughly $13.66 billion worldwide as of Aug. 8. Ahead of him were Robert Downey Jr. at $14.32 billion, Samuel L. Jackson at $14.61 billion and Chris Pratt at $15.16 billion. Then you get to the two women currently sitting at the summit.

For a brief moment in 2025, ScarJo was Hollywood’s highest-grossing lead actor after Jurassic World Rebirth added another blockbuster to a résumé already stuffed with MCU movies. Zoe Saldaña passed her in January after Avatar: Fire and Ash, bringing her lead-role total to about $15.47 billion, just ahead of Johansson’s roughly $15.40 billion.

Holland is not there yet. However, that Aug. 8 total is already aging quickly while both of his current movies continue selling tickets. The real wild card is Brand New Day. The latest Marvel movie reached $1.67 billion globally after only 10 days, including more than $1 billion overseas, and became 2026’s highest-grossing movie after just one week.

If that run keeps going, the Uncharted actor has a path past Downey, Jackson and eventually Pratt. Third place would leave only Saldaña and Johansson ahead of him on the lead-role chart. Considering he is just 30 years old, that is a pretty ridiculous neighborhood to already be approaching.

It also shows how quickly two movies can change the math. Holland’s previous box office muscle came largely from Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and his first three Spider-Man movies, including No Way Home, which earned $1.92 billion worldwide. Now he has two more billion-dollar titles arriving in the same summer. And if the post-credits scene from Brand New Day is really setting up an appearance in Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars, Holland could have another massive movie adding to that total before the year is out.

Whether the Devil All the Time actor actually catches Pratt, Johansson or Saldaña will depend on where Brand New Day finally lands, and The Odyssey still has money left to make as well. For now, though, Peter Parker is swinging up the leaderboard awfully fast.

Fans can currently catch Holland in both The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters.

I can’t believe what’s been going on with Tom Holland and Zendaya this year. Not only did they share two 2026 movies (that have both passed $1 billion at the worldwide box office), they also reportedly managed to sneak in two secret weddings. After we heard back in March that the couple already got married, another one allegedly took place earlier this month. And we just learned more about it.

Holland and Zendaya wrapped two back-to-back press tours for The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. And the word is they had a second wedding at the Beaverbrook Hotel right after. It’s a luxury destination not too far from their southwest London home. Per new details from Vanity Fair, here’s the alleged vibe of their reported wedding suite:

The Beaverbrook Hotel is named after Lord Beaverbrook, who was a Canadian-British billionaire, politician and media baron. He hosted distinguished guests such as Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Taylor. Now there’s an entire suite named after Elizabeth Taylor, which Holland and Zendaya reportedly stayed in for the wedding celebration. Here’s another location on the grounds:

The Spider-Man stars allegedly booked out the entire Beaverbrook estate for their August 4 wedding. The grounds also include exciting amenities like a private golf course club (perfect for Holland’s love of the sport), a private cinema and pickleball. There’s also a host of fancy treatments to book at the spa. Take a look:

The Hollywood couple don’t give off a fussy vibe, but these details about Beaverbrook’s accommodations absolutely suggest they went for an extravagant wedding vibe. While I’m a bit surprised about how fancy it all is, I’m completely happy for these two as they managed to make it feel lowkey and private. The pair of A-listers are hard workers who’ve been traveling all around the world lately to promote two massive films. They absolutely deserved to treat themselves to all the elegance and pampering the Beaverbrook could provide them with.

If you’re as curious as I am about how much it costs to stay at the Beaverbrook Hotel, I looked it up. I’m seeing prices ranging from $688 to $1714 a night. I’m not even going to think about how much it cost to potentially rent out the whole place for their wedding reception. But given their recent successes, I’m not worried if they can afford it.

Following the alleged wedding on August 4, Tom Holland has been spotted wearing a wedding band. This was after fans were wondering why he wasn’t wearing one after news of their first wedding got out. I expect the couple will continue to keep the details private (and Law Roach definitely isn’t telling the press). But, this detail definitely leads me to believe the reported second wedding really happened.

Between these details and their hit movies, congrats to Tom Holland and Zendaya for having the most iconic summer of 2026 all around!

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has hit the 2026 movie schedule in a big way, as Tom Holland’s superhero franchise has struck box office gold yet again. Not only that, but the Destin Daniel Cretton-directed Spidey flick is receiving positive reviews as well. Considering all of this success, it’s wild to think that several years ago, it appeared that Marvel Studios and Sony would end their licensing agreement keeping the wall-crawler in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now, Holland is reflecting on what that was all like from his vantage point.

Even now, I can still vividly remember what the atmosphere was like around August 2019, when Sony and the Disney-owned Marvel couldn’t reach a new Spider-Man deal. Multitudes of fans took to social media to express their surprise and displeasure with the development, and I was among those shocked. In the years that followed, I wondered how Holland felt during that time and, during a recent interview, he admitted he didn’t feel “down.” Yet he apparently felt something else entirely:

As the Odyssey star explained to Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused podcast (as seen on YouTube), he wasn’t so much sad as he was confused, given the success of the inter-studio collaboration at that time. During that time, Sony admitted to being “disappointed” that it couldn’t come to terms with Marvel on an extension. Spider-Man’s potential departure also drew responses from a myriad of creatives, including some involved with the MCU.

The situation turned around in a big way, though in September 2019, as both Disney and Sony restarted negotiations after the fan outcry (and drunken phone call Holland made to Bob Iger). A deal was eventually reached, and Holland shared his take on how everything eventually fell into place:

Given the success of 2021’s No Way Home and this latest Spider-Man movie, I’d like to think both parties are glad with how everything turned out. It’s still interesting to think about what might’ve happened with Holland’s Peter Parker had a new deal not been reached. Several years back, the British actor claimed Sony had a “wonderful” idea to ease the character out of the MCU. Whether that would’ve included appearances in the Spidey-adjacent spinoffs is unclear.

It’s probably best that we don’t dabble in what ifs, though (like Uatu the Watcher has a habit of doing). That’s because, today, we’re fortunate to have a thriving film franchise centered on the web-slinger, and Tom Holland only continues to prove why he’s the perfect actor for the lead role. I’ll forever breathe a sigh of relief that Marvel and Sony re-upped their deal years ago. Additionally, I hope that whenever Holland’s Peter Parker does stop appearing in the MCU, it’ll be of the star’s own volition.

Check out Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is playing in theaters nationwide now. Also, check out the first three films in the saga by streaming them with a Disney+ subscription.

Working with Matt Damon is a dream for many actors. He has a reputation for being incredible to work with, and being a supportive presence even when he is number one on the call sheet. Damon also has a legacy of incredible films behind him like Good Will Hunting, The Martian, and Saving Private Ryan. Many actors have sung his praises, and Tom Holland recently revealed what was one of the best parts about working with the movie star in The Odyssey, and it's hilarious.

In a recent interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Holland couldn’t say enough great things about working with Damon, who plays Holland’s father in The Odyssey. Holland fawned about what a great role model the Oscar winner was, and how he was working harder than anyone on set, considering Odysseus is a huge part of the film, and a lot of physical work went into his scenes. However, one particular situation took Holland a bit out of it, as he suddenly realized he was watching “Jason Bourne” work. He told the talk show host:

This is an absolutely hilarious reaction to have, and it points out how much of a pro Damon is, considering he has done so many fight sequences in the past. Damon trained for years doing elaborate stunts for the Bourne films, so he already had a leg up on everyone when it came to practical stunt choreography, and getting in the kind of shape you need to get into to play a physically fit protagonist. Damon is in crazy shape in The Odyssey and the fight sequences all look like they come so naturally to him.

Damon may look very different in The Odyssey than he did in the Bourne films, but for Holland, it was like watching his favorite movie character come to life. Those Bourne films were huge movies with a legacy that lives on through an ardent fanbase, and considering Holland was such a fan, it must’ve been hard not to make the connection. Damon also apparently had a lot of fun with Holland’s love for those films too, as he revealed he once jokingly yelled “tell me everything you know about Treadstone” during filming, a reference all fans of that movie would remember.

While The Odyssey was anecdotally a difficult shoot, I love to hear this cast still was able to find the time to joke around and have levity. They all worked incredibly long hours and put in a lot of work, but the camaraderie was still there, as it often is on a Christopher Nolan set. Damon was a big part of it, and according to Holland, was the fearless leader they needed. I personally love this duo, and with a rumored fifth Bourne movie in the works, maybe there is an opportunity for Holland to join the beloved franchise in the future for a true, full circle moment.

You can see Tom Holland and Matt Damon together in The Odyssey, which is currently playing in theaters nationwide. You can also check out Holland in one of the most exciting films on the 2026 movie release schedule, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is in cinemas now.

Spider-Man: Homecoming brought Tom Holland and Zendaya together. Then, after rumors surfaced that the two co-stars were dating in 2017, everything came full circle in 2021 when the pair were caught kissing in a car. Now that it’s been confirmed Holland and Zendaya are married, Spider-Man producer Amy Pascal revealed how “MJ and Peter just always fall in love” in real life, and I can’t unsee it.

When Tom Holland and Zendaya were first cast as Peter Parker and MJ, former Chairwoman of the Motion Pictures Group of Sony Pictures Entertainment Amy Pascal tried to warn the co-stars off dating in fear it would make things complicated. As we know, of course, that advice was ignored. Now, in a recent interview with the BBC, Pascal got real about that warning again before making a point about all the actors who have played Spider-Man and his love interest:

Wow, the producer makes a great point! It’s true, there’s no denying that actors who portray Peter Parker and MJ do have a habit of falling in love when the cameras are on and off. (Or in Andrew Garfield's case, he fell for Emma Stone, who played Gwen Stacy.)

With such chemistry between Spider-Man and the woman he loves, it’s very understandable why the co-stars portraying these characters would feel the love in real life too. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, as well as Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, were co-stars who dated in real life after playing their respective Spidey couples. However, Amy Pascal felt that Tom Holland and Zendaya shouldn’t fall under that familiar spell, seeing as the aforementioned Spider-Man pairings did eventually break up.

Fortunately, Holland and Zendaya are breaking the Spider-Man couple curse by still going strong. And while they're a fairly private couple, the British actor previously said he finds his relationship with his MJ “sacred” and that the only way to be a truly healthy couple is to keep their romance to themselves.

The former Disney Channel star also said she’s a big believer in “protecting things that are special.” By not allowing the press to interfere in their relationship, it’s no wonder they're still going so strong.

Now that I’m aware that “Peter and MJ just always fall in love,” I can’t look at these Spider-Man couples the same way again. While things didn’t work out between the previous Spidey pairings, Tom Holland and Zendaya continue to be couples’ goals with each movie they co-star in and every public appearance they make. Now, we just need the husband and wife to be in a rom-com together to make our dreams come true.

Well, while Holland and Zendaya are doing great in real life, their Peter and MJ are going through it in the 2026 movie release, Spider-Man: Brand New Day. However, the love is still very much there, and the couple's chemistry both in real life and on screen is palpable.

Wait, Tom Holland isn’t allowed to have his own Spider-Man suit? That’s wild! He is Spider-Man – if anyone should get suit privileges, it’s the actor. However, I just came across a story he once told about what happened when he tried to leave the set of one in character, and wow!

When Holland was filming Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was his sixth appearance as Spidey, he tried to go home dressed as the Marvel hero. In his words:

How funny is that? You’d think Holland might have earned the privilege to go home in his Spider-Man suit by then, but that wasn’t the case when he tried. As he added to SiriusXM:

Holland first earned the role of Spider-Man for Captain America: Civil War in 2016, and he had a bunch of extra suits made back then. And there have been many variants of it over the years. It’s pretty surprising that Marvel still wouldn’t spare one for Holland. It would have been pretty entertaining to see this go down on the set of No Way Home. I wish a camera was on him during this moment.

Tom Holland may not have ownership over his Spider-Man suits, but he did share a pretty sweet idea about where he’d like some extras to live. He gave Olympic Studios a shoutout, which is located in Barnes, London, not too far from where the Holland family grew up in Kingston upon Thames. As Holland also said during the interview:

So, what's the moral of this story? Tom Holland really wants to own at least a few of his Spider-Man suits, and he's pleading for them, as he said:

Across his Spider-Man movies, there’s been a ton of suit variants to account for. There was the homemade suit (with the blue hoodie) and the Tony Stark-upgraded one from Civil War and Homecoming. Then, there was the Iron Spider Suit, the “Night Monkey” stealth suit, and the new one from Brand New Day, which he called “a lot comfier” than other ones. And, a few more in between that we haven't mentioned. How is it that Holland seemingly doesn’t own one?

Perhaps now that Brand New Day has scored the biggest first week at the box office… ever, Holland deserves one? Like, the movie is only a week old, and it’s already made around $1.19 billion worldwide. And that’s without mentioning how much we collectively liked it.

Per the Brand New Day post-credits scene, we know Spider-Man is set to return. Maybe he’ll walk off one of these upcoming Marvel movies with a suit on? It certainly sounds like the actor is hoping for that day to come.

Law Roach has been asked about Zendaya and Tom Holland’s secret wedding (and the actress’s wedding dress) over and over again. Now, even after it's been confirmed that the celebrity couple is married, the stylist is still getting questions. Specifically, he was asked if they had plans for a second ceremony. Well, it’s now widely reported that they did indeed celebrate their nuptials again, so was Roach fibbing when he shot down the claim?

Law Roach Said The Rumors About Tom Holland And Zendaya’s Second Wedding Were Not True

Before word about this second wedding got out, and even before Spider-Man: Brand New Day premiered on the 2026 movie schedule and broke Avengers: Endgame’s box office record, Law Roach attended the LA premiere alongside Tom Holland and Zendaya. While there, Complex brought up the rumors about a “second wedding” or “more public celebration.” Here’s how the stylist reacted to those claims:

The reporter then said the rumors were fairly recent, which led Roach to double down on debunking them, saying:

Well, these comments are certainly interesting in hindsight. It would seem like Holland and Zendaya very much had a second wedding celebration (which we’ll talk about more in a second).

Although I can’t help but focus on the semantics here. Roach was specifically asked if there were plans for a “second wedding” or “more public celebration.” Based on what we’ve heard about the event held at the Beaverbrook Hotel, it seems like Holland and Zendaya still kept the celebration quite private. So, maybe Law Roach found a loophole when it came to talking about the Spider-Man stars’ plans.

He also could have just lied; people do that sometimes to protect spoilers or personal information. So, no matter what actually happened, his response did help keep the couple’s reported plans close to the vest.

Tom Holland And Zendaya Reportedly Had A Second Wedding Celebration

Alright, let me give you the lowdown on this reported second ceremony. While Holland and Zendaya reportedly got married earlier this year, they had another celebration on August 4, per People. Right on the heels of two whirlwind press tours for two wildly successful movies, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the couple reportedly celebrated for a more personal reason at the Beaverbrook Hotel in Surrey, U.K.

Apparently, the wedding event held at the country house hotel was “very natural,” one source said, and Holland’s brothers wore black tuxedos that had wildflowers tucked into the buttonholes of their jackets.

So, if the power couple did indeed have a second wedding this summer, why did Law Roach say they weren’t?

Well, no matter the answer to that question, I hope Zendaya and Tom Holland are celebrating. The news of the second wedding celebration is wonderful, plus it’s coming just days after they finished massive press tours for two films they should be proud of. So, with that said, if you’re looking to celebrate the happy couple, you can catch both The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day in theaters now.

Thank goodness The Odyssey is one of the highest-grossing films of the 2026 movie schedule, because Christopher Nolan absolutely does not cut corners on set. The writer, director and producer filmed just about everything in the three-hour movie practically and in camera (as opposed to relying on CGI). And, Tom Holland made some comments about how it really felt to witness it all come together on set.

While much of The Odyssey cast have watched Christopher Nolan work before, the movie marked Tom Holland’s first time working with the filmmaker. So, the way the director worked really blew his mind. Here’s one moment he recalled from the movie that really amazed him:

During a roundtable for Entertainment Weekly, Holland recalled being on the set where the Troy scenes were shot in Aït Benhaddou, Morocco. The Spider-Man: Brand New Day actor isn’t in the scene himself, but he had the chance to see it all take place. He was amazed by the production’s swift use of fire during the Siege of Troy, and how can you blame him? It sounds like he felt like he was watching a magic trick happen in front of his eyes.

The Odyssey’s production designer, Ruth De Jong, also told Condé Nast Traveler that Troy was built on two and a half acres. They were given the go-ahead to burn their sets as long as it didn’t damage the adjoining village. So, while you might think that scene could be ridden with CGI, everything was actually ablaze on set. During the same roundtable interview, The Odyssey’s Odysseus Matt Damon recalled his own experience filming the Siege of Troy with these words:

As if Christopher Nolan really putting Troy sets on fire and getting hundreds of extras to surprise the actors wasn’t enough, there’s more! They also really built the Trojan Horse out of wood and filmed a dozen actors crammed inside, too. No wonder it felt so real – the filmmaker did as much as he could to really bring it to life on the set of the flick.

Not every movie has the privilege of being made the way Christopher Nolan made The Odyssey. It reportedly cost $250 million before marketing costs. It’s reportedly heading toward a $1 billion worldwide gross on Friday (per The Wrap). So, it feels like the filmmaker can definitely achieve the impossible again should another big idea come to him. Holland’s experiences on set definitely speak to the big feat accomplished on The Odyssey.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is dominating the box office, and if that wasn't evidence enough that the Marvel Cinematic Universe still has what it takes to keep chugging along, I think what it set the stage for does. The X-Men get set up for the future in a big way at the end of this movie, and while not everyone is a fan of that, the audience I saw the movie with was hype.

I guess not everyone was hip to the rumors that Sadie Sink's mysterious villain was actually one of the founding mutants, and people in my theater were audibly shook by the revelation on opening weekend. It has me positive that the MCU is back on track, and after Avengers: Doomsday, we're only going to see more bangers from Marvel Studios as the years drag on.

Jean Grey Getting A Gasp-Worthy Reaction From A Full Theater Has Me Positive The MCU Is Back

Back when Famke Janssen was playing Jean Grey, I was a kid with my dad explaining to me who she was in the comics and why she was so important. 26 years later, the collective gasp in my packed theater for Spider-Man: Brand New Day told me that you no longer need to be a comic book fan to recognize one of the X-Men's most powerful psychics, especially considering there wasn't any other reference to mutants or other iconic imagery from the franchise.

Based on Jean's role and how the movie ends, it feels clear the X-Men are not an established team in the MCU. It stands to reason we're going to meet some more mutants in the coming years, and if people are that psyched for Jean Grey, imagine how they'll be when they meet the new Cyclops, Storm, or Wolverine.

Marvel Studios Rebooting The X-Men Can Definitely Carry The MCU For Another Decade

If Marvel Studios has plans to slowly introduce the X-Men and make them a team, then I think we have a good while before Marvel fatigue strikes a mainstream audience again. Kevin Feige confirmed plans were in place for Marvel to reboot the superhero team for the MCU, and I think the studio is going about it in the best way possible.

Starting at the very origin of X-Men is the right call and allows us to be reintroduced to a new cast to invest in and bring a new generation into the story of the Mutants. Whether we'll get a more traditional comic book origin story, a new twist, or one of the alternate tellings has me excited.

As comic book readers know, there are so many mutants beyond Wolverine that could have their own standalone film series. There's so much potential with that, especially at a time where it feels like the verdict is still out on how much we all like the new Avengers lineup. If the Mutants end up being the torchbearers of the next era of the MCU, I won't be mad.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently in theaters and continuing to make wheelbarrows of cash. It has me wondering just how long we'll have to wait for another movie, and when we can expect to see Sadie Sink's Jean Grey again.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched Spidey's latest big-screen romp, so be warned (or be punished)!

The biggest movie of 2026 so far, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the relatively rare MCU release that has won over critics and audiences alike, and feels like a step in the right direction for both Sony and Marvel Studios. Tom Holland's fourth webslinging solo film will likely keep audiences talking until the next Marvel movie releases thanks to its pair of ambiguously teasy final scenes: Peter and Ned's go-to handshake and the Spidey Tracker's outer-space update.

After co-star Jacob Batalon's Ned spends the entire movie unaware of who Peter is, his former BFF makes an introduction in which Ned unwittingly goes through the motions of their special handshake. But does that mean Doctor Strange's memory-wiping spell has been reversed? Batalon shared his take on the matter with THR, seemingly without any secret behind-the-scenes knowledge of where things are going next. And I dunno that he'll be putting an end to any debates here when asked about Ned being the first character to regain any memories of Peter. In his words:

Oh man, oh man. Had the actor just avoided the question entirely, it might have been minorly frustrating. But here, he dismisses any assumptions about Ned's memory coming back, and instead gives equal weight to some of the most relevant arguments that fans have been debating since the movie's release. That's just cruel, J.B.! (At least he didn't bring up the idea that Jean Grey's widespread mind control might have unlocked something.)

Not that anyone should readily expect anyone in the Brand New Day cast to suddenly reveal a concrete answer to questions posed by those mysterious final moments, since any kind of genuine answer would just inspire more questions, and there's no real end to that line of action. Still, I'm amused that Batalon doesn't narrow the list of options down even slightly.

He continued, and voiced his hope that it's a positive omen for the future. As he put it:

As much as I'd love to think that True Friendship is more powerful than a Sorcerer Supreme's magic spell, I personally don't believe that Ned is starting to regain his mental memories of his past with Peter, and I think it's more muscle memory than anything else. Doctor Strange's spell didn't necessitate that Ned would forget everything he knew that had anything to do with Peter. If I'd magically forget who my parents were, that doesn't mean I'd automatically forget how to drive a car because they taught me how.

I guess I don't have inarguably proof of that, since I don't personally know the contact info of any Sorcerers Supreme. As such, the debate will rage on until we're all years older and watching the first trailer for Spider-Man: Whazzidoozitz? Or you know, whatever the next one is called.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, with new titles arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. But folks who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that certain franchises are fan favorites, chief among them being the Spider-Man movies. Case in point: Brand New Day's record-breaking performance at the box office. Fans are wondering how long Tom Holland might play Peter Parker, and a Sony exec made a Super Bowl analogy about that lingering question.

Fans are always curious about upcoming Marvel movies, and have been wondering how long Holland will continue playing Peter Parker. During a recent interview with Variety, Sony's Tom Rothman addressed how long we might see the Odyssey star in his signature role, offering:

Honestly, I get it. The studio is still celebrating how well Brand New Day is doing, so they're not necessarily looking to the next Spider-Man film just yet. That being said, it seems like Sony would love to keep their collaboration with tits leading actor going for the foreseeable future... even if Tom Holland originally said he'd be done playing Peter Parker by the time he's in his 30s. He's exactly 30 years old now, but it doesn't sound like he's hanging up the suit right away.

That being said, Holland has expressed interest in being a mentor to Miles Morales in the future. So maybe he could retire as Peter Parker after that's done? Rothman also spoke to THR about the actor saying he'd play Spider-Man again. The Sony boss was quoted saying:

This is definitely a hopeful set of messages for fans who might be nervous that Tom Holland's tenure as Peter Parker was coming to an end. Sony wants to keep things rolling, and Brand New Day's performance shows that fans have an ongoing passion for the franchise. After recent Marvel box office bombs like The Marvels, these wins feel especially significant.

Brand New Day's credits scene seemed to hint at Spider-Man's role in Secret Wars, although it remains to be seen if we'll see Tom Holland's Peter or perhaps the return of Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield. Either way it's clear that the web slinger is a character that moviegoers care deeply about.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. The next Marvel movie hitting theaters will be Avengers: Doomsday on December 18th. We'll just have to see if Spidey shows up or not.

Much of the past year has seen the public at large speculate on Tom Holland and Zendaya’s relationship status, as the two played coy on whether they were married. However, back in June, Holland finally confirmed their nuptials while explaining that even his own grandmother was fooled by A.I. photos depicting their wedding. While that matrimonial mystery has been solved, it would appear that we now have another involving a different celebrity couple. There’s now reason to wonder whether Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid have tied the knot.

Bradley Cooper (51) and Gigi Hadid (31) mostly keep the details of their relationship private, so there’s a firm chance they wouldn’t make an official announcement in the event they got married. Interestingly enough, though, Page Six snapped photos of the pair walking in Paris, France this week and, at the time, they were sporting matching rings. The news outlet has since reached out to the stars’ representatives for comments on those bands and, as of right now, there’s been no answer on that front.

There may be some who are tempted to pump the brakes on any kind of marriage-based theory. However, one need only look to the saga involving Zendaya (29) and Holland (30) to understand why this development involving Hadid and Cooper would be a big deal. In February, Zendaya was spotted wearing a gold band and sent fans into a frenzy. Obviously, it turned out that she and Holland had indeed exchanged. We may not be able to say the same for Cooper and Hadid just yet but, per this precedent, it’s worth considering.

Hadid and Cooper have reportedly been dating since 2023, with that news coinciding with claims that they were involved in a love triangle with Leonardo DiCaprio. There have since been various reports about how firm Cooper and Hadid’s relationship is. As a result of that, engagement rumors have swirled around the pair and, in 2025, it was alleged that Cooper was considering proposing and wanted kids with Hadid.

Both stars already have kids of their own, as Cooper shares 9-year-old daughter Lea with former partner Irina Shayk. As for Hadid, she shares 5-year-old daughter Khai with ex-boyfriend Zayn Malik.

While the Hangover star and his fashion model girlfriend seem to have a strong bond, marriage is a big step, and that’s especially true when it comes to public figures. Celebrities also have the responsibility of choosing what to share and what to keep to themselves. Holland and Zendaya have long protected aspects of their relationship, and that still seems to be the case now. However, Holland recently joked about their marriage when he was promoting The Odyssey, one of their shared 2026 movie releases.

Only time will tell whether Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper really have become man and wife. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least curious as to whether they did decide to have a secret wedding like Tom Holland and Zendaya. Of course, like the Spider-Man stars, Cooper and Hadid are entitled to their privacy so, if they are actually married and want to be open about it, they have the right to do so when it works best for them.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly putting out new content, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The massive franchise is also known for its tight security, and the great length it goes to keep spoilers away from fans who spent years watching the Marvel movie in order. But that's easier said than done, especially with stars like Tom Holland, who have a reputation for spoiling things. And the 30 year-old actor recently talked about the time he ruined Infinity War's ending, and seeing Kevin Feige's reaction.

That Time Holland Got In Trouble For Spoiling Infinity War.

Tom Holland is super passionate about his ongoing role in the MCU, which sometimes results in spoilers getting out for upcoming Marvel movies. Case in point: when he accidentally revealed that Peter got dusted Infinity War's ending. During an interview with Complex at the premiere of Brand New Day, he recalled how that happened by saying:

Unfortunately, Holland's Spider-Sense (aka the Peter Tingle) wasn't working on this fateful day. Because while he thought he was about to meet fans that had just finished watching Avengers: Infinity War, it turns out they their screening hadn't actually started yet.

Later in the same interview, the Uncharted actor went on to share what happened when he greeted the Marvel fans for Infinity War's opening day in theaters. In his words:

Talk about a big mistake. The end of Infinity War shocked fans when it was released, as Thanos succeeded in collecting the Infinity Stones and eventually snapped away all of life in the universe. That included a ton of beloved heroes including Wanda, Black Panther, Bucky, and (of course) Spider-Man. Luckily they were able be blipped back to life in Endgame.

You can see Tom Holland share the story about Kevin Feige and Infinity War below:

Making this big of a mistake in front of your boss is nightmare fuel, but it didn't stop Tom Holland from continuing his tenure as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Both No Way Home and Brand New Day crushed in theaters, and fans are hoping to see him once again reprise his signature role in either Avengers: Doomsday or Secret Wars.

Tom Holland Is Getting Better About Spoilers

In the Uncharted actor's defense, he seems to finally be getting better about spoilers. He managed not to reveal anything about Brand New Day's secrets ahead of its release, which is major accomplishment. Plus, he was recently asked on the Happy Sad Confused podcast about his possible role in Secret Wars, and managed to keep it tight-lipped. Check it out below:

Brand New Day's credits scene seemed to tease Spider-Man having a role in Secret Wars, but we'll have to wait and see if it's actually Tom Holland, or maybe Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield. If its the latter two, then the Odyssey actor wouldn't even be lying about not having a role. We'll just have to wait and see how it all shakes out.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list and making a ton of money. The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Avengers: Doomsday on December 18th. Only time will tell if/when Holland shows up as Peter Parker next.

Minor spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is finally in theaters, and making a ton of money at the box office. Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order were thrilled about finally picking up the narrative after No Way Home's ending, which saw the entire world forget about Peter Parker. I didn't expect any gay jokes to be made throughout its 145-minute runtime, but as a queer Marvel fan I couldn't be more thrilled.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day's trailer featured Hulk and Punisher, but the movie also featured an A+ appearance by Florence Pugh's Yelena/ Black Widow. Peter meets her at her "office", which is really a city bathhouse. After undressing apart from his mask, Yelena pokes fun at his anonymity, asking if he keeps the mask on...

This quick line of dialogue absolutely took me out, and further shows why Yelena is one of the best characters we've gotten in the post-Endgame phases of the MCU. She typically brings a ton of humor to her roles, including in Hawkeye and Thunderbolts* (both of which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription).

As a hardcore Marvel fan who is also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I also appreciated that this exchange wasn't making fun of queer folks. What's more, Spider-Man didn't seem offended by the idea of folks thinking he might be gay. I thought this was refreshing, given how often being gay has been used as an insult in media throughout the years. Yelena's comment is just a fun moment, and one that acknowledges that yes, there are LGBTQ+ people in the MCU.

Another queer-coded moment in Spider-Man: Brand New Day happened after Peter woke up hanging outside of his apartment in a web. He falls to the ground, and has to steal clothes from his building's laundry room before taking the elevator back to his place. He accidentally grabs a crop top and pants with "juicy" written on the butt, in another one of the movie's funnier moments. And it felt more significant after his conversation at the bath house with Yelena.

Of course, there have been a handful of LGBTQ+ characters introduced in the MCU. Joe Russo played a gay man during his Endgame cameo, while America Chavez has two moms in Doctor Strange 2. Additionally, Billy Maximoff was confirmed as gay during Agatha All Along.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in theaters now as part of the 2026 movie release list. The gay jokes happen very quickly, so be careful not to miss them with a bathroom trip!

Tom Holland and Timothée Chalamet are two of their generation’s biggest movie stars, and both of their 2026 movie schedules are packed with highly anticipated tentpole films. Yet their signature roles could hardly be more different. Chalamet’s Paul Atreides spends Dune brooding over visions, power and the possibility of becoming a galactic tyrant, while Holland’s Peter Parker can barely explain himself without tripping over his words or revealing classified Avengers information. But what if the two actors had swapped places? I'm cracking up over the Holland's take on how he would've played Paul.

Said contrast came up in Holland’s recent appearance on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. The host imagined an alternate Hollywood timeline where Chalamet became Spider-Man, and he led Denis Villeneuve’s (Steven Spielberg-approved) Dune trilogy. Holland gave Chalamet a genuine vote of confidence as Peter Parker, then offered a much less flattering description of his own Paul Atreides:

The host immediately pushed back and said he did not believe the Brand New Day actor would actually play the role that way, and he is probably right. The star of Christopher Nolan's latest box office hit, The Odyssey, has done enough dramatic work to prove he could handle Paul’s fear, anger and increasingly heavy sense of destiny.

With that said, I cannot stop picturing his proposed version. Instead of solemnly walking across the desert while visions of a holy war flash through his mind, Holland’s Paul would presumably tumble down a sand dune, lose one of his boots and accidentally spoil the Fremen’s entire battle plan. His first sandworm ride would feel less like the arrival of a messiah and more like Peter Parker clinging to the side of an airplane.

It would be a very different performance, but Holland is right that something is interesting there. The Wonka star’s Spider-Man would probably be less likely to greet a villain with an enthusiastic pop-culture reference. He might also make Peter Parker look like he has not slept since Uncle Ben died.

Shortly after the trip into "what if" fancasting land, Holland recalled being only 17 when he began auditioning for the role. Looking back at those old screen tests now, he said he can't help but see himself as a child compared with the actor he is now, leading the recently released Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Playing Peter Parker has taken up “damn near the majority” of his life.

Holland also explained that his dance background helped define his version of Spider-Man. Because the costume covers his face, he had to communicate through movement. He even developed a physical detail in which Peter’s arms occasionally hang loose in the suit, almost as though he does not fully control them. That small bit became part of how he plays the character.

Chalamet would undoubtedly have created a different take on the Web-Head. Audiences probably would have gotten a more withdrawn and brooding Peter Parker, though the actor behind Paul Atreides can be very funny when a role allows it. Chalamet’s recent work hardly suggests he would spend every scene staring sadly from a rooftop.

I'd say the Uncharted star is being too hard on his possible Dune. He could bring plenty of emotion to Paul, and his physicality might make the desert action terrific. I still would not trust him near the Water of Life without supervision.

Thankfully, both actors landed the roles that helped define this stage of their careers. Chalamet became the haunted heir of House Atreides, while Holland brought nervous energy and gymnastic movement to Peter Parker. I'd like to think, though, that somewhere in the multiverse, however, Spider-Man is moodily considering destiny while a blundering Paul Atreides runs from a very confused sandworm. That is one heck of a funny image.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is playing in theaters now but, if you want to revisit Holland's prior turns as Spidey, stream his Home trilogy with a Disney+subscription. As for Chalamet, his first two Dune films are streaming with an HBO Max subscription, with Dune: Part Three, the third and final entry, landing in theaters on December 18.

Major spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day are ahead! If you have not seen this movie, it’s currently playing in theaters.

For a long time now, a common criticism of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies is that there’s always another hero he kind of has to share the spotlight with. From Iron Man to Doctor Strange, he hasn't been able to get a movie to himself. That’s never really bothered me, though. Well, that was the case until I saw Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While I agree with Brand New Day’s reviews, and I think it’s great, unfortunately, the way they handled Sadie Sink’s character, Jean Grey, is the reason I have a problem with it.

Don't Get It Twisted, I Love This Movie And Sadie Sink's Performance

If I don’t think about the MCU as a whole or the upcoming Marvel movies, I loved the role Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey played in Brand New Day. The conflict revolving around Spider-Man’s plan to suppress his own powers as well as hers was effective. And I love that Peter realizing he should embrace his evolving powers stemmed from him finding common ground with Jean.

Overall, I thought Jean’s introduction was a very powerful way to get Peter Parker to realize and deal with his demons and then come out of this isolation he’d put himself in for years. He accepted his powers, started reuniting with MJ and Ned, and that happened as he tried to defeat and then protect Jean.

I also loved that this film subverted expectations and didn’t have one all-powerful villain. Instead, it flipped the script; while Jean started as the antagonist, the government ended up being the real bad guy, and Peter realized he should actually be helping the young mutant.

Plus, Sadie Sink’s performance was amazing. It’s tortured yet delicate, and I am genuinely looking forward to seeing more of her as the iconic X-Men character. However, this is where my problem with this entry on the 2026 movie schedule lies.

I Don't Like That Spider-Man: Brand New Day Feels Like A Set-Up For X-Men

Yes, Brand New Day is a solid movie. Yes, it does tell a compelling story about Spider-Man. However, for a good chunk, it turns into a Jean Grey origin story. And after it's revealed that the body-jumping antagonist is Jean, it was almost distracting how often I was thinking about what’s next for her.

I’m certain they’re setting Jean Grey up to be a big player in the MCU, and we know Jake Schreier has an X-Men movie in the works. So, as we saw her origin play out in Brand New Day, and we learned about her powers, it didn’t necessarily feel like it was being done for this Spider-Man story. It felt like it was being done to serve the greater universe.

What I wanted from Brand New Day was a Spider-Man movie about Spider-Man. I didn’t want to be distracted by the bigger universe Marvel is trying to construct. Introducing Jean Grey and doing it in the way they did took the spotlight off the webslinger for too long, and that’s why I have a problem.

It’s not necessarily anything to do with the character herself or Sink’s performance. I actually enjoyed those a whole lot. It was more so the fact that her part in this story felt like a springboard into another chapter of the MCU. I didn’t want Spider-Man: Brand New Day to be a bridge to the greater world. I just wanted it to be a Spider-Man movie.

Spoiler alert! Major spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, so proceed with caution if you haven’t made it to the theater yet!

As with any upcoming Marvel movie, the lead-up to Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s release on the 2026 movie calendar was full of rumors, theories and big questions. Now we finally have some answers about what happened to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker after Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cast a spell to make everyone forget he’d ever existed. Brand New Day balanced the emotional story of Peter’s isolation with his battles against a new threat (props if you avoided the Sadie Sink spoilers), and the ending hinted at a possible crack in Strange’s spell.

Doctor Strange’s Spell Remained Intact For Most Of Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with Doctor Strange being forced to erase Peter Parker from everyone’s memory after a previous spell went haywire and ripped open the multiverse. Spider-Man: Brand New Day didn’t backtrack on that plot point at all, and it was heartbreaking to see Peter keeping tabs on MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) from afar. It wasn’t until the final scene of the movie that we were given hope that Peter wouldn’t have to continue living in such isolation.

Did Ned’s Memories Of Peter Return In The End?

While MJ ended up finding the note that Peter decided not to give her at the end of No Way Home, she still didn’t remember Peter, telling him she didn’t love him because she didn’t share the same memories as the girl he wrote the letter to.

In the end, that didn’t discourage Peter from making further efforts, though. After he helped Jean Grey come to terms with her sister's death — and she, in turn, kept him alive after The Punisher accidentally shot him — Peter chose to introduce himself to Ned when he ran into him again. Ned didn’t recognize his old friend until Peter started leading him in their secret handshake from high school. Ned's muscle memory ultimately kicked in, and his face lit up with recognition, as he shouted, “Peter!”

This would indicate that either Peter and Ned’s bond is so strong that no spell was powerful enough to make one forget the other completely, or it could mean that Doctor Strange’s spell weakens over time or was damaged by something that happened in Brand New Day.

If Doctor Strange’s Spell Can Be Broken, Who Else Will Remember Peter?

We only get one fleeting moment of Ned with his Peter Parker memories presumably returned, so we can only theorize what that means for when and where we’ll see Spider-Man next.

If it was the friends' close bond that broke Doctor Strange’s spell, does that mean MJ’s memories of Peter Parker can also be salvaged? What about the villains Spider-Man has fought? What about Happy or even Doctor Strange himself?

Did the spell got weaker over time, or was it damaged or altered when Jean Grey was keeping Spider-Man alive? Had enough time passed that if Peter had run into MJ that day in the bodega instead of Ned, he might have been able to awaken her memories?

Those are questions that may not be answered for a while (unless Tom Holland drops a new spoiler in the meantime), but I’m certain there will be no shortage of theories as we await Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Until then you can try to gain some new clues about the spell by rewatching Spider-Man: No Way Home with your Disney+ subscription or catching another viewing of Brand New Day in theaters now.

The much-praised Spider-Man: Brand New Day ushers in a new chapter for Tom Holland’s well-crawler within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it’s as thrilling as it is emotional. While the film could – in some ways – arguably be viewed as a bookend to Parker’s story, there’s still so much that can be done. Something that I (and other fans) have wanted to see is the arrival of the black, symbiote outfit. Holland also seems to share that enthusiasm, but he does have a reasonable and practical concern about bringing it into the fold.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 marked the first (and so far, only) time the alien symbiote was shown bonding with Peter Parker in a live-action film. The ooze-like substance has more recently been heavily featured in the Venom trilogy, though having it interact with Peter could create some even more interesting stories. Holland recently appeared on that Happy Sad Confused podcast, during which he revealed his love of the black suit to host Josh Horowitz. Yet the actor also pondered the feasibility of creating that suit for the screen:

Even though the black suit in Raimi’s film is sleek, it doesn’t have many of the symbiote-based capabilities possessed by the one featured in the video game Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. So the costume designers at Marvel Studios could surely craft an outfit, but there’s definitely a question of how to make one that’s both comfortable for Holland and looks natural on screen. I, of course, want to know how much thought studio president Kevin Feige and co. have put into that at this point.

Whether the execs have been pondering this or not, it’s evident that fans are ready to see the black suit, which was nearly introduced in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. Awesome fan art has also shown Holland’s Parker wearing the suit. Fans should also remember that the pieces are also in place for Peter to get the suit at some point. That’s because a Spider-Man: No Way Home end-credits scene shows a piece of the symbiote being left in the MCU after Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and Venom are transported back to their universe.

That development is also intriguing, considering one of the upcoming Marvel movies that’s on tap, Avengers: Secret Wars. It was actually in the original “Secret Wars” storyline from the ‘80s that established the origin for Spider-Man’s black suit. Josh Horowitz is aware of this as well, and he shared that information with Holland during their interview. That prompted occasional spoiler leaker Tom Holland to make an appeal:

Holland even went on to say that he went on vacation with Joe Russo recently, and nothing was said about Secret Wars. So, even if the black suit is meant to appear in that film, Holland isn’t privy to those details (yet). I’m still holding out hope, however, that the alien suit is formally introduced into the MCU at some point, and that the costume designers find an optimal way to craft it.

For now, check out Spider-Man: Brand New Day which is playing in theaters nationwide alongside other entries on the 2026 movie schedule. Fans can also check out the first three Tom Holland-led Spidey flicks – and the aforementioned Spider-Man 3 – using a Disney+ subscription.

Major spoilers below for the end of Spider-Man: Brand New Day and its post-credits scene, so be warned if you haven't already watched it!

By the end of Spider Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland's Peter Parker is seemingly set to usurp the magical power of Doctor Strange's No Way Home spell with the power of friendship, after helping set up the future of MCU's mutant population, and giving Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle a lot of bullets to scatter. But it's that post-credits scene that we're here to talk about, because what a nutty way to set up a connection between this movie and...probably the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Secret Wars, but maybe also Doomsday?

Let's ascend the nearest skyscraper and leap from it right into breaking the scene down with questions and speculation. (And check out CinemaBlend's thoughts on the movie!)

What Happens In Brand New Day's Post-Credits Scene

On the one hand, not a whole lot, but on the other, maybe a whole lot. The interface from Ned's Spidey-Tracker fills the screen, with Peter's icon showing up in Queens. Then, the app chimes with an alert for a "New Spider-Man Sighting. Location Unknown."

The app then zooms out to beyond the planet Earth and shifts a bit past our moon, where a Spidey icon starts blinking seemingly in the middle of outer space, without a specific location getting zoomed in on as it says "Location Found." Cut to the ominous message: "Spider-Man Will Return" and then black. (But not like, symbiote black...probably.)

#1: Does This Mean Spider-Man's Heading For Battleworld In Secret Wars?

As soon as the app made the jump to space, my brain went right to Doctor Doom's patchwork planet Battleworld (assumedly the same as plenty of others watching), since that's presumed to be a major setting for the Russo brothers' Secret Wars after all the incursions go down in Doomsday. However, that theory actually seems highly unlikely for several reasons, barring any drastic changes from the Secret Wars comic arc.

For one, Earth-616 is among the many comic worlds wiped out of existence for Battleworld's creation, and I don't think that's what the app is indicating. I don't even know that the app would work anymore if Earth is destroyed. Second, Battleworld doesn't exist within any Earth's solar system, as far as I'm aware, and the second alert shows up not that far beyond the moon. (The glitching could indicate more distance being traveled, but the stars in the background stars don't change at all.)

#2: Where Else Could Spider-Man Have Shown Up If Not Battleworld?

It's admittedly a lot easier to guess where Spider-Man is not than to guess where he actually is, especially when there are no immediately obvious choices to pick from. If that really is the depths of outer space, then I'm guessing the webslinger re-popped into existence within the confines of a spaceship of some kind, presumably due to the actions of someone on the ship. But what ship?

One guess might be the Fantastic Four's Excelsior, and another would be the Guardians of the Galaxy's Bowie. Not that I have a whole lot of theoretical reasoning for why Spider-Man would get beamed up (so to speak) into either of this vessels, but either of those scenarios is easier to assume than most alternatives.

Wouldn't it be awesome if this somehow tapped into Frank Tieri and Mark Texeira's Space: Punisher, in which Frank Castle blasts enemies...IN SPACE? It's probably not that, but I'm gonna keep quietly hoping to see leaked photos of Jon Bernthal in astronaut duds.

#3: Is That Even Tom Holland's Spider-Man?

I'm not so sure. Given that the Queens-bound icon on the Spidey-Tracker doesn't disappears when the other one shows up, and the "New Spider-Man Sighting" language used, it seems entirely possible that the post-credits scene isn't showing us any weird blips for Tom Holland's Peter, but rather another friendly neighborhood superhero, presumably the one portrayed by Tobey Maguire.

The star of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy returned in No Way Home alongside #3 Andrew Garfield, and had been heavily rumored to appear in Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday. (They did both inspire Peter's new suit, FWIW.) And Holland's wishy-washy responses to questions about Maguire appearing are also part of the speculation. So is it possible that it's that version of Peter Parker's Spider-Man that sparks the Tracker's ping, as his Earth gets doomed for incursion? I kinda think so, yeah.

#4: Who Actually Saw Spider-Man And Set That Tracker Alert?

What might seem like the silliest and least important question could actually be pretty vital. Assuming Ned's Spidey-Tracker works like most other mapping apps that directly depend on user input, that means someone with awareness of the app would be in the same unknown location as the new icon, and would have the wherewithal to input the sighting notification.

So who could that possibly be? (Seems like a good time to return to my Space: Punisher wishes.) Could it be that Sadie Sink's Jean Grey, Ned or M.J. is out there? Or will it be someone that has nothing to do with that trio? I wouldn't be surprised if that doesn't get explained at all, honestly, but I'm hoping.

#5: Will Tom Holland Return In Avengers: Doomsday Or Only In Secret Wars?

The ominiousness of the final message makes it seem like Tom Holland's Spidey isn't destined for Avengers: Doomsday, but that doesn't mean that the star-studded sequel will be completely absent of arachnid-based superheroes. As discussed above, the Russo brothers may be bringing Tobey Maguire's webslinger into their first Doctor Doom adventure to represent the Sony-verse getting incurred.

Which would theoretically then pave the way for Holland's Peter Parker to make his heroic return in Avengers: Secret Wars. Not that I know what he'd be SO busy dealing with during the events of Doomsday, but it's probably building sweet LEGO sets with Ned. So while the "Will Return" seems open-ended, I think the blank space is actually meant to imply that Spider-Man will return in both of the upcoming projects, if not more.

We're still months away from learning how Avengers new and old will join forces to take down Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, but I feel more optimistic about seeing Tobey Maguire's biowebbing in the mix after Brand New Day's post-credits scene. But I've been disappointed before...

Remember Sony’s Spider-Man Universe? It wasn’t too long ago when spinoffs based on Spider-Man villains were given their own movies separate from Marvel Studios' release schedule. But there’s one thing about them they were always missing: our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Now, Tom Holland has opened up about why that was the case and whether there was ever a world where he could have appeared in these movies.

After a string of flops (aside from the Venom movies) including Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter, Sony hit the pause button on them. And, now reportedly the studio has plans to do a reboot. But why didn’t Spider-Man come to play with these iconic characters from his own comic books? According to Holland:

Tom Holland was asked if he was part of the behind-the-scenes conversations regarding whether it made sense for his Spider-Man to be in Sony’s spinoffs. Apparently, the chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures had grand plans to bring Spidey into these films. However, the franchise just never got there in the planned timeline. As Holland added during an episode of Happy, Sad, Confused:

It should also be noted that Tom Holland has been pretty dang busy since signing on to play Spider-Man back in 2015. The actor has portrayed the superhero in seven films, including his debut in Captain America: Civil War, four standalone Spider-Man films and two Avengers movies. And that’s without mentioning his career outside of playing Peter Parker.

Holland also said that Sony was “feeling great confidence” about his Spider-Man franchise and his connection to the MCU. Rothman and the other executives also apparently wanted them to “just continue on their path”. The Brand New Day actor also shared that he was never “forced” into a Spider-Man spinoff that he then had to push back against, or anything like that.

Then, Holland was prompted about the crossover with Tom Hardy’s Venom that was long anticipated, but then frustratingly never came to pass in Venom 3 – even after that Last Carnage mid-credits scene. Holland kept things open-ended. In his words:

We have heard rumors about Marvel Studios wanting to do their own thing with the symbiote arc. Is it possible some Venom redemption is already in talks somehow? The current Spidey isn’t spilling anymore tea after spoiling things before, but I guess we’ll find out when we find out. At the moment, we don’t know about any other Spider-Man Universe spinoffs in the works.

Until then, you can see Tom Holland in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, now in theaters.

It’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day week, but lately, I’ve been thinking a lot more about the upcoming Marvel movie, Avengers: Doomsday. Between the new trailer dropping online and seeing fresh footage at SDCC’s Hall H presentation, my excitement for the release has really grown. But there are a couple of brain-scratchers I have surrounding Robert Downey Jr. and his Doctor Doom. Let’s get into it.

When Will The Helmet Come Off?

Ever since it was announced that RDJ was coming back to the MCU, I’ve been intrigued. It could be genius if they choose the right moment to reveal the face of Iron Man as the next great villain for the Avengers. I mean, especially after Tony was the one who saved everyone!! So far, Robert Downey Jr’s face has remained completely masked in all the footage I’ve seen of Doomsday, and I’m all for it. I can’t stop thinking about when he might show himself to the Avengers.

If it wasn’t for Marvel Studios making sure we all knew it was the fan-favorite actor, I wouldn’t know it was him at all. There must be a moment when Doctor Doom will be unmasked, and the Avengers will see Tony Stark’s face in front of them in our futures. I’m starting to think that this won’t happen until Secret Wars, but my big question remains. When will they decide to uncover this secret to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?

If/When It Does, Will It Include These Key Avengers?

Because I love the drama, I would like the moment to happen when one of Tony Stark’s closest friends is present. Currently, none of them are technically confirmed for Doomsday. Isn’t that crazy?

Let’s start with Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America. He’s in the movie, but he seems to be from another variant. His identity hasn’t been confirmed yet, but I’m definitely less excited to see Steve meet RDJ’s Doctor Doom without them having the same history.

The other two characters I would want to be present are Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk. Both of them were just in Brand New Day, and I don’t expect them to be in Doomsday at the moment. Hey, I could be wrong; there’s a new Doomsday cameo rumor every other day, but the things are being marketed so far, I’m starting to get less excited about the Doctor Doom reveal with the information in front of me.

Should I Change My Expectations About RDJ's Doctor Doom?

With these two questions in mind, now I’m wondering if I shouldn’t even expect a reveal like this. Maybe RDJ is playing Doctor Doom, but they’re not going to really make the variant aspect a whole thing? As I type this, I don’t believe that’s possible, but what if it was? What if RDJ decided to come into work to be Doctor Doom, and not play the Tony Stark card?

I have four and a half more months to think about this, so who knows where my head will go. As curious as I am, I do hope that Marvel Studios does keep this reveal out of the marketing, though. Doomsday hits theaters on December 18.

Folks love celebrity couples, from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce to Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Another pair that folks won't stop shipping is Tom Holland and Zendaya, especially because they released two movies together in July. And the Spider-Man actor's reaction to his wife arriving at the premiere of Brand New Day is thoroughly adorable. Seriously, I can't get enough.

Tom Holland and Zendaya had a private wedding earlier this year, and have spent the honeymoon period promoting both The Odyssey and the upcoming Marvel movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day. In a video from VT's TikTok, the Uncharted actor was mid-interview at the latter's premiere when he suddenly heard the crowd go wild. He looked at the cause of the commotion and then said simply:

Clearly, Holland knows that he married a baddie, and that fans absolutely adore Zendaya and her method dressing looks at premieres. Case in point: her stunning Spider-themed Versace dress that she rocked at Brand New Day's Chinese premiere. And the fan-favorite Marvel actor seems delighted by how well-loved his Emmy-winning wife is.

Despite how Holland and Zendaya try to keep their relationship private, the public is definitely invested in this young power couple. On top of their celebrity, a big reason why is because of adorable moments like this. You can see the moment the Euphoria actress arrived mid-interview below:

As previously mentioned, Tom Holland and Zendaya had major roles in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey earlier in July, before celebrating the release of the new Spider-Man movie just weeks later. They were already a power couple, but the fact that they can work together so closely and also promote their projects together shows how strong the recently married pair ultimately is. I mean, working with your partner isn't something that all of us could handle.

Tom Holland and Zendaya met filming Spider-Man: Homecoming, so folks who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have been watching their romantic connection blossom for years. Just as MJ and Peter got closer, so did the two A-list actors. That is at least part of the reason why fans are so invested in their character's journey, especially after No Way Home's twist ending.

Brand New Day picks up years after the last movie, where the entire world has forgotten who Peter Parker is thanks to Doctor Strange's spell. That includes both MJ and Ned, with Tom Holland's hero living a lonely life as he focuses on crime fighting. And fans are hoping that he and Zendaya's characters end up back together.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. Only time will tell what other movies this pair ends up collaborating on next.

We’re mere days away from Spider-Man: Brand New Day hitting the 2026 movie schedule, where we’ll see the web-slinger taking on a new destructive force in NYC, even as Peter Parker adjusts to a world that has forgotten he ever existed. Reviews have dropped, and several CinemaBlend staffers were amongst the critics to partake in early screenings. How did we enjoy the newest Marvel flick?

Collectively, we at CinemaBlend had a blast at Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which offered emotional stakes that assistant managing editor Nick Venable says sometimes deservedly outweighed the superhero narrative. It’s a true evolution for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, he says, giving Spider-Man: Brand New Day 4 out of 5 3D-printed stars in his spoiler-free review. Venable says:

A lot of the movie — particularly the aspects involving Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned — revolves around the spell that Doctor Strange cast at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and with a full movie to explore the rules and repercussions of that, Nick Venable admits to getting caught in the webs a bit, saying:

Head-scratches often come with the Marvel Cinematic Universe territory, but in this case they were "small potatoes" to an otherwise satisfying venture.

Meanwhile, it’s only positive vibes from CinemaBlend’s movies editor Corey Chichizola. He praises the direction, the performances and the emotional plotline, rating Spider-Man: Brand New Day 4.5 stars out of 5. He says:

There’s been a lot of conjecture about the secret role Sadie Sink plays in the Marvel movie (Sink has even been trolling us over it leading up to the premiere). We won't spoil anything for you here, but I agree with Corey Chichizola that she deserves all the flowers for her role.

For editor in chief Mack Rawden, Brand New Day gives us what we've always loved about Tom Holland's version of this classic character. He also adds that there are enough new elements to keep the fourth movie in the MCU's Spider-Man franchise from feeling stale. He rates it 3.5 stars out of 5 and says:

Managing editor Jessica Rawden, meanwhile, was torn between a 3.5 and 4 in her star rating, as she praised Tom Holland's performance in the "fun romp":

As for my take, I agree with my colleagues that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a fun addition to the MCU that doesn’t require you to see every Marvel movie in order to be able to understand what’s going on. I give the movie 4 out of 5 stars. Here are my thoughts:

The overall reaction has been positive as well, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day collecting an early 89% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics. You might want to get your tickets early to this one, as the good reviews are likely to help it at the box office this weekend. Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits big screens this Friday, July 31.

We are currently right in the middle of our Tom Holland summer, following the release of The Odyssey on the 2026 movie calendar, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s theatrical debut just days away. Holland’s been a busy man, doing press for both films, and while he may have Zendaya to keep him from dropping Spidey spoilers, nobody was there to save him when he got candid (possibly too candid) about some of his past movies not being very good.

Tom Holland is donning the Spider-Man suit for his seventh MCU movie (eight if you count the mid-credit scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage), with his appearances overlapping with the work he’s doing for Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s epic The Odyssey. it’s seemingly an embarrassment of riches for the actor — and possibly exhausting. Holland visited the Dish podcast, where he was asked how he was handling such a busy time. He said:

My jaw is on the ground. I’m not sure you’re supposed to be that honest! However, Tom Holland is known for having loose lips — he’s been spoiling Marvel secrets for years, after all. (Someone’s even put together a handy compilation of all of his spoilers.)

Of course, here he didn’t reveal any secrets here, as much as he said the quiet part out loud — and thankfully for him (not so much for us), he didn’t actually name any of the movies he thought were crap.

Tom Holland’s career hasn’t been all Marvel and Christopher Nolan. He’s had some critical stinkers, as pretty much every actor does. The 2018 dystopian sci-fi Chaos Walking got negative reviews, with critics saying there was no need for audiences to rush to theaters for the “jumbled” and “muddled” movie.

His lowest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes is Dolittle, in which the actor voiced Jip, the titular doctor’s dog. That one holds a brutal 15% critics rating. The 2021 crime drama Cherry also failed to connect with critics, whose combined scores gave it a 37% rating.

We have no idea which film or films the actor had in mind when making the comment, but I’m still just in shock that Tom Holland fully admitted to lying on previous press tours!

Either way, it’s nice to know that while this is a busy time, Tom Holland is enjoying the chance to promote both The Odyssey, which has dominated the box office for the past two weeks, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with the upcoming Marvel movie projected to earn hundreds of millions of dollars on opening weekend. Be sure to reserve your seat when it hits the big screen Friday, July 31.

The films and TV shows that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe depict some truly amazing and sometimes otherworldly moments. As cool as they look on screen, those scenes aren’t so glamorous to shoot on a set. Bruce Banner/Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo knows that better than most, considering he does a lot of motion-capture work when filming material for the Green Goliath. For Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland worked with Ruffalo for such scenes, and he shared a funny take on that experience.

By now, the MCU faithful surely know how Ruffalo dons a gray suit and dots to portray Hulk on set, and the photos he’s shared over the years are quite delightful. Holland recently spoke about his own time filming his upcoming Marvel movie with Ruffalo. The British actor shared his comments during Brand New Day’s recent virtual press conference, where CinemaBlend was present. When the dynamic between Spidey and Hulk was being discussed, Holland had this to say about it from a behind-the-scenes perspective:

Just thinking about Holland acting scared in the presence of Ruffalo while he’s doing the Hulk voice and holding a green hand is too funny. But, then again, that’s what acting requires, right? I’d think that working in such a vulnerable way could be a humbling experience for some performers.

Also, in this particular case, Holland can indeed relate to Ruffalo’s experience, considering that some of his Spider-Man costumes were created with CGI and required him to do mo-cap work.

It’s funny to think that some truly cool MCU moments are far from that when they’re being made. Thor: Ragnarok, for example, includes some epic sequences involving Ruffalo’s giant, green character, though co-star Chris Hemsworth even admitted to the difficulties of working with him like that. Furthermore, Hemsworth also spoke about shooting the Avengers team-up scene from the original 2012 movie and how it was anything but iconic, so Holland's comments aren't the first time an MCU star has felt a little goofy on set. Still, as Holland mentions, an actor like him just has to trust that it’ll all look cool when it’s done.

What I’ll say is that it’s awesome to finally see Spider-Man and Hulk (who’s not going to be gray as rumored) alongside each other in a movie. Sure, they’re both part of Avengers: Endgame’s final battle, but neither actually fight directly alongside each other. This has been a long time coming, but I’m curious to see how Banner fits into this latest chapter in Peter Parker’s journey.

Now, what I’d love to hear is Mark Ruffalo’s take on filming with Tom Holland while wearing his mo-cap suit. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Oscar nominee were to have a funny take on that, considering how self-deprecating he usually is about his MCU work. In any case, God bless Ruffalo, Holland and co. for working through any embarrassment to perfect the awesome scenes fans get to see on the big screen.

Spider-Man: Brand new Day swings into theaters on July 31 as part of the 2026 movie schedule.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are currently gearing up for the release of the upcoming Marvel movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day. That blockbuster will star both Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal, but the two actors have shared a bond for years before their MCU project. And the Uncharted star recently shared a funny story about how a piece of lemon stopped Bernthal from a vow of silence he'd taken while filming another project.

It's a big summer for the two A-list actors, who are starring in both Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, which is in theaters now. But they actually met while filming 2017's Pilgrimage, during which Bernthal went method and decided not to speak while playing a mute. During a recent appearance on Hot Ones, Holland shared a story about his co-star, offering:

Despite the age gap between the two stars, it's clear that they hit it off immediately. In addition to helping each other audition for their Marvel roles, it sounds like Tom Holland was all too happy to be Jon Bernthal's voice in the midst of shooting Pilgrimage. And as the 30-year-old actor recalled, his buddy Jon started off pretty well with his vow of silence. As he put it:

So what went wrong? After all, plenty of actors use method acting to help stay in character. It turns out that things went awry when Holland and Bernthal went out to get a meal together. The Spider-Man actor shared how the two went to a restaurant together, where he was the only one who could speak with the wait staff. He went on:

This went on for some time, but one particular interaction between Tom Holland and a server ended up being the final straw in Jon Bernthal's vow of silence for Pilgrimage. It all came down to the request for lemon, which ended the method acting in one fell swoop. The story concludes with:

And just like that, the Punisher actor returned to the land of speaking. It's unclear how far into shooting Jon Bernthal's lemon-based revelation happened, but regardless, he still offered a great performance in the 2017 movie. And his friendship with Tom Holland is one that's still going strong to this day.

Bernthal and Holland can both be seen in The Odyssey, in theaters now. And they'll have yet another title together when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully we get to see these two buddies on screen more in upcoming Marvel movies.

It’s uncomfortable saying anything negative about The Odyssey right now. In an age of mediocre sequels and uninspired live action adaptations, it feels necessary to exclusively put good vibes into the universe about a big budget event film with high art aspirations that’s doing its own thing. Most of us want more movies like it, and because of that desire, it’s more comfortable to just tell people, “The Odyssey is great! Go see it.”

The truth, however, is that The Odyssey is not great. It’s merely good, and the reason why it’s a step below great is because it has a major side character problem. More specifically, it’s filled with dozens of disposable side characters with one-note personalities who are merely there to advance the plot.

It’s Mostly A Problem Of Structure

I know The Odyssey is a long movie, but even for a long movie, a lot of stuff happens. We get the Trojan Horse and the destruction that comes afterwards. We get the bit with the cyclops, the bit with the sirens and the bit with Scylla and Charybids. There’s an extended sequence with Calypso and the Lotus Flowers. There’s the cattle of Helios and the entire fallout from that. There’s the stuff with Circe and Odysseus’ men and then the stuff with Circe and Odysseus himself. There’s the scene where he meets with the soldiers who have died, and the scene where they have to escape the man-eating giants.

And that’s just the stuff involving Odysseus while he’s on his extended adventure. We also get a parallel plot that runs throughout the movie that involves his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. She has to fend off the suitors who want to marry her and take her place, and Telemachus goes on his own side quest to Sparta to meet with Menelaus and try to figure out if his father is really dead.

Altogether, it’s too much plot for a single movie. It would have been an impossible task to get through all of this in three hours without abridging and trying to move through everything with a brisk momentum.

But That Doesn’t Change The Fact That These Side Characters Are Not Good

Most of The Odyssey’s runtime follows Odysseus’ quest to get home alongside his men. Unfortunately, we spend almost no time with those actual men at all. There are a few scenes of plot-driven banter and minor character development between Matt Damon’s Odysseus and Himesh Patel’s Eurylochus, but there’s nothing particularly memorable or noteworthy about their relationship.

They don’t have a fun rapport or any distinct conversations. And we get almost nothing from anyone else, apart from occasional reaction shots and maybe the odd bit of dialogue here or there. They have no quirks, eccentricities or memorable facets to their personalities. They’re just around to move the plot along.

Unfortunately, that’s a recurring theme with most of the characters in the movie, even the ones that should stand out. Take Charlize Theron’s Calypso. Odysseus spends years eating the Lotus Flowers and living with her on the island, but for the sake of runtime, we’re really just told about it. We don’t see them spending any real time together, and she’s not even given a fully developed personality. Theron has been nominated for three Oscars and has a long track record of doing really weird and memorable things with many of her characters, and yet, she feels so subdued here.

You could go down the list and say the same thing for side character after side character. Zendaya's Athena, Jon Bernthal’s Menelaus, Lupita Nyong’o’s Helen Of Troy and Mia Goth’s maid servant, are all, in theory, key characters played by acclaimed actors who should have a memorable impact on the movie, and instead, they’re just kind of there. Sometimes they deliver really emotional and weighty dialogue, but since we’re not given time to get to know their characters, they just feel like words moving along the plot.

I can’t imagine anyone leaving The Odyssey and saying, ‘you know what side character I really loved?’ Even the ones who are in the movie for a substantial amount of time feel so shallow and without. Robert Pattinson is, I guess, trying to be a little quirky with his portrayal of Antinous, who is the stand-in for the suitors that we see the most, but he’s still ultimately a stock villain from the sleazy handbook.

Samantha Morton’s Circe and John Leguizamo’s Eumaeus are getting a bit of positive buzz, but in my opinion, they still feel semi-neutered or at least like unrealized potential. Morton is in the movie for like fifteen minutes, maybe, and chooses to go a bit more understated than the set buzz had me believe, and almost all of Leguizamo’s scenes are just an old man getting picked on and looking downtrodden (apart from that wild puppy scene).

It’s A Missed Opportunity

Once again, none of this is to say The Odyssey is a bad movie or not worth your time. It’s a good movie that is worth your time. You should go see it because it’s (for the most part) an achievement in what’s possible and has a ton of scenes that work really well. There’s so much about the film that’s worth praising, but none of it has to do with character development, which is mediocre at best for Damon's Odysseus, as well as the other two leads Anne Hathaway (who makes the most of her one-note widow) and Tom Holland (who is decent as the one-note meek son).

I don’t know how Nolan could have possibly developed all these characters in three hours, but ultimately, he picked this story and this format. Maybe it should have been two movies. Maybe it should have been a miniseries. I don’t know what the answer was, but I think we should be honest that the path he picked has obvious limitations.

It sucks that the sirens were a three minute afterthought because there wasn’t time to develop their characters. It sucks that we didn’t get more from Theron or Bernthal or Nyong’o. It sucks that Morton’s Circe was only around for like ninety seconds before she showed her true intentions. All of these characters could have been the centerpiece of entire movies or episodes or at least hour long chunks. Instead, they’re underdeveloped. Instead, they’re part of a side character problem that can’t be overlooked.

One of the biggest questions related to any upcoming Marvel movies revolves around Sadie Sink’s mysteriously unspecified new role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which the stars have been keen to troll fans over. The two biggest theories have her playing either Spidey’s comic love interest Gwen Stacey, which seems fitting, or the all-powerful Jean Grey. (With a third avenue being that she’s actually one of the film’s many villains.)

Now, it appears we can remove the mutant telepath from the rumor mill, as Spidey portrayer Tom Holland himself has shut down the notion that Jean Grey will be in Brand New Day at all. In an interview with Natalia Kreuser (via Instagram), the actor was asked point-blank about the X-Men heroine, and he didn’t even craftily attempt to beat around the bush with his answer. As he put it:

There you have it, sports fans. Tom Holland, one of the crown kings of MCU spoilers, has seemingly confirmed that Jean Grey will NOT show up during the runtime of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

I Hope Tom Holland Is Telling The Truth Here

As awesome as it would genuinely be for the MCU's revamped Jean Grey to appear in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, it seemingly doesn't make that much sense for these characters' timelines, given the all-around lack of confirmed mutants on this Earth. That will all change with Avengers: Doomsday, which Kevin Feige pretty much explained will wipe out the timeline for Fox's X-Men characters, and then a new lineup of character will rise up to take their places for Secret Wars and beyond.

As such, it would be bizarre for the first new mutant to show up in this movie, five months before Doomsday hits. theaters, right? I think so, unless her arrival plays directly into how the storyline flips things around to set-up Spidey's eventual return in an Avengers sequel. But that just seems too messy for a movie that already has a dozen supporting characters. (O.G. Jean Grey Famke Janssen reportedly isn't in Doomsday, but I'm not sure that necessarily means anything about

Another reason I think we can hopefully trust Tom Holland here is because he's become so known for blabbing about details that others may have kept closer to the vest. And him shutting down rumors about a character's appearance is a more forgivable spoiler than if he'd come out and said exactly who Sink is playing. It's like Marvel producers gave him an olive branch by allowing him to say this one thing.

But maybe he IS lying, or is being controlled by the real Jean Grey to tell fans what she wants us to hear. Check out the interview clip below and see whether or not you think Tom Holland could be fibbing it up for the sake of the mystery.

Whether or not his scout's honor is authentic or not, fans will know for sure who Sink is playing when Spider-Man: Brand New Day swoops and whooshes through theaters on July 31, 2026

As we barrel towards the release of Avengers: Doomsday on the 2026 movie schedule, everyone was a little surprised when Doomsday's first trailer dropped just days before San Diego Comic Con kicks off. I think most fans thought it was more likely to drop there during the Marvel panel on Saturday. The great news for those of us not attending SDCC, we all got to see it Monday for the first time. We got a good look at many of the characters that we’ve long known are in the upcoming MCU movie, but I was really surprised that we didn’t get surprised by at least one of two characters who are heavily rumored to be in the movie, Spider-Man and Wolverine.

I Expected One Surprise From The Trailer

In the trailer, we saw a ton of characters, so it’s hardly shocking that there were some who we know are going to be in the movie, like Beast (Kelsey Grammer) and Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), who didn’t make it into the short trailer. There are also a handful of major MCU actors who weren’t part of the big director’s chair reveal last year when the movie was officially announced, nor have they been announced since. I’m talking about actors like Elizabeth Olsen (The Scarlet Witch), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Strange), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Tom Holland (Spidey), and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine).

I really kind of expected at least one of those, most likely Wolverine, based on Jackman’s recent social media posts, or Spider-Man (since Brand New Day is hitting theaters at the end of the month) to be in Doomsday. We saw neither. I get the Russos and the powers that be want to save some surprises for the theaters, or even for future trailers, keeping the hype train going. They may also be holding some back for SDCC later this week, but I really did think we’d see either Spider-Man or Wolverine in the first trailer. Yes, I fully believe that both characters will appear in the movie (along with Dr, Strange and Deadpool).

There Is A Web Of Rumors Surrounding Spider-Man

Maybe it’s less surprising that Spidey wasn’t included, because there are a lot of theories out there that it might not be Tom Holland’s version of the webslinger, but Tobey Maguire’s, who could be in Doomsday. That is definitely a reveal that you’d want to keep for the movie, so if that rumor does end up being correct, I get it. Wolverine, on the other hand, would be the perfect character to surprise fans with in the first trailer.

Doomsday is going to mark the real introduction of the full complement of X-Men into the MCU films, after some flirting with the characters in WandaVision and, of course, Deadpool and Wolverine. Putting the most famous big-screen X-Man, Wolverine, in the trailer would have given us all a “whoa!” moment. It would save the potential reveal of Spider-Man for the movie, but still get people talking about the future of the MCU beyond Doomsday.

Then again, maybe all this is just wild speculation about all these unannounced characters and none of them will be in Doomsday. All I know is that I’ll be keeping a close lookout for any more clues and crumbs that get dropped over the next few days, weeks, and months.