MCU’s Spider-Man, Tom Holland, has finally opened up about his feelings regarding Robert Downey Jr.’s highly anticipated return to the prominent superhero franchise—not as Iron Man, but as the villainous Doctor Doom. Marvel shocked the world when it announced RDJ’s return at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con event, setting high stakes for its upcoming Phase Six. As for Spider-Man 4, we all know Holland is deeply involved, and the project is slowly coming together.
In his recent appearance on Rich Roll’s podcast, Holland talked about his experience working with Downey in previous MCU projects. He also shared how he felt about the news of the on-screen Tony Stark returning to play Victor Von Doom, aka Doctor Doom, in the MCU. Holland already knew about this scenario before it was officially announced at this year’s SDCC event. We are genuinely surprised that he managed to keep it a secret for so long. Well done, Tom!
This is what Holland said in the podcast:
“I’ve been speaking to [Robert] Downey a lot, especially about him making his return which is super exciting. That was a tough secret to sit on because I have a reputation for ruining things and I strategically have done no press.”
Yup, Holland indeed has a notorious reputation when it comes to keeping secrets. But jokes aside, it will be interesting to see how Spider-Man fits into the upcoming Phase Six. The actor has mentioned speaking with RDJ about the latter’s return, suggesting that both Marvel Studios and Sony have likely discussed incorporating Peter Parker back into the MCU. The question is, how are they going to do it?
Given how Spider-Man: No Way Home ended, with Spider-Man somehow managing to control a gigantic multiversal threat and causing everyone to forget his true identity, we might see Spider-Man 4 released after Avengers: Doomsday and before Avengers: Secret Wars. Doomsday could serve to firmly establish RDJ’s Doctor Doom, while Spider-Man 4 might focus on the aftermath of No Way Home and pave the way for a reunion between Holland and Downey. This could set up Holland’s Spider-Man to appear in Secret Wars alongside other Avengers. Stay tuned for more updates.