Tom Holland is still front and centre in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but he has now revealed that he and Marvel already have a long-term idea for who could eventually take over the web-slinger role.
After a decade playing Peter Parker, Holland has become one of the defining faces of the character on screen. With ongoing discussion about how much longer he will stay in the part, the actor has made it clear that there is already serious thought going into what comes next.
During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Holland explained that the idea of handing over Spider-Man to a new lead is something that has been in development since his last major outing as the character.
“There’s a whole plan that we have been working on for, I would say, since we finished Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“It’s laid out. It’s gonna change for sure, but I have a really clear vision to the passing on of the baton, and I think it’s really exciting.”
He went on to say that helping shape that transition is one of the aspects of Spider-Man’s future that excites him most.
The 30-year-old added: “I know I get really excited when we have these meetings and chat about it. But that is the thing I want to do most in this character, for sure.”
This is not the first time Holland has spoken openly about eventually stepping aside and helping introduce a new version of Spider-Man for audiences.
“For whoever’s next, whether that is a Miles Morales or a Spider-Gwen or a Spider-Woman or something like that, I would love to be a part of setting up the next chapter,” Holland told Empire in June.
“Whatever that looks like, I don’t know. But if I could do what Downey did for me, then I would be so content swinging off into the sunset.”
Although Holland did not offer a long list of names, he did suggest one young actor he believes would fit naturally into the Spider-Man world: Adolescence breakout Owen Cooper. Cooper became the youngest male actor ever to win an Emmy in 2025 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series, and more recently took home a Golden Globe for the same role.
Speaking with the outlet, Holland added: “Owen Cooper would be awesome. Obviously, he’s super-talented and the talk of the town right now.”
In recent interviews on the press tour for the film, Holland has also expressed his specific desire to help bring Miles Morales to the live-action screen. The character currently appears in Sony’s animated Spider-Verse franchise, which will conclude next summer with “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.” Miles Morales’ potential transition to live-action could pave the way for him to appear alongside Holland’s Peter Parker.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrived in cinemas on July 31 and has been met with widespread critical acclaim. With a 91 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the film sits alongside other recent Spider-Man entries in the franchise, including 2018’s animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at 97 percent and Spider-Man: No Way Home at 93 percent.
Early audience reaction has also been mostly upbeat, with several viewers praising Holland’s latest performance as the most mature iteration of the character yet.
Speaking with the BBC, one fan said: “I have been a Spider-Man fan since I was six years old, but it’s only in the last decade I have really got into it, all because of these films.”
The same moviegoer described Brand New Day as their favourite entry from Holland’s run, saying the actor delivered his ‘most mature performance’ as Spider-Man so far.
As another added: “Half his life he has been doing this character. He’s handled it very well.”