Following the Infinity Saga's conclusion, many fans were left wondering where the MCU would take its stories next and who will be the new faces to lead them. Well, it appears Avengers: Endgame director Joe Russo already has an answer, as he believes Spider-Man star Tom Holland is Robert Downey Jr.'s heir in the MCU.
For the first three Phases of Marvel Studios' films, Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man was undoubtedly the face of the MCU. However, it appears Tony Stark's protege, Spider-Man, will take the mantle from here on out in the wake of Iron Man's death in Avengers: Endgame.
In a new interview with GQ, Russo says that Holland has become the new face of the MCU, adding that Holland is filling the role that Downey Jr. once had in the franchise. “Tom is stepping into the role that Robert Downey once occupied for Marvel, which is the favorite character, and in a lot of ways the soul of the Marvel universe," added Russo. It was back in 2015 when Marvel Studios and Sony began a partnership that would bring to life another depiction of Spider-Man, this time in the MCU. Shortly after, Holland was cast as the web-slinger, who would make his debut in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.
Instead of another Peter Parker / Spider-Man origin story, the character is recruited in that film by Tony Stark to fight on team Iron Man against Captain America's team. Holland would then go on to star in two of his solo Spider-Man films as well as in the big crossovers like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. While he will be reprising his role as the iconic hero yet again in the highly anticipated Spider-Man: No Way Home, Holland did recently speak out about the role, believing that this upcoming MCU entry will mark the end of his character's trilogy. But with Russo's recent comments, it appears that Holland's Spider-Man will be featured in many more MCU projects.
Spider-Man: No Way Home picks up where Spider-Man: Far From Home left off, as Peter Parker seeks Doctor Strange's help in restoring his secret identity after the world finds out who Spider-Man really is. Through the use of this magic, Parker must then deal with multiversal consequences. The film has been one of the most secretive yet popular MCU projects to date, as rumors have been brewing for months about the return of previous Spider-Man actors (aided by the introduction of the multiverse that has been building in other MCU content like Loki). Like director Jon Watts recently compared, No Way Home is expected to be one of the MCU's biggest and most ambitious films to date, on par with Avengers: Endgame.
Spider-Man: No Way Home also stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Zendaya as MJ, Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin, Jacob Batalon as Ned, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Jamie Foxx as Electro, J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson, Benedict Wong as Wong, and Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson.
Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theatres on December 17th, 2021.
Source: GQ