Marvel actors notoriously are sworn to secrecy. Yes, some of them violate the terms and accidentally give out minor spoilers. But we often wonder just how much a Marvel actor knows about the future of the MCU, and how many details are they trying to protect from the media and fans when they deflect and defer? Well, something unusual happened during our 2019 interview with Tom Holland on behalf of Spider-Man: Far From Home. I was going back over this footage for the purpose of a different story. And when I heard Holland answer my above question, in the context of what we now know, my jaw hit the floor. Play the clip, and then we will discuss.
The question that I asked Tom Holland was relatively harmless. Where do they hope that Spider-Man, the character AND the franchise, can take the MCU as it moves into Phase Four. With Avengers: Endgame, some heavy hitters such as Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) were coming off of the board. It will be up to other established heroes to carry the banner forward. But Holland used this question as an opportunity to put a possible team up out into the ether, and now, watching the clip over again in 2021, I think he knew exactly what was going to happen in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And he was letting that information leak out.
You watched the clip. Tom Holland straight up told CinemaBlend that he wants to see Spider-Man team up with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). He even had a pretty great reason, telling us:
I just really like the idea of a science guy being teamed up with a guy who does magic, because it totally contradicts what he knows. And I like the idea that there is real science that Peter Parker talks about, and then there’s Doctor Strange gibberish, where he’s like, ‘The time rift, and the thing and the thing.” So, it’s kind of fun.
It’s not just the way that Tom Holland describes this potential team up of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, way back in 2019 while doing press for Spider-Man: Far From Home. It’s the reactions of Zendaya and Jacob Batalon when Holland says it. Zendaya basically is able to finish Holland’s thought process, as if they have spoken about this at length. And Batalon does an exaggerated reaction, basically selling the fact that Holland is trolling us, in plain sight.
Which brings up the question, “How much do Marvel cast members know about future story arcs when they are filming and promoting earlier movies?” It’s my guess that Holland had several conversations with Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, Jon Watts and the creative braintrust behind the future of Spider-Man. And it’s probable that they knew they’d use Doctor Strange as a supporting player in the next MCU Spidey movie. They’re both New Yorkers, as Holland jokes. Also, we need to see Spider-Man deal with an open Multiverse. Right?
Spider-Man: No Way Home will be in theaters on December 16. I wonder how Tom Holland will troll me when he does press for that movie, as well?
