Actor Tom Holland has a had a wild rise to superstardom over the last few years, largely thanks to his tenure playing Spider-Man in the MCU (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription). His fourth solo movie is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies, but he might have to take care of his body a bit more as he aged. Because Holland recently injured himself doing a backflip, and Zendaya was involved.
Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order have seen Holland do all sorts of wild gymnastics while battling evil as Spider-Man. But it sounds like he hasn't been necessarily practicing those skills while on his current acting hiatus. He shared a story with Men's Health about injuring himself when a young cousin asked him to do a flip. As he shared:
So I went outside and I was getting ready, and I was thinking, I can do this. I can totally do this. I’ve done this thousands of times. And Z was there, and she was like, ‘Are you sure you can still do this?’
I mean, that's a fair point. While Holland has a long history as a dancer and gymnast, the stakes are pretty high launching one's body into the air. Unfortunately, he learned that lesson the hard way.
As he shared in the same interview (which features some steamy images of Tom Holland's physique), the 28 year-old actor shared what happened after he went for a backflip. In his words:
I actually did land it, but I pulled every muscle in my stomach, because when you do a backflip, it’s all about extending up as much as you can and then tucking. For weeks, I could not laugh because my stomach was so sore.
Ouch. While Holland stuck the landing, it wasn't without some cost. And that includes weeks of recovery after pulling all the muscles in his stomach. If only he had super healing.
As previously mentioned, fans are waiting for news about Tom Holland returning to the role of Peter Parker in the MCU. While the actor confirmed he read an early draft of Spider-Man 4's script, that's about all we know. And moviegoers are wondering if they should expect to see the web slinger in upcoming crossover events like Avengers: Doomsday. But whatever happens, hopefully he takes the time to stretch and prepare before doing any flips on set.
Holland starred in six movies as Spider-Man in just a few years, so his break is definitely well-deserved. But fans are always eager for more, especially given the emotional ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The next MCU movie hitting theaters is Captain America: Brave New World on February 14th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates.
