Tom Holland went from being a talented up-and-comer to the apex of household-worthy names, thanks to his current status as Spider-Man on the big screen. But that fame might have already been inevitable had he popped up on Lip Sync Battle prior to joining the MCU. The actor competed for special Battle that took place prior to last night's MTV Movie & TV Awards, and he stole the night with his best Rihanna impression. It absolutely worked (worked worked worked worked worked).
Tom Holland went up against his Spider-Man: Homecoming co-star Zendaya for the LIp Sync Battle one-off, and while we definitely appreciated her donning a chain and cap for her Bruno Mars impression, she got beat out by a whizbang show from our friendly neighborhood webslinger. Things started off smoothly, with Holland looking dapper in his top hat, as "Singin' in the Rain" played. As good as it might have been, though, his take on Gene Kelly probably wouldn't have ever brought the entire house down.
One quick costume change later, though, and our eyes were witnessing things that they never knew they were in dire need of seeing. The crowd went nuts when Rihanna's "Umbrella" began accompanying the on-stage dancers, and then out came the wig-headed and stocking-legged Tom Holland, rocking wrist flourishes and a one-piece outfit that showed off part of his physique that superhero costumes don't tend to leave uncovered. It got to the point where I found myself wondering if Spider-Man would do better in life if an umbrella was part of his weapons ensemble. And the climax, of course, came when Holland made it rain.
Tom Holland definitely isn't the first actor to take the Lip Sync Battle stage with a gender-swapped performance of a hit pop song, but he's one of the most memorable, as there's zero camp or self-awareness happening. I'm pretty sure if someone asked him his name in the middle of that performance, he would have launched into "What's My Name?" before you could say "ooh na na." If Rihanna ever needs a stunt double or something...
And if that wasn't enough tertiary Spider-Man action for you, the night ended on a stellar callback to Sam Raimi's first superhero flick. Lip Sync Battle's Chrissy Teigen wowed audiences with her own Spidey costume, and when the time was right, she dropped down from the ceiling via wire, saying she wanted to live out a big fantasy of her. At that point, her husband John Legend came out and planted an upside-down kiss on her, as Tobey Maguire did with Kirsten Dunst all those years ago. Teigen missed out by not carrying on the Rihanna vibe by saying "Bitch better have my honey," though.
Lip Sync Battle currently doesn't have a return date set for the remainder of its third season, but you can bet we'll hear more about it soon. And we'll have to wait almost a full year to see the next MTV Movies & TV Awards. In the meantime, head over to our summer TV schedule to see what shows do have their premieres set.
