I hate to say it, but I’m now convinced that Spider-Man 4 will be Tom Holland’s final Spider-Man movie in the MCU after he confessed to pulling “every muscle” in his stomach during a backflip. While I have a soft spot for all three modern Spider-Man actors, I think the MCU struck gold with Tom Holland. His credentials as a gymnast were a perfect fit for the famously lithe Marvel mascot, while Spider-Man’s MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War was the perfect demonstration of the youthful energy that I daresay eluded previous Peter Parker iterations.

Since then, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has become an MCU veteran and will soon be one of just two MCU mainstays, alongside Thor, who has starred in four solo movies. Details surrounding Spider-Man 4 are still scarce, though theories and rumors suggest that it will be another multiversal romp owing to the fact it sits between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. While the possibility of seeing Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire reprising their roles again proves how resigning as Spider-Man doesn’t have to be irreversible, I believe that this could be it for Tom Holland’s solo Spider-Man ventures.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man ᴅᴇᴀᴅline Will Arrive In 2026 When Spider-Man 4 Releases

Tom Holland Stated He Would Be Doing Something Wrong If He Was Still Portraying Spider-Man Past 30

Perhaps the most pertinent development surrounding Tom Holland’s retirement after Spider-Man 4 is his self-imposed ᴅᴇᴀᴅline. Speaking with GQ Magazine (via X) in November 2021, Tom Holland stated “If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong.“ On the face of it, this certainly sounded then like Tom Holland – known for portraying the youngest live-action Spider-Man – doesn’t want to continue playing Spider-Man after turning 30.

He would shortly go on to clarify his comments with Esquire Middle East in February 2022. When questioned about the comment made to GQ, Holland noted that he felt the quote was “misconstrued” and that what he meant was he’d be doing something wrong if he reached 30 and hadn’t bequeathed the Spider-Man mantle to a successor. He then clarified that he could see himself portraying Peter Parker in his 30s and wouldn’t see himself as a “washed-up has-been.” His full quote is as follows:

“What I was basically trying to say is that if I am 30 and still playing Spider-Man and I haven’t pᴀssed on the baton to a Miles Morales or a Spider-Woman or something more diverse, then I will have done something wrong in the sense of the duties that I have to the character. Not that, like, if I’m playing Spider-Man in my 30s I’m like some washed-up has-been. That’s not what I was saying at all.”

Nevertheless, I feel like Holland’s words still carry a significant implication. Bequeathing the mantle to Miles Morales is tantamount to bowing out of the MCU (just look at Steve Rogers disappearing after relinquishing the shield to Sam Wilson) as the fresher-faced successor takes center stage. With that in mind, Tom Holland’s ᴅᴇᴀᴅline is looming as the actor turns 30 in 2026, the same year that Spider-Man 4 is due to be released.

Tom Holland’s Recent Backflip Comments Demonstrate The Difficulty Of Playing Spider-Man

Tom Holland Recently Injured Himself With A Backflip

While Tom Holland may have expressed his mental capacity to continue portraying Peter Parker, a recent interview with Men’s Health suggests that he might be flagging physically. While talking about his ability to pull off the acrobatic stunts for which Spider-Man is particularly famous, Holland recounted that a recent attempt at a backflip while on a trip to Cornwall, England, caused him to pull “every muscle” in his stomach, debilitating him for weeks afterward. It’s worth noting that he did land the stunt, however. His full quote is as follows:

“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[endaya] was there, and she was like, ‘Are you sure you can still do this?’ 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.”

I think this helps to show that returning to the physicality of Spider-Man requires a little more than a positive mental atтιтude. If Tom Holland, for whom acrobatics and physical stunts are practically second nature, is starting to feel the effects of age (as demonstrated by Zendaya’s question “Are you sure you can still do this?“) on his physical performance, this could affect his Spider-Man portrayal. I’m not suggesting that he is past his prime, but it’s worth noting how much more lithe Spider-Man is compared to other MCU superheroes.

The incredible stunts seen in Spider-Man’s MCU career come easier with youth. Pulling off the same physical feats as an older actor requires more rigorous preparation, with injuries posing a risk to the production schedule if sustained deep into filming. It isn’t as if the MCU and its most physical actors don’t already have ample resources to mitigate that risk, but it’s hard to overlook the fact that portraying the wall-crawler will be more difficult than ever before when Tom Holland is in his 30s after Spider-Man 4.

I’m Convinced Spider-Man 4 Will Be Tom Holland’s Last Solo Movie

All Signs Point Towards Holland’s Spider-Man Taking A Back Seat

This has led me to believe that Spider-Man 4 will be the last we see of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in a solo movie. It stands to reason, of course, that he will reprise the role as soon as one year later in Avengers: Secret Wars (and perhaps two months prior in Avengers: Doomsday), but I wonder if Spider-Man 4 will be his last dance in the spotlight. By the time Spider-Man 4 releases, Tom Holland will have been portraying Spider-Man for 10 years, which is certainly a great run, but perhaps one that he would rather sidestep going forward.

The popularly held belief that Spider-Man 4 will feature Miles Morales helps lend credence to the notion that this will be Tom Holland’s final solo Spider-Man film. Captain America: Brave New World shows how the MCU is happy to move on with a sequel that features a hero’s moniker but with a new face in the role. Spider-Man 5 might, therefore, forward Miles Morales as the new Spider-Man, while Tom Holland’s Peter Parker takes a back seat, perfectly vindicating Tom Holland’s wishes from two years ago. At the same time, I hope that he’ll reprise the role nonetheless.

How Spider-Man Can Continue On In The MCU After Tom Holland Retires

Spider-Man Has A Wealth Of Successors To Choose From

Whether he returns down the line as a mentor figure to his successor remains to be seen, but Spider-Man is among the easiest superheroes to re-cast thanks to plenty of comic book precedent. Miles Morales is perhaps the most popular and obvious choice to carry the torch if and when Holland does decide to step back, and this would meld perfectly with the comic book narrative that Avengers: Secret Wars looks set to adapt. Peter Parker and Miles Morales work together in the “Secret Wars” run of comics before Morales goes on to be Earth-616’s Spider-Man in the rebuilt multiverse.

While it seems as though Marvel Studios will sideline the multiversal narrative in future MCU phases, the prevailing rumor is that Avengers: Secret Wars will also act as a soft reboot for the MCU, after which multiple famous characters will be recast. Should Marvel Studios decide to continue spotlighting Peter Parker (whether alone or in tandem with a successor), then there is every chance that the studio might re-cast the role again. This would mean retiring Tom Holland’s portrayal for good after Avengers: Secret Wars.

Then, of course, there are the myriad Spider-Man variants that Marvel Studios could capitalize on, as highlighted by Sony’s Spider-Verse franchise. The next-most obvious successor to Peter Parker would be a Spider-Woman or Spider-Gwen, the likes of which haven’t been so much as teased in the MCU so far, but who might break onto the scene after the upcoming multiversal shenanigans – some of which may even happen in Spider-Man 4. I’m keen to see more of Tom Holland, even well into his 30s, but I can certainly see how highlighting a successor in future MCU productions makes sense.

Upcoming MCU Movies

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  Captain America: Brave New World

  
  
  

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  February 14, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Thunderbolts*

  
  
  

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  The Fantastic Four: First Steps

  
  
  

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  July 25, 2025
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Doomsday (2026)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
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  Spider-Man Homecoming 4

  
  
  

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  July 24, 2026
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  
  
  

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  May 7, 2027
  

  
  
  
  

  
  

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Sources: GQ Magazine/Esquire Middle East/Men’s Health