Summary
Tom Holland getting recast for Spider-Man: Freshman Year ends up preventing what could have been a major Spider-Man 4 issue. The Marvel Cinematic Universe last saw Holland’s Spider-Man in the MCU’s most exciting multiverse adventure yet, with the hero teaming up with Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s versions of Spider-Man to beat iconic past Spider-Man movie villains such as Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin and Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock. Holland is set to continue in the MCU with at least one more solo movie, and while Spider-Man 4 details are still murky, there is another Spider-Man project by Marvel Studios on the way before the film arrives.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year‘s updates have revealed more about the upcoming animated series than what is known about Holland’s Spider-Man 4 so far. Based on a copyright filing, the Disney+ series is expected to be released on November 2, 2024. As the Writers Guild of America strike — which only recently ended — and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike have paused work on Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man 4, there is no way the movie will be ready for release before the animated series’ projected release date. That, and the reveal that Holland has been recast for the series, impact Spider-Man 4.
Spider-Man: Freshman Year’s Peter Parker Recast Avoids A Spider-Man 4 Tone Issue
Recently, the same US Copyright Office filing that revealed the animated series’ projected release date confirmed that Spider-Man: Freshman Year is recasting Holland. Marvel Studios previously recast the star for Disney+’s animated What If…?, with actor Hudson Thames voicing the character in Holland’s place. According to the copyright filing, Thames will return to take over as Spider-Man from Holland one more time, voicing a young Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-Man: Freshman Year. By recasting Holland for the animated series, Marvel Studios is avoiding what could have been a major case of tonal whiplash between Spider-Man: Freshman Year and Spider-Man 4.
The upcoming MCU movie will be continuing from where Spider-Man: No Way Home left off, with Holland’s Peter alone after Doctor Strange’s spell made everyone forget who he was. If Holland were to go from Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s dark ending to the happy and vibrant Spider-Man: Freshman Year, only to then return for what should be a more mature Spider-Man 4, audiences could have had a hard time with the projects’ shifting tones. By recasting Holland, Marvel establishes that the animated series is an MCU spinoff, which helps the show’s lighter tone and avoids any Spider-Man 4 tonal issues.
Why Spider-Man: Freshman Year Releasing Before Spider-Man 4 Can Help The Movie
With Spider-Man: Freshman Year arriving before Holland’s Spider-Man 4, the animated series could help the movie. Those who watch the series will get a very different version of Spider-Man, with supporting characters and villains that have yet to receive MCU versions, as well as a Peter Parker story with a much lighter tone than what is expected from Spider-Man 4. Because of that, the MCU fans who watch Spider-Man: Freshman Year will likely end up finding Spider-Man 4 darker than expected. The jump from the animated series’ tone to the upcoming movie should make Holland’s next appearance feel even more serious to those who watch both, aiding the movie.
Key Release Dates
The Marvels
Deadpool 3
Captain America: Brave New World
Marvel’s Thunderbolts
Blade (2025)
Marvel’s Fantastic Four
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Avengers: Secret Wars
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 has no confirmed date. Read More