‘Hoping and praying he negotiated his way into a non-multiverse storyline’: Fans fight back against claims Tom Holland is washed as he confirms ‘Spider-Man 4’ status

All systems go for Spider-Man 4. This time, though, his fans hope the actor shuts up his detractors once and for all.

Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Holland divulged that he isn’t packing away the Spidey tights and web-shooters just yet, as the production for the sequel kicks off in the summer of 2025. At the time of writing, there’s no official information about the who, what, when, why, or how of the film, but it’s likely more details should present themselves as the movie enters the principal photography stage.

At this point, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that Holland is returning as Peter Parker, especially after the gargantuan success of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which knocked the lights out at the global box office and made $1.927 billion. Not only did the movie make so much money that the producers continue to make snow angels in the piles of it, but the film also delighted fans by bringing all three cinematic versions of Spidey together. Despite this victory lap, Holland still has his haters who see him as nothing more than a one-trick superhero-themed pony.

There’s a screengrab of a post doing the rounds of X, where a commentator says: “Pushing 30 and not having a career outside of Spider-Man is crazy levels of washed.” To call Holland “washed” is outrageously and laughably inaccurate, but there’s a sliver of truth here. The actor has attempted to shake off the webs and establish himself as a more serious performer, but his efforts have so far been in vain. 

His portrayal of Nathan Drake in the live-action Uncharted movie might have brought in the dollars, but it didn’t receive warm critical approval. Neither did his appearance in Doug Liman’s Chaos Walking, which is nothing short of a monumental flop on every single level. Then, there’s his Apple TV Plus show, The Crowded Room, which came and went faster than Jared Leto’s Morbius ambitions. To his credit, Holland dabbles in multiple projects and isn’t afraid of taking risks, but he hasn’t achieved an iota of the success he has as Spider-Man. 

Many fans feel as if Holland has something extra to prove with Spider-Man 4. One X wrote: “Hoping and praying he negotiated his way into a non-multiverse storyline,” while others claimed the G.O.A.T. of the MCU was back in business.

This isn’t the only bit of good news for Holland fans, though. Before the actor revealed the timeline for Spider-Man 4, an announcement dropped that Holland is set to board Christopher Nolan’s latest and strictly confidential project, which is set to be released in 2026. The actor may need to juggle filming both roles around the same time, but this could be the one-two combo to send a strong message to his biggest critics who accuse him of being washed.