You have to feel for Tom Holland. The Spider-Man star has, over the past several years, developed a bit of a reputation among his Marvel Cinematic Universe colleagues as something of a loose-lipped liability.
YouTube is filled with lovingly made compilations of the 25-year-old actor unwittingly spoiling plot points and future plans at various press junkets while his co-stars look on in horror. Marvel, Disney, and Sony obviously work incredibly hard to maintain surprises - which only makes it even funnier that the actor currently heading up of one of their biggest franchises is so terrible at keeping secrets.
Take a look at our full chat with Tom Holland below!
Credit where it's due, though: Holland doesn't seem to have said a single damn thing he shouldn't have about Spider-Man: No Way Home, arguably the biggest and most-antipcated superhero movie of all time. While there have been more than a few alleged leaks and spoilers, none of them have come from Spidey himself.
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It's to be applauded. And as GAMINGbible sits down with Holland to talk all about his latest solo outing as the wall-crawler, with just two weeks to go until the movie finally hits theatres, we do so safe in the knowledge that the actor has clearly mastered some new tricks to prevent himself from stumbling into spoiler territory. So, how exactly does he feel about what is quite clearly the largest and most ambitious Spider-Man movie to date?
"I was, in all honesty, very sceptical," the star tells us of hearing the No Way Home pitch for the first time. "I just didn't think it was something that we could pull off. It seemed like too big a feat. While a really cool idea - and I was just excited at the very idea of it - I just didn't think it was something we'd be able to do.
"But as time went on, and it all started becoming more real, and people were agreeing to come back and bring these characters to life. It was really exciting. And also pretty daunting. Stepping on set with the Green Goblin [Willem Dafoe] and Doctor Octopus [Alfred Molina] and Electro [Jamie Foxx] is... it's quite scary."
The reemergence of these classic villains is certainly something a lot of fans are particularly excited to see, and there's a lot riding on it. These are, as we're sure you know by now, returning bad guys from outside of the MCU. The upshot of this is that they all have their own intense rivalries and relationships with a Peter Parker, but not this Peter Parker. How does that affect these well-established dynamics?
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"These relationships are almost on fast-forward," Holland explains. "We have a lot of story to tell, and so many characters, so I feel like the relationship between my Spider-Man and Doc Ock, Goblin, and Electro is accelerated. "It almost feels like I got to make three movies in one film, with mini arcs for each character."
Speaking of arcs, few would disagree that Molina's journey as Doc Ock in Sam Raimi's critically acclaimed Spider-Man 2 marks him out as one of the greatest villains to have appeared in a superhero movie. There's definitely some concern that bringing him back for No Way Home will mess with that sacred text in some way, though Holland assures us that director Jon Watts has considered this - and there are "reasons" Ock's appearance in No Way Home is okay.
"We didn't want to disrupt that at all," the actor says after a pause. "I think there is a there is a piece of information you will learn when you watch this film that will explain why what we're doing is okay. But it was something that we took very seriously because we didn't want to step on anybody's toes."
Fortunately, Peter won't be alone when facing down these returning threats. For the most part, anyway. Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) plays a big role in helping our hero sort out the multiversal mess he's found himself in, although the relationship between the two might not be quite as straightforward as you were expecting.
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"I think there's now a level of mutual respect between the two of them," Holland says. "Both of them have saved the world in their own right. And I think it's as simple as Peter Parker is going to a colleague to ask for a favour. But in the world of superheroes, that is Spider-Man asking Doctor Strange to brainwash the entire world to forget who he is. So, you know, it's slightly higher stakes.
"But it's really exciting to see this relationship between two Avengers blossom, and then it kind of falls apart. We're not enemies! But we're definitely not friends. But it's really nice to see that relationship grow, especially after Peter has lost so much. It's nice for him to find someone else that he can lean on."
Tony Stark, of course, is just one of the many people this version of Peter has lost. The death or retirement of heroes like Iron Man and Captain America has created a vacuum in the MCU, one that movies and shows like Spider-Man: Far From Home and The Falcon And The Winter Solider have directly addressed. But the world still wants to know: who will step in and be the new face of The Avengers? Both in terms of the fictional team, and the billion dollar movie franchise, it's a question that needs answering. Holland isn't convinced that he, or Peter Parker, are quite ready to step up and take on that role.
"There's a bit of pressure there," the actor says, modestly. "But when you're in the MCU, you're never alone. And I think before I become the 'face; of the franchise, we've got to remember that we have people like Star Lord [Chris Pratt], or Thor [Chris Hemsworth]. There's loads of different people that I think should probably step up to the plate and be the leader.
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"Peter Parker, at the end of the day, has just graduated high school. So he's still a kid!"
So what, exactly, does Holland's future as the webhead hold? The actor suggested in an interview last month that he was preparing to say goodbye to Spider-Man, much to the dismay of fans around the world. Just a few days later, Sony confirmed a new trilogy of Spidey movies that will once again take place in the MCU. We ask where he wants to take the hero next. After a long pause he replies, ostensibly choosing each word very carefully.
"If I was to talk about what I would like to do as Spider-Man in the future, I would ruin this movie," he admits. "I have a very clear idea of what I would like a follow up movie to be. Whether or not we make that movie? I don't know. But I can't talk about that without ruining this one."
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With or without Holland, it seems fairly clear the MCU is showing no signs of slowing down. No Way Home, the 27th MCU instalment, is just the tip of the iceberg. Over the next few years, we'll see the arrival of iconic characters like Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, Blade, and the X-Men. But can it really keep going forever?
"I think it will always go on," Holland explained. "Kevin Feige and his incredible team of producers will always be coming up with new ways to make this universe exciting and different, and will constantly challenge the audience with new ideas.
People say Endgame was the end of an era. And I think they're probably right! But what's so incredible about Marvel is their ability to start something new. You've got the Black Widow franchise, the Shang chi franchise, Eternals, all of these great films coming out that people are loving, you know, and they're expanding their universe. I mean, if you look at the comics, there are endless possibilities to what they can do."
We have no idea what threats await our webbed friend in No Way Home, but one thing is for sure: Tom Holland has absolutely become one of the MCU's best and brightest heroes. We'd hate to see him leave anytime soon.
Spider-Man: No Way Home hits UK cinemas on December 15.
Featured Image Credit: SonyTopics: Spider Man, Sony