We've been hearing conflicting reports about plans for Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the next Avengers movies for a while now. In fact, rumours have varied from him not appearing in either blockbuster to the actor possibly being Doomsday's lead. Changes to the MCU's release calendar have also muddied the waters.
Original plans called for Spider-Man: Brand New Day to be sandwiched between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, suggesting it might be a Battleworld-set adventure. Fortunately, with it heading our way before Doomsday, it's now going to be a street-level story.
So, where does that leave the web-slinger?
According to a new rumour shared by insider Daniel Richtman, Holland's Spider-Man isn't set to appear in Avengers: Doomsday...as of now.
Still, he's expected to have a huge role in Avengers: Secret Wars, and this comes after recent claims that the first of these Avengers movies will actually feature one of Spidey's Variants (played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield).
Either way, we expect the three Spider-Men to reunite at some point before the Multiverse Saga ends, and it makes sense for Holland's Spidey to get his alien costume in Secret Wars. That would, after all, allow the Russo Brothers to adapt an iconic moment from the original event series.
Addressing his MCU future last month, Holland said, "I think with anything, it's all about what's in front of you, and right now what's in front of us is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and focusing on making that movie worthy of the last film."
"I have been actively sifting through the internet and trying to best understand what it is that the fans want from a Spider-Man movie, and that's been my driving force in these pitch meetings," he continued. "I think the producers, at times were like, absolutely sick of me, but I think it's really important, because we make these movies for [the fans]. In terms of my future in the character beyond this film, I don't know the answer to that."
It's impossible to imagine Spidey not having a part to play in the upcoming Avengers movies, and we wouldn't be remotely surprised if he winds up with something to do in Doomsday, despite Richtman's latest update.
However, now that Spidey is a street-level hero, Marvel Studios needs to find the right balance between that and cosmic adventures like these. With that in mind, leaving Peter Parker in New York rather than throwing him into the Multiverse might be what's best for the character.
Avengers: Doomsday stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Mackie, Winston Duke, Tom Hiddleston, Sebastian Stan, Letitia Wright, Paul Rudd, and Robert Downey Jr. Wyatt Russell, Simu Liu, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Florence Pugh, Danny Ramirez, David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman all make their Avengers franchise debuts in the movie.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps leads Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn join them, as do X-Men franchise stars Kelsey Grammer, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, and Deadpool & Wolverine star Channing Tatum.
Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, and Ryan Reynolds are also set to appear, according to recent reports from the trades.
The Russo Brothers direct the movie from a screenplay by Stephen McFeely, with whom they previously collaborated on the Avengers and Captain America franchises. Loki and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness's Michael Waldron is also working on the script.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to be released on December 18, 2026, with Avengers: Secret Wars scheduled to arrive on December 17, 2027.