Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: A Missed Multiverse Opportunity

In 2021, Spider-Man: No Way Home brought together a team of cinema’s iconic Spideys and introduced the concept of the Multiverse – a new saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Interestingly, sources have revealed that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was originally planned to appear in two MCU Multiverse movies. However, No Way Home ended up being Holland’s only Phase 4 appearance, leaving fans curious about Marvel Studios’ original plan for the web-slinging hero.

Marvel Cut a Tom Holland Spider-Man Cameo

During a recent interview with LRM Online, Graham Churchyard, who is a veteran costume designer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, disclosed that the lead actor of Spider-Man, Tom Holland, was initially planned to make a cameo appearance in the upcoming movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Churchyard further elaborated that the cameo was supposed to be a very brief one.:

“‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ was supposed to come out after ‘Multiverse [of Madness]’ and then with COVID scheduling it came out before. So Doctor Strange and his new costume and America Chavez were supposed to go into Spider-Man [No Way Home], and Spider-Man was supposed to come into – for very a brief cameo appearance – into ‘Multiverse [of Madness]’. But then COVID just shook it all up.”

As per Churchyard’s explanation, Marvel Studios had originally planned to release Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in May 2021, followed by Spider-Man: No Way Home two months later. However, the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on their plans, necessitating the delay and reshuffling of their release order. In particular, Marvel had to release Spider-Man 3 to comply with Sony’s rights and distribution requirements, which forced them to change their original plans.

As a result, No Way Home premiered in December 2021, while Doctor Strange 2 debuted in May 2022, but with significantly altered storylines resulting in Tom Holland’s cameo being cut. While Holland has only appeared in No Way Home as a part of the Multiverse Saga, he is expected to star in Spider-Man 4.

It is disappointing to know that Phase 4 could have had more of the web-slinger, but some intriguing concept art from Spider-Man: No Way Home supports Churchyard’s news and may also explain why Marvel removed Holland’s cameo. One such piece of art depicts Peter Parker talking to a bedridden Stephen Strange in his Sanctum bedroom from Doctor Strange 2. The use of the same location would make sense if Strange’s sequel preceded Holland’s threequel, but not so much in reverse.

The most telling No Way Home artwork, however, is an image of America Chavez holding a mysterious book during a Multiversal event, along with concepts of Chavez at Spider-Man 3’s final Statue of Liberty battle. This suggests that her character will play a significant role in the future of the Multiverse Saga.

Why Marvel Scrubbed Spider-Man From Doctor Strange 2

While the exact details of Tom Holland’s cameo in Doctor Strange 2 are unknown to fans, it is widely speculated that it may have been removed due to the potential involvement of America Chavez, a character that audiences had not yet been introduced to. However, it’s difficult to deny the fact that the inclusion of Spider-Man in Multiverse of Madness would have made the movie even more exciting and would have further connected it to the larger MCU. Given the involvement of Strange and the Multiverse in both Spider-Man and Doctor Strange 2, it was natural to expect some sort of Spidey presence in the latter. Unfortunately, all we got was a brief acknowledgment of “an incident with Spider-Man” from Wong and Strange, and a few unsettling questions about his powers.

Looking back, it’s worth considering how Spider-Man’s role in Multiverse of Madness would have impacted his interaction with Strange in No Way Home. Would Peter have already known about the Multiverse before his own film, and would there have been that botched spell in the Sanctum? These are questions that we may never know the answers to. Nonetheless, it’s clear that both of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man roles have had a significant impact on the MCU, even if one was never fully realized.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is available to stream on Disney+.