Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most beloved heroes, and Marvel has already set up a possible list of candidates to replace the hero if need be. Holland debuted as Spider-Man in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Since then, the actor has been racking up MCU appearances, with seven movies as Spider-Man under his belt. Holland’s trilogy finale, Spider-Man: No Way Home, used the multiverse to bring in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of Spider-Man to create a generational event.
Following Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending, Peter Parker is all alone, with Aunt May dead and nobody remembering who he is. That is the setup for Holland’s Spider-Man 4 story, which Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has claimed to already be set. While MCU Spider-Man 4 is confirmed, that almost did not happen. Marvel Studios and Sony split in 2019 after a failure to renegotiate the terms of their deal to share Spider-Man. After the public fallout — and even Holland calling Disney CEO Bob Iger — the two studios managed to find common ground, and Spider-Man was kept in the MCU. Marvel now has possible Spider-Man replacements as a contingency plan.
Ms. Marvel
Iman Vellani made her debut as Kamala Khan in Disney+’s Ms. Marvel series. The character could take on Spider-Man’s role as the younger wide-eyed superhero of the MCU. When Holland’s Spider-Man debuted in Captain America: Civil War, it was clear how much he was a fan of other MCU heroes. Peter Parker was clearly overwhelmed by being in Tony Stark’s presence and then being asked to join his team to fight Captain America. During the movie’s big airport fight, Spider-Man was constantly commenting on other heroes’ powers being cool and showed admiration for Captain America.
With Holland’s Peter Parker likely headed to college in Spider-Man 4, as well as the more mature story that the movie should tell after Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending, Kamala Khan appears as the perfect alternative to replace his role as the MCU’s youngest and most enthusiastic hero. Ms. Marvel showed how much of a superhero fan Kamala really is, with the series showing how her imagination wandered to other MCU heroes constantly. The young girl finally gets a chance to meet her idol — Captain Marvel — in November’s The Marvels. The only difference between Kamala and Peter is the fact that Ms. Marvel’s powers are cosmic in nature.
Kate Bishop
While Ms. Marvel’s cosmic setup in the MCU might put her on a different trajectory from Peter’s, another young MCU hero could act similarly to Kamala but fit into Spider-Man’s Earth-based antics. That hero is Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop, the MCU’s new Hawkeye. Disney+’s Hawkeye series showed how Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton served as the inspiration for Kate learning archery after seeing him in action during The Avengers‘ Battle of New York. Kate’s appreciation for Clint and the Avengers allows her to fulfill Spider-Man’s role in the MCU so far, with the new Hawkeye also sharing Peter Parker’s street-level adventures, with her going up against Kingpin in the show.
Daredevil
Charlie Cox returned as Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home, with his very first MCU appearance including him acting as Peter Parker’s lawyer. Daredevil and Spider-Man’s connection is already set up in the MCU, although they have only met as Matt Murdock and Peter Parker so far. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has confirmed that Spider-Man and Daredevil will lead the MCU’s street-level heroes, with the two characters sharing the spotlight. Given their importance to the street-level corner of the MCU, and Cox continuously saying that he wants to join Holland for the next Spider-Man movie, the characters will likely be tightly linked in the MCU’s future.
Daredevil is the perfect replacement for Spider-Man in the MCU, should the Marvel and Sony deal break down again or Holland decide to move on from the role. The hero is already a fan-favorite character due to Cox’s outstanding work over the three seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil series. Further proving Murdock’s importance is the fact that Cox will lead the biggest MCU Disney+ series yet, with next year’s Daredevil: Born Again show receiving a massive 18-episode order. Daredevil shares Spider-Man’s New York City home, with the character being able to take on Spider-Man’s role if the situation asks for it.
Ironheart
Dominique Thorne’s Riri Williams can replace Spider-Man in a more specific role. Riri is the MCU’s de-facto Iron Man successor, with Ironheart taking to the skies in a suit of armor reminiscent of Tony Stark’s MCU adventures. Holland’s Peter Parker has spent most of his time in the MCU under Stark’s shadow, either being guided by the hero or feeling his presence looming even after Stark died in Avengers: Endgame.
Riri Williams going by the Ironheart name, fighting crime with a suit of armor, and possessing a genius level-intellect confirms her as Stark’s ideal successor. Even if Holland stays on as Spider-Man for a long time, Ironheart’s presence already occupies the “new Iron Man” role in the MCU, freeing Spider-Man to be more in line with how he is in the comics. Whether a direct connection between her and Stark is ever established will likely be revealed in the Ironheart streaming series.
Miles Morales
Miles Morales is the only hero that can replace Peter completely by taking on the role of Spider-Man in the MCU. Miles has served as both Peter’s successor and partner in the comics. The character has exploded in popularity with the animated Spider-Verse movie franchise. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse saw Miles replace his universe’s Spider-Man after Peter Parker was killed in action, something that harkens back to the character’s comic book origin. With Miles’ popularity at an all-time high, the character is likely to be introduced in the future of the MCU, either as Holland’s replacement or to serve as his Spider-Man partner.
Holland is rumored to appear in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, with the rumors claiming that the actor will show up when Miles visits a live-action dimension in the sequel. If that happens, it could be a way of casting an actor to play Miles in live-action, with the universe Holland occupies in the film being the MCU. If it does not pan out, then the MCU has already teased Miles’ future arrival. Donald Glover appeared as Aaron Davis in Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, with the character mentioning his nephew, Miles, confirming the future Spider-Man exists in the MCU.
Nova
Nova closes out the list of possible Spider-Man replacements in the MCU. A Nova series is reportedly on the way, with the Richard Rider version of the hero being a great candidate to fill Spider-Man’s MCU role. Rider’s personality matches Peter’s in some key ways, with both characters dealing with self-esteem issues and constantly trying to prove their worth to themselves and others. Rider also becomes Nova as a teenager, just like Peter as Spider-Man. The character also deals with his own personal tragedy, being the only member of the Nova Corps left alive, making him a great replacement for Spider-Man, whose tragedies are well-known.
