Tom Holland's Spider-Man Was Almost In A Major Marvel Sequel

Though he's only been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for less than 10 years, Tom Holland's take on Spider-Man has appeared in numerous franchise productions. In addition to his own solo film trilogy, he's popped up in two "Avengers" films, "Captain America: Civil War," and, depending on who you ask, "Iron Man 2." That's an impressive set of movies on its own, but as it turns out, Holland's Spidey could've also appeared in another title, but outside factors resulted in him being removed early in the filmmaking process.

Following up "Spider-Man: No Way Home," Marvel Studios offered fans "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness": an exploration of how Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) magical meddling in the "Spider-Man" movie has led to some big issues across the multiverse. Given these two films' close narrative proximity, it makes sense that Holland's Spider-Man was slated to make an appearance in some form. However, according to costume designer Graham Churchyard, the COVID-19 pandemic threw that idea out the window. There's even concept art of him and Michelle Jones (Zendaya) meeting America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) unexpectedly (via @SirTonfy on Twitter).

While it would've made sense to see Spidey appear in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," unfortunately, such a cameo wasn't in the cards. Thankfully, odds are Holland will return to don the iconic red and blue suit sooner rather than later.

With the opportunity for him to appear in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" far behind us at this point, it's worth looking ahead to the future of Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Though things in the entertainment world can change on a dime, assuming all continues as planned, he'll surely be back at the movies in due time. Seeing as he's an Avenger, and one of the most prominent ones at that, it's fair to expect Spidey to show up for either both or one of the next two "Avengers" films, "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" and "Avengers: Secret Wars."

In fact, it's all but a necessity for Spider-Man to appear in "Secret Wars." He's a major part of the beloved comic storyline of the same name, even donning his black and white suit for the first time during it. As seen in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) accidentally leaves a bit of the Venom symbiote behind during his visit to the MCU timeline, so the seeds have been planted for this to happen at the movies. Away from "Avengers" films, a fourth installment in the "Spider-Man" solo film series is on its way, though it currently lacks a release date.

Fret not Spidey fans, there are more than likely plenty more Spider-Man appearances within the MCU to look forward to.