As Marvel fans eagerly await updates on the fourth Spider-Man film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a new incident has stirred the superhero fandom.
Since his debut in Captain America: Civil War (2016), Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has cemented himself as a key figure in the MCU. His standalone trilogy—Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and the record-shattering Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)—offered a fresh take on Peter Parker’s journey, blending high school drama with world-saving stakes.
No Way Home, in particular, catapulted Spider-Man into the Multiverse, bringing back iconic villains and uniting Holland with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in a cinematic event that left fans stunned. The film grossed nearly $2 billion globally, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in history.
While the MCU has struggled at the box office since No Way Home, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has reignited the franchise’s success. The film became Disney’s second billion-dollar hit of the year, following Pixar’s Inside Out 2 (2024), with Moana 2 (2024), which released last year, hitting $1 billion in early 2025.
Despite the massive success of No Way Home, progress on Spider-Man 4 has been slow. Holland previously confirmed that development was halted due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, but Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige reassured fans in July 2024 that work was back on track. Holland then went on to confirm in late 2024 that Spider-Man 4 would begin filming in the summer with Marvel Studios fitting the release in the July 2026 slot after May’s Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
It’s not always been Tom Holland behind the mask for the MCU’s projects, though.
In 2021, Marvel Animation launched What If…?, an animated Disney+ series that reimagined major MCU moments. While many actors returned to voice their characters, some, including Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson, were replaced. Hudson Thames stepped in to voice Peter Parker/Spider-Man, filling in for Holland.
Marvel Studios confirmed that Thames will reprise the role in the upcoming animated series, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (formerly Spider-Man: Freshman Year). Thames’ return was officially announced at D23 Expo during Marvel Animation’s panel.
Marvel executive Brad Winderbaum previously revealed that the show follows an alternate timeline where Norman Osborn (voiced by Colman Domingo), rather than Tony Stark, mentors Peter Parker. This twist propels Peter into an entirely different path, setting the stage for unique encounters within the Marvel Universe.
Hudson Thames and Colman Domingo will be joined by Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Eugene Byrd as Lonnie Lincoln, Grace Song as Nico Minoru, Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius, Kari Wahlgren as May Parker, Zeno Robinson as Harry Osborn, and Paul F. Tompkins as Bentley Whittman.
With a tight release schedule–the show will complete its ten episodes in just four weeks–Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man had the opportunity to become a beloved new entity in the Marvel Studios catalog. However, recent comments from its leading man have drawn ire and backlash, with some asking Marvel to let him go.
The above casting is incredibly diverse and during an interview with Collider, Thames was asked about the direction of the show, and his answer proved to be problematic.
“I thought it was awesome. I mean, my biggest fear was that it was gonna be annoying and woke, and it wasn’t, and I was like, ‘Yes, this is great, it’s so well written,’ like it feels real,” Thames said. “I’m the oldest of five boys, so I feel like I kind of know what’s happening in their lives and in high school, and it felt like it was doing that justice.”
“Woke” or the “woke agenda” have become common buzzwords in the cultural landscape, especially used in a negative way against anything that is seen to be promoting diversity and inclusion. Social media has been rife with criticism over Thames’ comments, with some calling for him to be replaced and recast. @Spidey_pte wrote:
My campaign for Josh Keaton to replace Hudson Thames as the show’s new Spider-Man voice actor starts NOW #Keaton4FNSM
My campaign for Josh Keaton to replace Hudson Thames as the show’s new Spider-Man voice actor starts NOW #Keaton4FNSM https://t.co/gYQ5YOmRtO pic.twitter.com/TZ7UfXUj4A
—
Pete
Another comment echoed those sentiments, @FandomCrunch said:
You know #YourFriendlyNeighborhoodSpiderMan was pretty freaking good, but you know Hudson Thames had to make a stupid comment that’s already sinking the show. Which btw the show in his terms is pretty “woke”. Recast the pathetic man’s voice get someone who is worthy to continue the voice of Spider-Man.
You know #YourFriendlyNeighborhoodSpiderMan was pretty freaking good, but you know Hudson Thames had to make a stupid comment that’s already sinking the show. Which btw the show in his terms is pretty “woke”. Recast the pathetic man’s voice get someone who is worthy to continue… pic.twitter.com/RODIUzxjIT
— Anastasia / Fandom
(@FandomCrunch) January 29, 2025
Showrunner Jeff Tramell recently took to Reddit and weighed in on Thames’ remarks, which in this fraught political landscape won’t be going anywhere fast.
“Ha, I love Hudson and didn’t focus too much on what he said,” Tramell wrote. “I believe he simply misspoke, and I know that’s been weighing on him. I think we made a fantastic show that is going to appeal to a wide audience and hopefully captures what I love about this Spider-Man: that he’s a guy who cares deeply about the people around him and always tries to do the right thing.”
At the time of publication, Hudson Thames has not yet released any further statement. The first two episodes of the show aired on January 29, with an additional three released on February 5 and 12. The final two episodes will air on February 19.
Beyond Tom Holland’s iteration, Spider-Man has seen various live-action and animated adaptations. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (2002–2007) set the standard for superhero films with Tobey Maguire in the lead, while Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man series (2012, 2014) delivered a more emotionally driven take.
Both Maguire and Garfield returned in Spider-Man: No Way Home, bridging the gap between different Spider-Man universes and thrilling longtime fans. In animation, Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) introduced audiences to Miles Morales, a fan-favorite character whose story continued in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), with a third film, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, in development.
Meanwhile, Nicolas Cage is set to return as Spider-Man Noir in a live-action series from MGM+ and Amazon Prime. “Expanding the Marvel Universe with Noir is a uniquely special opportunity,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. “The extremely talented Nicolas Cage is an ideal choice for our new superhero.
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