Spider-Man fans can argue till the multiverse ends about who is the greatest cinematic Spidey, but whatever your personal Peter Parker preferences, it’s hard to deny that Tom Holland is undoubtedly the most successful.

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Sure, Tobey Maguire got his full trilogy in the 2000s and Andrew Garfield has oodles of fan support, but Holland’s era as the webslinger has seen the friendly neighborhood arachnid swing higher than ever before. He’s appeared in the most movies, his films are the highest-grossing, and his journey as the hero reached the perfect peak with 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which brought home just shy of $2 billion at the box office.

Naturally, then, the world is eager for him to don the scarlet spandex again for Spider-Man 4, but time keeps on ticking by without an official announcement of such a project. So is Tom Holland done with the MCU, the Spider-Verse, and Spider-Man? Let’s unpack his illuminating comments on the topic.

Tom Holland has made his stance on a potential return as Spider-Man clear

In late November 2023, Tom Holland attended a press conference with the Critics Choice Association and the inevitable question about his Spider-Man future came up. The Uncharted actor’s response caused quite a stir among the Marvel fandom, as Holland stressed that, while he’s extremely proud of the Homecoming trilogy, he’s in no real rush to reprise his role, as he “won’t make another one” unless it tells a story he is as passionate about as the past three. Holland’s comments in full read:

“All I can say is that we have been actively engaging in conversations about what it could potentially look like for a fourth rendition of my character. Whether or not we can find a way to do justice to the character is another thing. I feel very protective over Spider-Man. I feel very, very lucky that we were able to work on a franchise that got better with each movie, that got more successful with each movie, which I think is really rare, and I want to protect his legacy. So, I won’t make another one for the sake of making another one. It will have to be worth the while of the character.”

Holland’s answer here certainly echoes responses he’s made before, but this is perhaps his most articulate statement on his thoughts about his Spider-Man return. It also follows his announcement in early 2023 that he was looking to take a year-long sabbatical from acting after his demanding work on Apple TV Plus’ The Crowded Room, although he’s admitted reports on this have been somewhat overblown.

Does this mean Spider-Man 4 isn’t happening?

Holland is apparently in no hurry to make Spider-Man 4, and he’s certainly taking a well-earned break from the busy life of a Marvel star right now, but it’s important to stress that, no, this doesn’t mean Spider-Man 4 isn’t happening. In fact, rumors that emerged in October 2023 suggested Holland and girlfriend/co-star Zendaya had secretly signed on to star in Spidey 4, with director Jon Watts also returning. Likewise, other rumors indicate Spider-Man 4 could prove integral to the overarching Kang storyline of the MCU’s current phases.

It’s this, in fact, that is causing conspiracy theorists to wonder about the “real” reason why Holland is dragging his feet about doing Spider-Man 4. Many think that the actor isn’t done with the MCU, but he is done with the Multiverse Saga. Going by Holland’s comments about wanting to make sure the next film is “worth the while of the character,” some believe he is clashing with Marvel and Sony over pitches that try to capitalize on No Way Home with even bigger multiversal crossovers.

Tom Holland fighting off every multiverse story Sony and Marvel pitch:

— JoJira 🦖 (@Goji_Saurus) December 1, 2023

Tom Holland against the multiverse stories

— The Last AirBENder (@BenChiTownKid98) November 30, 2023

tom holland rocking back and forth waiting for a normal ass spider-man pitch with scorpion

— dob 🏳️‍🌈 (@justdobber) November 30, 2023

While this is very much just fan conjecture, it’s all too easy to imagine the studios wanting to offer audiences more of the same after they lapped up No Way Home so much, but also very plausible to imagine Holland wanting to protect the integrity of his character’s arc at the same time. In other words, Spider-Man 4 has surely got to happen at some point, but it sounds like if Holland had his way, it might just sit out the remainder of the Multiverse Saga.