The third film in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy set up a bleak future for the character.

SUMMARY

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was last seen in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, where the world forgot who Peter Parker was.
The film’s ending puts him at his most vulnerable state, with an insider reporting that the fourth film would explore his identity crisis as he continues to be Spider-Man.

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Actor Tom Holland was last seen as Spider-Man in the 2021 blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home. The film was known for the reprisal of both Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man, teaming up with Holland’s iteration to battle the character’s infamous villains. The film was a major commercial success, earning $1.9 billion at the box office.

While the film had its moments of celebration and fanfare, it ended on a somber note as Peter Parker makes Doctor Strange make the world forget about him to save it. The film ends with the teen superhero starting a new life in New York and continuing his role as Spider-Man.

A new report stated that the character would continue on this path, and that makes him vulnerable to be attacked by the Venom symbiote.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 Will Explore Peter Parker Losing More Of Himself

A still from Spider-Man: No Way Home

At the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is seen in New York meeting his friends Michelle Jones-Watson and Ned for the first time as the world forgets the existence of Peter Parker. He sees them in the coffee shop MJ works at as they celebrate getting into the college.

While he initially thinks of telling them about his existence, he decides against it and continues his vigilantism in the city.

Holland has not been seen in any of the subsequent MCU-related media since the third film.

Fans have been intrigued by how the character would go forward from here as he would be more mature after the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame as well. Many fans have speculated on how Peter Parker’s journey would move forward in the MCU as he grapples with his new position in society.

Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home

Recently, industry insider Alex Perez mentioned that the MCU would see Tom Holland’s Peter Parker continuing on this path of being a lonely hero as the world forgets who he is. The insider mentioned how the first trilogy of the franchise established his origin, while the subsequent films would follow his psychological state. He said to The Cosmic Circus,

“In No Way Home…his identity is revealed, and he learns that Peter Parker and Spider-Man cannot truly coexist without putting the people he loves in danger…The idea now moving forward is to give him a sense of independence. In his mind, Peter Parker is no more… but Spider-Man lives on.”

Perez defended Holland’s immature and childish performance as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming as he was a fifteen-year-old teen in the film’s timeline. He mentioned that the upcoming projects would explore more of his identity crisis.

Will Peter Parker’s Mind-State Make Him More Vulnerable To The Venom Symbiote?

A still of the Venom symbiote in Spider-Man 3

By the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is in a more vulnerable state than he ever was. He has lost his mentor Iron-Man, he has lost his only surviving family member May Parker, his friends have forgotten about him, and he has no allies anymore. While he continues to be Spider-Man, he is now a solo vigilante.

Alex Perez mentioned that this makes Peter Parker’s journey in the MCU more dramatic and that it would follow his identity crisis. Perez told The Cosmic Circus,

“Since he has either lost or detached himself from everyone he’s ever loved, all he has to keep him going is being Spider-Man, whether the city loves him for it or not. And as the title of Spider-Man continues to consume Peter’s life little by little, Peter Parker will take a back seat and continue to fade from existence slowly.

This story point can be compared to Robert Pattinson’s Batman in The Batman.”

A post-credits scene in No Way Home also indicates the presence of Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock a.k.a Venom. While Doctor Strange’s spell takes him back to his own universe, part of the Venom symbiote is left on Earth-616, teasing the potential of the Venom finally merging with Holland’s Spider-Man.

With Perez’s report on Spider-Man 4 exploring Peter Parker’s vulnerability, this would make it the perfect time for him to merge with Venom and get his black suit. It has been established in the comics that the symbiote thrives while consuming its host’s insecurities and influencing their desire.

Hence, the state in which Peter Parker would be makes him a likely host for the symbiote, and it would finally make its proper MCU debut.