Tom Holland Thinks ADOLESCENCE Star Owen Cooper Would Make an Awesome Future Spider-Man

Tom Holland is gearing up to return as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but he’s already thinking about who might eventually take over the web-shooters when his time in the role comes to an end.

While Holland recently celebrated his 30th birthday, his version of Peter Parker is still only college-aged in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With Spider-Man: Brand New Day expected to kick off a new trilogy, it looks like fans will be spending plenty more time with Holland’s wall-crawler before Marvel and Sony even begin thinking about recasting the character.

Still, during a recent interview with Esquire, Holland was asked who he’d choose as a potential successor, and he didn’t hesitate to name Owen Cooper, the 16-year-old breakout star of Adolescence.

According to Holland, Cooper would be “awesome” as Peter Parker. “Obviously, he's super-talented and the talk of the town right now.”

It’s easy to see why Holland landed on Cooper. The young actor is incredibly talented and is one of the rising stars in the industry, and his work in Adolescence has generated a lot of attention. Whether that ever leads him to the Spider-Man franchise remains to be seen, but getting a public endorsement from the current Spider-Man certainly doesn’t hurt.

Holland also revealed that he’d love to remain involved with the franchise long after he hangs up the suit. While becoming a producer on future Spider-Man movies may be easier said than done, he likes the idea of helping guide the next actor who eventually steps into the role.

“In the way that Robert Downey was such a mentor for me in my first three movies, I would love to be that person for whoever is next,” Holland added.

That comment offers an interesting glimpse into how Holland views his place in the Spider-Man legacy. Much like Robert Downey Jr. helped welcome him into the MCU, Holland hopes to pass that experience along someday.

The actor also reflected on his own journey to becoming Spider-Man, opening up about the intense audition process that led to his debut in Captain America: Civil War.

Fans have long speculated about which actors came close to landing the role, but Holland confirmed that two of his biggest competitors have never been publicly identified, and he isn’t planning to change that.

Looking back on the experience, he admitted the pressure was immense. “It was tough,” he said of the process of being cast in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. “It was really difficult, feeling like you’re walking down the street and everyone is like, 'I really hope you don’t get this job.'”

Holland went on to compare his early years in the MCU to a major transitional period in life. “It felt like my university experience,” Holland continued, reflecting on his first Spider-Man trilogy.

“That period of your life where you’re leaving home for the first time, you’re making new friends, you’re all getting really close in a really, really short amount of time.”

As for the future of Spider-Man on the big screen, Holland doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. If Spider-Man: Brand New Day truly launches another trilogy, there’s a good chance he’ll still be playing Peter Parker well into the next decade.

Many fans are eager to eventually see Miles Morales make the jump into live-action, especially with Sony’s animated Spider-Verse saga nearing its conclusion.

But with Sony Pictures controlling the Spider-Man franchise and the studio’s complicated history with Disney, predicting the long-term future of the character remains difficult.

For now, Holland is still Spider-Man, and it sounds like he’s excited about what comes next. But if the day ever arrives when Peter Parker needs a new face, Owen Cooper already has one very enthusiastic supporter in his corner.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31, 2026.