I think the Marvel Cinematic Universe is setting up Tom Holland’s Spider-Man for even more suffering in the coming years. Holland has quickly become one of the most popular names in superhero movie history, with his Spider-Man trilogy in the MCU being extremely successful — Spider-Man: No Way Home made almost $2 billion worldwide. Due to that, the actor should continue in the franchise for many years to come, with Holland’s Spider-Man 4 now in development. According to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, writers will turn in a Spider-Man 4 draft soon.

Holland could have another solo trilogy in the MCU, with the 28-year-old ator being young enough to continue playing Peter Parker for the next decade or more. Holland’s role in future MCU movies will undoubtedly include more than just Spider-Man films, with the actor most likely set to be one of the faces of Marvel’s next two Avengers films. I think Holland’s Spider-Man is one of the MCU’s best heroes, and he has also suffered more than most. Sadly, I believe Marvel is taking him from a dark place and setting up a new tragic story for Peter Parker.

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Tom Holland joined the MCU as Spider-Man in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and has since become one of the MCU’s most important superheroes.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Put Peter Parker At His Lowest

Tom Holland’s Marvel Hero Suffered Huge Losses

Spider-Man: No Way Home might be the best live-action Spider-Man movie ever. To me, few films have offered a theatrical experience as special as seeing Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire unite on the big screen as their versions of Spider-Man. The trio had immense chemistry, leading to many fun and emotional scenes. However, Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s ending let go of the comedic aspect of their interactions for a dark finale that completely changed the life of the MCU’s Peter Parker, putting him at his lowest in the MCU.

Peter Parker saved the world but lost everything when all was said and done. Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin — my favorite live-action Spider-Man villain — killed the MCU’s Aunt May. Then, the only way to stop every character from the multiverse who knew about Peter Parker being Spider-Man from coming to the MCU was for Doctor Strange to cast a spell that made Holland’s Peter be left utterly alone. Spider-Man is now at his lowest point in the MCU, with none of Peter’s friends and loved ones remembering him, and Marvel is about to make matters worse.

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Doctor Doom Will Look Just Like Tony Stark

Spider-Man Goes Against His Mentor In A Way

At San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel announced that Robert Downey Jr. would return to the MCU to play Doctor Doom. RDJ will have a major role as the Multiverse Saga’s new main villain, who I think is the best replacement for Kang the Conqueror, in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Downey’s return to the MCU as Iron Man would already be shocking, but the fact that the actor is coming back to play Doctor Doom surpasses that. When the Avengers face Doctor Doom in the team’s next outing, they will have a terrible surprise.

Many of the heroes still in the MCU either share a deep connection to Iron Man or at least fought alongside Tony Stark. Holland’s Spider-Man will be one of the characters who will have the hardest time facing RDJ’s Doctor Doom. Peter Parker was mentored by Downey’s Tony Stark, with Iron Man essentially being his father figure. When Spider-Man was snapped away, Iron Man was there. When Tony died, Peter was there. Now Spider-Man will face a villain who has the face of his mentor, and with Peter alone in the MCU, that could make him spiral down even further.

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Marvel Could Be Setting Up A Dark Spider-Man For The Symbiote Suit Storyline

Peter Parker Can’t Catch A Break

I think that all of Peter Parker’s tragedies in the MCU are Marvel’s way of leading the character to a major milestone in the shared universe. In the comics, Spider-Man wore his iconic black symbiote suit for the first time in the Secret Wars event. With 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars likely to be the biggest event the MCU has ever seen, epic moments like Spider-Man donning the symbiote suit are in order.

Spider-Man is often more violent and edgier when he has the symbiote suit on. I think Marvel is setting up that version of the MCU’s Spider-Man by making Peter Parker face great trauma repetitively. Losing Aunt May and having to let go of his friends has taken a toll on him, but seeing Tony Stark’s face in Doctor Doom and having to stop him from taking over the multiverse, with Doom likely killing one or more heroes, could be what makes Tom Holland’s Spider-Man snap, and I think he will become extremely violent with the symbiote suit.

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  Spider-Man 4

  Spider-Man 4 is the first sequel to the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular wall-crawler. After wiping his identity for the public’s memory in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker continues his crime-fighting adventures without the aid of Iron Man technology or the support of his former allies.

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  Avengers: Doomsday

  Avengers: Doomsday will bring Earth’s Mightiest Heroes together for the first time in the Infinity Saga. Not having appeared since Avengers: Endgame in the MCU Phase 3, the wide range of heroes must find a way to come together to defend Earth once more.

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  Avengers: Secret Wars

  Avengers: Secret Wars is the sixth Avengers film and takes place during phase six of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. The film will see several heroes from the prior phases return and battle against a cosmic threat to rival Thanos, and borrows elements of the Marvel Comics event of the same name.