(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Sun 1 February 2026 16:15, UK
Though he’s had plenty of success elsewhere, to many, Tom Holland will always be Peter Parker.
The third actor to take on the role of Spider-Man in a live-action capacity, the young Englishman was a perfect fit for the geeky, annoying, yet kind-hearted webslinger. He’s played the character in seven movies (you forgot Venom: Let There Be Carnage, didn’t you?), with a fourth solo movie on the way in 2026.
During his time in the red and blue suit, Holland has rubbed shoulders with the very best of the best. He was even introduced in Captain America: Civil War, which was absolutely jam-packed with perfectly cast superstars in their finest Lycra underpants. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Chris Evans playing Captain America, or the late, great Chadwick Boseman as the T’Challa version of Black Panther, but when it comes to the perfect fit, Holland reckons there’s only one answer.
Speaking to IMDB, Holland and his Spider-Man: Far From Home co-star Jake Gyllenhaal discussed their favourite moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), going all the way back to the start of the franchise with the first Iron Man movie. In Holland’s eyes, there was only ever one person who could have led that film.
“Robert Downey Jr is the perfect person to play that role,” he said, “No one ever in the history of movies should ever try and play Tony Stark”. Gyllenhaal then chimed in with, “I think when there’s something so original about a choice and when somebody’s actual history can become a part of a character. As an actor, you try and do that all the time.”
To understand Gyllenhaal’s comments, you have to understand the position Downey was in when he first took the role of Stark. A star in the 1990s with seemingly unlimited potential, the second-generation star lost his way big time, with drink and drug issues leaving him practically unhirable by 2008.
Nobody wanted him to star in Iron Man, but Marvel Studios, which had yet to be acquired by Disney at this point, decided to take a risk, and thank God they did, as the film was a hit. Downey fit the character of an arrogant, self-destructive prodigy perfectly, and over the next decade, Stark’s redemption arc mirrored its actor’s, such that, by the time Avengers: Endgame rolled around, both character and performer were changed men.
Holland made these comments about his onscreen mentor in 2019, before it was announced that Downey would be returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, a decision that left fans split, as on one hand, it was great to have RDJ back, but on the other, it was going to be weird seeing him as somebody else. This also raised questions surrounding other actors and parts in the franchise. Kevin Feige has confirmed that he is open to recasting the likes of Iron Man and Captain America in the future, which almost certainly won’t go down well.
For now, Robert Downey Jr remains the one and only live-action Iron Man; however, as Tom Holland knows full well, nothing is sacred in Hollywood; just ask Andrew Garfield.
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