Tom Holland, who has played Spider-Man for nearly a decade, has publicly endorsed Owen Cooper as a potential successor to the role. The 30-year-old actor told Esquire in June 2026 that Cooper, a 16-year-old British actor, is "super-talented and the talk of the town right now" [1]. Holland said, "Owen Cooper would be awesome" and expressed a desire to help launch the next chapter of the Spider-Man franchise [1].
Cooper is best known for his role as Jamie Miller, a teenage murder suspect, in Netflix's 2025 series Adolescence. The actor set a record as the youngest male Emmy winner at age 15, despite it being his first acting role [1, 2]. Holland praised Cooper’s acting ability and expressed hope to mentor the next Spider-Man like Robert Downey Jr. mentored him, saying, "I would like to be a mentor to the new kid, like Robert Downey Jr. was to me, both on and off-screen" [2].
Holland joked about his own future, saying he might continue playing Spider-Man until age 37, possibly completing a second trilogy. "The overall point was that I wanted to pass the baton. And now the age is 37, I joked," he said [2].
He is confirmed to star in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, set for release in October 2026, but his involvement in the next Avengers films—Doomsday in December 2026 and Secret Wars in 2027—is not yet confirmed [1].
The Spider-Man MCU movies have been major box office successes, grossing approximately $880 million for Homecoming, $1.1 billion for Far From Home, and $1.9 billion for No Way Home [2]. Holland’s hope to pass the role to a younger actor like Cooper aligns with the franchise’s continued popularity and plans to expand.
Holland also confirmed his marriage to Zendaya, his Spider-Man co-star, without providing additional details [1]. The release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day next month remains the immediate milestone in Holland’s tenure as the web-slinger.
