There is an old Hollywood myth about the “Curse of Superman”. People believed that actors who played the famous Kryptonian, or were involved in films about him, were destined for misfortune. George Reeves, who played the caped hero in the fifties, shot himself under suspicious circumstances. Christopher Reeve, one of the most recognizable iterations of the character, was thrown from a horse in 1995 and was paralyzed and died nine years later. Theorists also believed that Marlon Brando, Margot Kidder, Richard Pryor, and, most recently, Allison Mack had fallen victim to the curse and, sometimes, their careers never recovered.
While Spider-Man, the teenage web-slinger from Queens, has never been a cursed role, the actors who’ve played him have struggled to establish themselves outside of their movies. Toby Maguire, who played Peter Parker in the original Sam Rami trilogy, shifted to mostly behind the camera work after the hot mess that was Spider-Man 3 in 2007, only taking on a few small films and a high profile role in Baz Lurhmann’s The Great Gatsby since. Andrew Garfield however, who played the role in the rebooted The Amazing Spider-Man movies, has struggled to establish himself as a “prestige” actor as his collaborations with directors like Martin Scorsese or Mel Gibson (ugh) have gone mostly unnoticed. Now, Tom Holland, the internet’s favorite boyfriend, is Spider-Man in the MCU but, as he approaches his third movie as the friendly neighborhood vigilante, he is making strides to establish himself outside of the role he has become wildly recognized for. Many actors before him, including the two mentioned in this paragraph, have had trouble distancing themselves from the part that introduced them to the world but can Holland defy the odds and thrive post-Spider-Man?
Holland swung into the MCU in 2016’s Civil War, appearing (to fans’ delight) in the film’s trailer. A year later, Holland cast off on his own (well, with the help of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man) in his first solo adventure, Spider-Man: Homecoming. The film was a hit, both financially and critically, and fans hailed Holland’s performance, with many going so far as to say that Holland was the best Spider-Man to date. Appearances followed this in both Avengers: Infinity War (in which he provided one of the most emotional moments) and Endgame which both went on to become two of the most financially successful films in history. It was also Spider-Man: Far From Home which was first out of the gate post the significant ramifications of Endgame, dealing with Tony Stark’s death and the effects of the blip. This indicated Kevin Feigie’s vision to make Spider-Man an integral part of the MCU moving forward.
However, alongside the enormous blockbusters, Holland didn’t make any other live-action films. The Lost City of Z and The Current War were both filmed before he was cast as Spider-Man, the latter being shelved due to allegations against its producer Harvey Weinstein, and it wasn’t until 2020’s The Devil All the Time that he would appear on-screen as someone other than Peter Parker. The Devil All the Time received mixed reviews when it debuted on Netflix in September, but it did showcase Holland in a new light. His character, Arvin, was a violent and troubled young man who often had a cigarette hanging from his lips and wielded revolvers instead of web-shooters. It was a reminder for audiences that Holland had first arrived on the scene with a critically acclaimed performance in The Impossible and that, while he captured the essence of Peter Parker to a tee, the MCU movies he was making weren’t able to show off all his was capable of. Shortly after its release, Indiewire reported that The Devil All the Time was the 3rd most viewed film on Netflix in the week following its release, indicating that there is an appetite for Holland outside of the MCU.
It’s crucial to note, however, that attempting to step out of a significant beloved franchise is not easy. Daniel Radcliffe, of Harry Potter fame, has been working regularly with avant-garde films like Swiss Army Man or romantic comedies like What If? but has never been able to recapture the box office glory he had as the boy wizard. In fact, he has rarely even been able to garner even a small percentage of the attention he received as Harry Potter with most of his films regularly going straight to VOD and being mostly unnoticed. Jennifer Lawrence, the star of both The Hunger Games and the rebooted X-Men franchise, had more success post-blockbuster, even winning an Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook. Still, eventually, Lawrence had to take a step back from the limelight due to overexposure and a backlash towards the “unfiltered” persona that made her so famous in the first place.
Moreover, no actor has left the MCU to much fanfare since its inception. Chris Evans, who recently left his role as Captain America, has struggled to parlay his popularity as the First Avenger into box office numbers for his other projects like 2017’s Gifted or his Apple TV+ show Defending Jacob. Still, he was able to gain a lot of attention for his devilishly wicked role in 2019’s Knives Out. Even Iron Man himself, Robert Downey Jr., has had trouble taking the goodwill he’s earned as Tony Stark and infusing that into ticket sales for his films outside the MCU, like 2014’s The Judge or 2020’s Doolittle, which have consistently under-performed. For a while, it seemed only Scarlett Johansson was able to have the best of both worlds and, in 2019, she was named the ninth highest-grossing movie star of all time and was the only woman to appear within the top ten. Her action-films outside the MCU, like 2014’s Lucy, became massive hits, and her dramas, like 2013’s Her or 2019’s Marriage Story, were critically acclaimed and had a major presence during their respective awards seasons. Could Tom Holland follow in her shoes rather than his male co-stars?
Holland has lined up an exciting set of movies to help assist his transition from “that kid who plays Spider-Man” to a bonafide movie star. In 2020, he lent his voice to the Pixar film Onward, but its release was interrupted by the closure of theatres due to COVID-19, and thus its financial failure has been attributed to that. It was later released on demand before being added to Disney+. As for 2021, Holland has four films on the release schedule thus-far including a third Spider-Man film. The other three as long-delayed YA adaption Chaos Walking opposite Daisy Ridley (Star Wars), the crime-thriller Cherry directed by MCU favorites the Russo Brothers, and the live-action adaption of the video game Uncharted. The latter, mostly, has garnered interest from fans due to the release of on-set photos and the immense popularity of the game itself.
Holland, who is beloved online for this boy-next-door good looks and puppy-like nature, is making the first step towards establishing himself outside of the role that made him famous. Like many before him, navigating that road, from signature role to a well-respected actor, is challenging, and growing past it can be a minefield. Whether Holland becomes more like Radcliffe, able to work endlessly due to the fame Harry Potter brought but never able to recapture that glory, or more like Johannsson or Lawrence, who carefully walk the tightrope of blockbuster and prestige (with both facing major controversies along the way), is yet to be seen. It seems, from the fan response to his updates about upcoming projects that there is an interest there but, just ask Evans and Downey Jr. about how reliable online fan interest can be when it comes to the box office. However, Holland’s fixture on the internet, his cute interviews, his bromances with his co-stars, his loose-lipped attitude towards spoilers, and his charity work guarantees people will be watching to see what happens. Still, whether that will mean ticket sales, well, that’s another story.
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