Tom Holland has revealed he was one of the first people that Robert Downey Jr. told about his Doctor Doom casting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Oscar-winner was confirmed to be playing the classic villain in upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday nearly two years ago, which comes after he famously played Tony Stark/Iron Man in the MCU.
The casting came as a surprise to fans, though one person who knew early on was Spider-Man star Holland, who recalled in a new interview about learning the news.
“I think I hung up the phone and was like, ‘Downey’s coming back’,” the actor told Cinemania in a chat alongside Spider-Man: Brand New Day co-star and wife Zendaya, the latter recalling she was “literally in the same room” at the time.
“Yeah, he just called me,” Holland continued. “And I caught up with him a couple days ago on the phone. Yeah, we’ll just have casual catch ups every now and then. He checks in. And he just told me – and it’s really exciting.”
Addressing how Doctor Doom’s entry into the MCU will affect Spider-Man, he teased: “I don’t know a lot about those movies, I think by design. I have a reputation for spoiling certain things, and I think the studios are keeping me from the juicy details.
“But when I do get to grace that set, I’m so curious – you know, what does that mean for Peter? And how does that work? I’m very excited about… whatever it is they’re doing.”
It is unclear whether Holland will appear in Doomsday, though those who have been confirmed for the film include Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Ian McKellen as Magneto, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, among others.
Elsewhere, Holland recently addressed marriage rumours to Zendaya, where he seemed to confirm that the wedding had already taken place.
Meanwhile, the star has suggested that Adolescence star Owen Cooper could be an ideal successor in the role of Spider-Man, telling Esquire: “Owen Cooper would be awesome. Obviously he’s super-talented and the talk of the town right now.”