Matt Lintz, who plays Bruno on Ms. Marvel, reflects on losing out on the MCU Spider-Man role to Tom Holland. Prior to the big collaboration between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, Spider-Man's MCU future was in doubt. However, following the somewhat lukewarm critical reception to the Andrew Garfield-led The Amazing Spider-Man movies, Sony and Marvel came together to make the deal that brought Peter Parker into the Avengers-based universe. Rather than doing another origin story, however, Holland's Spider-Man entered the franchise having already operated as the web-slinger for years.
For a popular character like Spider-Man, the audition process was a long one for Peter, who would make his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War. Like a lot of other superhero roles, the possible actor list was endless. Ultimately, the studios went with Holland as the next star to bring the friendly neighborhood hero to life. Recently, however, the MCU got its newest young hero addition in Ms. Marvel. The Disney+ series follows Captain Marvel super-fan Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) who discovers she has powers of her own, and enlists her best friend Bruno (Lintz) for help to manage them. However, it appears that Lintz could have been part of the MCU much earlier.
In an interview with Insider, Lintz revealed that he was once at the top of the list for the MCU's Spider-Man role. In the end, Holland was chosen, but Lintz shared his admiration for the actor. He also said that joining Ms. Marvel felt like a "life has come full circle" moment now that he's finally in the MCU, stating the following:
"I was in the top for Spider-Man, which eventually went to this guy, Tom Holland. I don't know if you know who he is ... He's such an amazing person and an actor and it seems like life has come full circle."
While he wasn't able to land the role of Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel does see Lintz take on a different young budding scientist. Bruno is a gifted engineer who helps Kamala throughout her journey, using his tech genius to help her hone her powers. Holland's Spider-Man has been one of the youngest superheroes in the MCU for quite some time, but Ms. Marvel is joining the ranks. Serving as Kamala Khan's origin story, the Disney+ series will set up the character's arc in The Marvels. The MCU sequel will see Kamala join forces with Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau when it is released in 2023.
Even though Lintz may not have landed the Spider-Man gig, his addition to the MCU as Bruno in Ms. Marvel has been widely praised, and the character has quickly become a fan-favorite. It's also not the first time that an actor who auditioned for one MCU character has ended up getting a different one in a later project. That said, it would certainly be interesting to see Lintz's Bruno and Holland's Peter Parker share the screen at some point in the future, perhaps as part of a Ms. Marvel/Spider-Man crossover. Given that the MCU multiverse loves to bring various characters together, only time will tell if Marvel Studios ever sets the stage for Ms. Marvel's Lintz to meet the character he almost played.
Source: Insider
