Tom Holland says he might quit playing Spider-Man to make way for Miles Morales to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The English actor has played the popular superhero since 2016's Captain America: Civil War and has earned significant acclaim for his performance, becoming a globally recognizable movie star in the process. His next appearance will be in Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is scheduled to hit theaters worldwide on December 17.

While Holland's friendly neighborhood hero has been an especially light MCU character, with his solo-films often mining his naivete for comedy, this next project looks to cultivate a decidedly different tone. The story picks up following the public unveiling of his secret identity, and an attempt at a magical solution from Doctor Strange results in a swarm of villains from previous Spider-Man movie franchises crashing into the MCU. While he's confident it's the best of his films, Holland has warned fans that No Way Home is dark and sad, taking Peter Parker in a more serious direction than any of his previous appearances have so far.

While it's currently unclear what this shift will mean for the the character's MCU future, Holland himself isn't entirely sure there should be one. In a profile for GQ, which quotes producer Amy Pascal as wanting him to make "100 more" Spider-Man movies, he wonders if it isn't time for him to move on from the superhero franchise. Introducing the Miles Morales' version of the Web-slinger, Holland muses, might be the best thing for everyone:

Maybe it is time for me to move on. Maybe what’s best for Spider-Man is that they do a Miles Morales film. I have to take Peter Parker into account as well, because he is an important part of my life. [...] If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong.

Doc Ock Captures Spider-Man in No Way Home

The Miles iteration of Spider-Man debuted on the page in 2011 and recently made his first appearance on the silver screen in the 2018 animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The character has proven very popular with fans, with Into the Spider-Verse received particular praise for its handling of his Afro-Puerto Rican background. Marvel has already laid the groundwork to include him in the MCU, with Spider-Man: Homecoming including a brief exchange between Peter and the character's uncle, Aaron Davis, played by Donald Glover.

While audiences would probably love to see Morales make his MCU debut, few are likely to want Holland to depart the franchise so soon. Though he sounds by no means certain he'll leave Spider-Man behind after No Way Home, the 25-year-old clearly doesn't intend to spend the rest of his career in the role that made him a household name, with the actor already making moves to test the flexibility of his movie-star image. That he frames the decision as considering what's best for the Spider-Man films rather than his own career is just the latest example of why Marvel fans have embraced him so completely, and whenever he does choose to hang up the super-suit, viewers will be hoping he gets the Cap- or Iron Man-esque sendoff he deserves.

Next: Sony's Spider-Man Universe Needs Miles Morales After Venom 2

Source: GQ