The importance of Tom Holland to Marvel Studios cannot be overstated, especially following the departure of heavyweights like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. Ever since the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, many MCU chapters, including Brie Larson’s The Marvels, have failed to make significant trembles at the box office.

Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

In fact, Spider-Man: No Way Home is the only movie in the franchise since 2019 to cross the magical $1 billion mark. Accordingly, it won’t be far-fetched to say Holland is the most important and popular star for Marvel and their fans. However, despite his stature, there’s one MCU star for whom the English actor is just some “guy.”

 

How Gwyneth Paltrow Broke Spider-Man Star Tom Holland’s Heart

Since its inception, the MCU franchise has seen more than 30 interconnected films hit the theaters under its banner. As such, apart from its dedicated fans, there aren’t many moviegoers who keep track of every installment. Interestingly, even the actors who have played their part in making the MCU what it is today struggle with staying up to date with every Marvel project.

Tom Holland in a still from Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Gwyneth Paltrow, who portrayed Pepper Potts – a crucial character in the early phase of the MCU and Iron Man’s love interest, once forgot that she appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). During the filming of Jon Favreau’s Netflix series, The Chef Show, Paltrow had to be reminded by the Iron Man director that she made an appearance in the Tom Holland-led movie for a pre-press conference scene.

Not only the actress didn’t know she worked in the Spider-Man film but her Instagram post in 2018 suggested she didn’t even know who Holland was, as her photo with Robert Downey Jr. and Holland included a caption which read: “I love April 4th because it was the day god gave us @robertdowneyjr HAPPY BIRTHDAY, dear heart. Love me and that other guy in the photo.”

 

The Englishman took notice of that and highlighted the same during a Marvel trivia game for Pop Sugar, revealing that the fact Paltrow forgot her stint in his movie broke his heart. He said:
“I’ve only worked with Gwyneth one time. On Spider-Man: Homecoming. Which she doesn’t remember. Breaks my heart. Actually no that’s not true! One time when we were shooting Avengers: Infinity War, I think it was, no it was Endgame, she was in her blue suit, and I was in my Spider-Man suit, and she came up and she asked me for a photo with me and Robert [Downey Jr.]. And then I think she posted it and she said, ‘Robert Downey Jr, myself, and this guy.’ I was just the guy.”
Marvel figureheads really need to wave their magic wand and somehow bring both Paltrow and Holland together in Spider-Man 4, as their fans would certainly love to see their chemistry on and off the camera.

 

How Marvel Can Convince Gwyneth Paltrow to Return to MCU

The Oscar-winning actress has taken a back seat when it comes to acting, instead deciding to spend her time focusing on her business, Goop. She hasn’t made an appearance in a feature film since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, wherein Tony Stark, Pepper’s husband, dies.
Robert Downey Jr and Gwyneth Paltrow.
It would be very tough to convince her to return to the MCU as Pepper, but in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she suggested Downey Jr. could convince her to return to the big screen.
“Well, it would be very hard for me to do any acting right at the moment, just because of my job,” she said. “But, I guess Robert Downey Jr. could probably always get me back. You know, to some degree.”
The timing of her comments is certainly interesting, given that recent weeks have seen plenty of rumors surrounding the potential return of the Iron Man star. For now, President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige has hinted at no such thing, with the studio focused on making the most of their already announced projects, including Holland’s Spider-Man 4.