Tom Holland thinks that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 game did the symbiote suit so well that he’s unsure if they could pull it off in live-action.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Tom Holland had high praise for Tobey Maguire’s black symbiote suit in Spider-Man 3. However, he is unsure how they’d pull such a thing off in the MCU, especially following the Insomniac games.
“I think if we ever got to do a black suit in Spider-Man, I don’t know how we would tackle that challenge,” said Holland. “They did it so well in [Marvel’s Spider-Man 2], and I don’t know how you make a suit that’s similar to the one in the game without having a CG component. I don’t know how you would do that.”
There is a lot of contention over how the symbiote suit should be depicted in Spider-Man media. Some believe it should be more cloth-like, while others think it should be more gooey and slimy, which is largely the direction Insomniac took in their games. If the MCU wanted to take the latter approach, it’s understandable why Tom Holland would have some hesitation. It’s hard to get that look down without the use of heavy CG, something that fans generally aren’t always big fans of.
Tom Holland’s suits have been CGed to oblivion in previous films, largely to smooth out flaws and imperfections, but it also took away a lot of their character. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, however, embraces those flaws with wrinkles that flap as Spidey swings around, showing the outline of Peter’s ears through the suit material, and even gives a close-up of his eyes through the mask’s lenses.
Of course, Tobey Maguire’s black suit was practical, so it is possible to achieve in live-action unless you want to give it a much more alien look. There’s no telling if or when the symbiote will be introduced into the MCU, but the seed has already been planted. At the end of No Way Home, Tom Hardy’s Venom is transported to the MCU and he leaves a piece of his symbiote behind. Whether or not it will ever make its way to Peter remains to be seen, though.
He could also get it in Avengers: Secret Wars, as that is famously the storyline where he gets the black suit in the comics. However, Marvel plays fast and loose with its adaptations, so not everything that happens in the books will make its way on screen.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.