The Critics Choice Awards took place yesterday evening but there's one meeting, in particular, which has received a great deal of attention online. Yes, Tom Holland and Pedro Pascal have finally crossed paths, offering us a first look at what Spider-Man and Mister Fantastic standing side-by-side in the MCU could look like.
The photo, which has already received over 226,000 views on the X post below alone, has sent fans into a frenzy. Of course, their respective Marvel roles aren't all these two have in common as Holland and Pascal are also the faces of Naughty Dog's live-action Uncharted and The Last of Us adaptations.
In the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #1 in 1963, the teenaged Peter Parker attempted to join the team before learning Mister Fantastic, Invisible Girl, Human Torch, and The Thing weren't looking to turn their quartet into a quintet. A relationship was formed that would last decades, though, with Spidey joining the group on several occasions (he also became best friends with Johnny Storm).
In 2021, we asked Holland about potentially returning as Spider-Man in the Fantastic Four reboot. At the time, Jon Watts was still attached to direct the project before later passing the reins to Matt Shakman.
"I think, for me, as the guy that plays Spider-Man - so you could say that I know him the best - I think what’s important is that he needs to take a break," he explained. "We need to allow the audiences to let him breathe and figure out tonally how we’re going to bring this character back, if we bring this character back. You know, I think him popping up for a cameo would defeat the purpose."
"While I’d love to be in that film [because] I love Jon and would be really excited to see what he does with the Fantastic Four," he continued, pondering his future as the hero, "I think what we need to do with Spider-Man is let it breathe and almost let the audience tell us what they want."
Spider-Man 4 doesn't have a confirmed release date. As for Fantastic Four, that's set to be released on May 2, 2025.
Oh, and elsewhere at the Critics Choice Awards, Holland and Robert Downey Jr. (the MCU's Iron Man) once again shared a hug, bringing back memories of their emotional and short-lived reunion in Avengers: Endgame.