After delivering impressive performances in movies like The Impossible and In the Heart of the Sea, Tom Holland hit the big time when he was cast as Peter Parker in 2016's Captain America: Civil War.
He'd go on to star in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, becoming an MCU veteran in just five years. However, outside of his Marvel Studios work, Holland has struggled.
While he's impressed on the animation side in Onward and Spies in Disguise, Cherry, Chaos Walking, Uncharted, and his first TV series, The Crowded Room, all drew mixed-to-negative reviews.
As a result, it's hard to shake the feeling that, outside of Spider-Man, Holland is struggling to make his mark. In contrast, his girlfriend and fellow MCU actor Zendaya, has received critical acclaim for her work in Dune and The Challengers.
Simply put, Holland might want to find a new agent or make better choices.
That appears to be evident from reviews for his West End return in Romeo and Juliet. While The Telegraph has said Holland "ravishes" and "mesmerises" as Romeo, The Daily Express describes Holland as "a charisma-free zone".
The Independent says his performance "falls flat," with Variety explaining "he emotes rather than elicits emotions."
The Hollywood Reporter goes all in by stating, "While Holland does get to show his puppy-like sweetness and buffed [Spider-Man] physique, he surely has a better Romeo in him than this one." The show itself, while a spectacle thanks to its A-List star, is also proving hit-and-miss with critics.
After The Crowded Room bombed and Holland's non-MCU blockbusters received such lacklustre responses, the suggestion had been that returning to the stage would right the ship and prove there's more to him than Spider-Man.
"Maybe it is time for me to move on," Holland said of his future as Peter Parker in 2021. "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," the now 27-year-old actor added.
Something appears to have changed for the actor because he is expected to return for Spider-Man 4 and the next Avengers movies. Robert Downey Jr. similarly struggled to shake off the shadow created by Iron Man and arguably didn't do so until his Oscar-winning turn in Oppenheimer.
Holland is spectacular as Spider-Man, though, so focusing on that role moving forward may not be the worst idea.