Tom Holland’s Replacement Makes Statement After “Woke” Spider-Man Debacle
Marvel fans eager for updates on the next chapter of Spider-Man’s MCU journey found themselves caught up in an unexpected controversy—one that placed the beloved web-slinger at the center of heated debate.
On the animated front, Marvel Animation’s What If…? explored alternate realities, though Holland did not return to voice Peter Parker. Instead, Hudson Thames was cast and took over the role, a performance he carried into Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, formerly titled Spider-Man: Freshman Year.
The controversy erupted when Thames made remarks about the series that quickly drew backlash. During an interview with Collider, Thames shared his thoughts on the show’s approach to storytelling, stating.
“I thought it was awesome. I mean, my biggest fear was that it was gonna be annoying and woke, and it wasn’t, and I was like, ‘Yes, this is great, it’s so well written,’ like it feels real,” Thames said. “I’m the oldest of five boys, so I feel like I kind of know what’s happening in their lives and in high school, and it felt like it was doing that justice.”
The use of the term “woke” in a critical light set off immediate backlash on social media, with fans calling for Thames to be recast. Over a month later, and with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man having concluded its run on Disney+, Thames addressed the controversy in an interview with Juju Green/Straw Hat Goofy.
“So, obviously, something that I said was cherry-picked and used essentially with no context just to kind of stir up some drama,” Thames explained.
“We were talking about that little period of time before the show came out, and I was noticing a lot of comments online that I was getting, that was either people being nervous or expressing concern that the show was using topics of diversity and equality in an inauthentic or disingenuous way.”
The Disney+ series features a new take on Spider-Man’s story, reimagining Peter Parker’s journey under the mentorship of Norman Osborn instead of Tony Stark.
Marvel confirmed Thames’ return at D23 Expo, along with a star-studded voice cast that includes Colman Domingo as Norman Osborn, Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Eugene Byrd as Lonnie Lincoln, Grace Song as Nico Minoru, Hugh Dancy as Otto Octavius, Kari Wahlgren as May Parker, Zeno Robinson as Harry Osborn, and Paul F. Tompkins as Bentley Whittman.
Thames attempted to clarify his remarks, saying, “It made me defensive, like I wanted to kind of defend our show a little bit. It was such a poor choice of words. My point was that our show doesn’t have to do that, it doesn’t have to pull any tricks. Jeff [Trammell] did such a brilliant job, in my opinion, of writing what he knew.”
“Equality and diversity were just already baked into the story he wrote, and nothing felt forced, I suppose, so I was really just trying to compliment the grace in which that all plays out in the show, and ironically, it’s what attracted me to the show so much in the first place,” the voice actor added.
Disney’s broader approach to diversity has fueled ongoing cultural debates. The studio has frequently been the target of criticism from so-called “anti-woke” detractors who claim Disney prioritizes inclusion over storytelling.
This discourse has surrounded live-action remakes like Peter Pan & Wendy (2023), The Little Mermaid (2023), and the upcoming Disney’s Snow White (2025), as well as animated films like Lightyear (2022) and Strange World (2022), which featured LGBTQIAP+ representation. On the other hand, and much more recently, Disney and Pixar faced backlash for reportedly cutting a transgender storyline from their long-form Disney+ series Win or Lose.
For his part, series creator Jeff Trammell took a more relaxed approach to the initial controversy. “Ha, I love Hudson and didn’t focus too much on what he said,” Trammell wrote in an AMA on Reddit.
“I believe he simply misspoke, and I know that’s been weighing on him. I think we made a fantastic show that is going to appeal to a wide audience and hopefully captures what I love about this Spider-Man: that he’s a guy who cares deeply about the people around him and always tries to do the right thing.”
While the original Spider-Man trilogy from Jon Watts came quickly, progress on Spider-Man 4 has been slow. Holland previously revealed that the project was delayed due to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, though Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige reassured fans in mid-2024 that development was back on track. Holland later confirmed that filming would begin in summer 2025, with a planned July 2026 release following Avengers: Doomsday (2026).
With Spider-Man’s reach spanning multiple iterations, the character’s enduring popularity is undeniable. But as this latest controversy proves, not every chapter in the hero’s saga swings by without conflict.
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