It’s the cliche to end all cliches, but you really do get a sense the sprawling cast that comprises the Marvel Cinematic Universe are like a family. Whenever they gather in their numbers, it’s clear that they’re all great friends, with Tom Holland continuing to live up to his wholesome reputation despite Anthony Mackie’s repeated attempts to goad him.
Newcomers to the series are always welcomed with open arms by the veterans, and in a new interview with The Direct, Eternals star Lia McHugh reveals the advice she was given by the erstwhile Spider-Man during the 2019 D23 Expo; which was famously the event Holland attended to promote Pixar’s Onward while being barred from talking about Spidey due to the fallout between Sony and Marvel at the time.
“I was actually talking to Kevin Feige and I saw Tom Holland, and I, I just couldn’t stop looking at him. I mean, who doesn’t love Tom Holland? And Kevin was like, ‘Do you want me to introduce you to him?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, please! Yes, please!’ And he was just like the sweetest guy. Oh my gosh. He was more excited, almost more than I was. He’s like, ‘You have no idea how incredible this experience is going to be. Like, I’m so excited for you.’ He just really made me, it just made me feel really good. And I think later in the day, he came up to me again and he was like, ‘Oh, I just like, you have no idea how this, what this is going to bring.'”
Of course, those fences have long since been mended, and Holland’s third solo adventure is coming to theaters on December 17, just six weeks after Eternals lands seven days from now. After being completely absent from our screens throughout 2020, the MCU is back with a vengeance, releasing four feature films and five Disney Plus exclusives this year alone.
McHugh is shaping up to become an integral part of the mythology for the foreseeable future, with Angelina Jolie already teasing Eternals sequels, so she’ll no doubt be taking Holland’s advice to heart.