Backlash to rumors of Tom Holland leading ‘Secret Wars’ forgets it was awesome when it happened before

One of the burning questions fans will need answered before Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars roll around is the identity of the superhero set to lead the next iteration of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, both onscreen and in the credits.

After all, Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans were billed first and second in all four assemblages of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to date, while Iron Man and Captain America acted as the heart and soul of the team. Those are big shoes to fill, then, but a new rumor has offered that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be the one to step into the breach.

Naturally, there’s been some backlash towards the suggestion of having a character who’ll be college-aged by the time the double-header lands in 2025 and 2026 overseeing a squad full of all-powerful cosmic deities, literal gods, and combat veterans, but some fans have been pointing out that there is a precedent, and it was awesome.

Audiences of a certain generation hold Spider-Man: The Animated Series dearly to their nostalgic chests, and it’s definitely one of the best episodic two-dimensional adventures the web-slinger has ever been a part of. The three-chapter arc is held up as among the finest standalone stories the classic TV show ever told, and could offer a suggestion as to how Peter Parker could end up being the one leading the Avengers back into battle from the front.

Of course, it’s all just rumor and hearsay at this stage, but Spider-Man is arguably the biggest and most popular weapon in the MCU’s arsenal, so it would make a great deal of sense to have Holland front and center.