Spider-Puberty shaped – After a break from Spider-Man following Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland says he was welcomed into the writers’ room for Spider-Man: Brand New Day—meeting every two weeks to pitch ideas. His “Spider-Puberty” concept, initially rejected on the spot, became
When Tom Holland returned to Spider-Man, he didn’t just slip back into the suit—he walked into the writers’ room.
It has been 10 years since Holland first entered the MCU as Spider-Man, thwipping his way into Captain America: Civil War. Over that time. audiences watched him through a Spider-Man trilogy and “super-sized Avengers team-ups.” After taking a break from the character following Spider-Man: No Way Home. Holland is now back for the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day—and he says he became instrumental in shaping the next era of Peter Parker.
“This is the first time in my tenure as Spider-Man that I was kind of welcomed into the writers’ room. ” Holland tells Empire. He describes a working rhythm with the producers that’s unusually direct for a star returning to a role: he and the production team would “meet once every two weeks to pitch ideas and discuss our ambitions and what we wanted to try and do.”.
That access didn’t just create more ideas—it helped turn one pitch into the film’s most significant turning point.
For Brand New Day, Holland says he pushed an origin-style concept for what happens to Peter Parker next. “My pitch when I came to the table with it was called ‘Spider-Puberty,’” he explains. “What happens if Peter Parker is losing control and things are changing?”
Holland says the “kernel” of the idea didn’t land in the way he first presented it. “‘Spider-Puberty’ was my tagline pitch to the studio — which was immediately shot down,” he says. But he adds that the studio still “liked the kernel of the idea and it grew into what we have in the movie now.”
In the end, that core concept drives one of Brand New Day’s major plot points: Parker’s powers are evolving in unusual and unexpected ways.
Holland also talks about how this return is meant to be more than a stopgap. Nearly five years after we last saw him, he’s ready to move Spider-Man forward—and eventually, to move beyond Peter Parker himself.
“For whoever’s next. whether that is a Miles Morales or a Spider-Gwen or a Spider-Woman or something like that. I would love to be a part of setting up the next chapter. ” Holland says. “Whatever that looks like, I don’t know. But if I could do what Downey did for me. then I would be so content swinging off into the sunset.”.
The cover story, including comments from Holland alongside Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Kevin Feige, Destin Daniel Cretton, Amy Pascal and more, will run in the July 2026 issue of Empire, on sale Thursday June 4. Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in cinemas from July 29.
Tom Holland Spider-Man: Brand New Day Spider-Puberty MCU Peter Parker writers’ room Spider-Man: No Way Home Empire July 2026
Spider-Puberty sounds dumb but also kinda genius? idk.
So he got his idea rejected but it turned into the movie anyway? Typical Hollywood like “no” then “yes” later. Also 2 weeks meeting?? must be nice.
Wait I thought Spider-Man writers rooms are like secret and stuff. If Holland was pitching every two weeks doesn’t that mean he’s basically in charge? Unless “kernel” means like a seed planted by the studio or something.
“Spider-Puberty”?? like is this about him aging faster or what. I’m confused because No Way Home already messed everything up and now we’re doing… more origin stuff? But I guess that’s why they said powers evolving, like maybe they’re rebooting again. I just want them to stop changing Peter and let Miles or Gwen do their own thing already.