Do we like Tom Holland?
Our score: 8 out of 10. He's backed a gay Spider-Man, played a gay lead, and gives to charity, with no harmful words found, though we found little on trans issues or politics.
Holland is the face of Spider-Man for this generation, and he's now rolling with the A-list crowd. He plays Telemachus in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey opposite Matt Damon, and called it “The best script I've ever read,” per TheWrap.
The latest news is a big one. Brand New Day took about $355 million in its opening weekend, just short of Endgame's $357 million, with a record $168 million Friday and strong reviews. Sony reportedly spent $225 million making it, so the studio is probably chuffed.
On the harm check, the record we found is good. In 2019 he told reporters “Yeah, of course” when asked if Spider-Man could be gay, and argued the world isn't as simple as a straight white guy. That's a mainstream superhero star putting his hand up for more representation, no prompting needed.
The good stuff is real. His family's Brothers Trust gave US$25,000 to Boston College's Campus School in 2024, and Holland turned up in person. He spent several hours visiting all six classrooms, and sang and played tambourine in a music therapy session.
Now the honest gaps. The searches turned up no court cases, and the 'scandals' we found were viral rumours and fact-check fodder rather than anything solid. We also found nothing from him on trans issues, climate or politics, so those boxes are blank rather than ticked. His recent work is with Nolan, Marvel and Sony, and nothing we read shows a slide into culture-war company.