Why Isn’t Spider-Man in Avengers: Doomsday?

A recent report from insider DanielRPK suggests that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man won’t appear in Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel’s next major crossover film arriving in 2026. This unexpected choice removes one of the MCU’s biggest heroes from the first part of the Multiverse Saga’s finale. While fans may be disappointed, Marvel appears to be taking a strategic storytelling approach that could elevate Spider-Man’s role in the long run.

Instead of joining the fight early, Peter Parker is reportedly being saved for Avengers: Secret Wars, the massive 2027 conclusion to the saga. The decision suggests Marvel wants his next appearance to carry emotional and narrative weight, allowing him to return as a mature, standalone hero rather than Tony Stark’s former protégé.

How Does This Benefit Spider-Man’s Character Arc?

At the end of No Way Home, Peter Parker made the ultimate sacrifice—erasing his identity from everyone’s memory to save the world. The next stage of his journey, rumored to be explored in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, will see him operating alone in a darker, more grounded story.

Throwing him immediately into a cosmic-scale event like Doomsday would short-circuit his personal growth. Instead, Marvel seems intent on rebuilding Peter’s world from the ground up, focusing on his struggles as an isolated, anonymous hero. By keeping him out of Doomsday, Marvel can allow this transformation to unfold naturally, setting the stage for a more mature, self-reliant Spider-Man by the time Secret Wars arrives.

Could Secret Wars Introduce the Black Suit and Venom?

Saving Spider-Man for Secret Wars also aligns perfectly with the comic’s iconic storylines. In the original 1984 Secret Wars, Spider-Man’s suit is destroyed in battle, leading him to discover an alien substance that bonds to him — the black symbiote suit. What begins as an upgrade soon becomes a curse, spawning Venom when Peter rejects the alien organism.

A multiversal war in Secret Wars provides the ideal backdrop for this legendary arc. Introducing the symbiote during a cosmic-scale event would give the storyline the grandeur and context it deserves, potentially reshaping the MCU’s next decade of Spider-Man storytelling.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Spider-Man in the MCU?

When Tom Holland’s Spider-Man finally swings back in Avengers: Secret Wars, it won’t just be another team-up appearance. He’ll return as a fully realized hero — one who has faced loss, isolation, and self-reinvention. His involvement will likely mark a major emotional and narrative turning point for the MCU, cementing his legacy as one of its most evolved and enduring characters.