Does Spider-Man’s mask count as PPE? Tom Holland reveals all

During a time when we’re all wearing face masks to help protect ourselves and others from COVID-19, some fans have been wondering whether superhero masks count as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). At last, while filming his upcoming movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland has given a definitive answer.

The short answer: No, superhero suits are not a substitute for proper PPE. The actor explained it himself while talking to USA Today. “The Spider-Man mask does not count as PPE. So, I have to wear two masks. And they have to just paint it out. No, that’s not true. Obviously, when we are in scenes we have to take our masks off.”

I mean, sure, you would think some iconic superhero costumes would work better than others. I would choose Iron Man’s robust helmet over Peter Parker’s traditional suit. Batman defeats the object altogether by not covering his mouth. It would be cool to wear superhero suits in place of a face mask, but for now, it’s best we stick with the normal, reliable, tried-and-tested PPE masks.  That said, you can always get the best of both worlds with a geeky face mask that offers good protection.

Pandemic precautions on the set of Spider-Man: No Way Home

So far as No Way Home goes, the set has some interesting protocols in place. “When the blue light is on, the actors are allowed to take their masks off to obviously perform,” Holland explained. “When the yellow light comes on we have to put our masks back on and then leave the set so crew members can come on and move things around and do things that they need to do. At first, when they told me that system it sounded exhausting, but it works really well and there have been no problems so far.”

Sounds like they’ve got a solid system down. And if the cast is as big as the rumors suggest, they’ll need one. We’ve heard about the movie featuring a lot of returning faces from the history of the franchise, including Jamie Foxx (Electro), Alfred Molina (Doc Ock), Charlie Cox (Daredevil), Andrew Garfield (Spidey from The Amazing Spider-Man), and even Tobey Maguire (Spidey in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man), although we’ve yet to confirm any of that with our own eyes.

Holland himself has categorically denied these rumors, but fans are having a hard time believing him. Are we setting ourselves up for disappointment? We’ll finally find out when Spider-Man: No Way Home premieres on December 17! In the meantime, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premiering on Disney+.

And, finally, don’t forget to wear a mask!

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