Even Tom Holland didn’t know Willem Dafoe was in new Spider-Man movie

When it comes to secrecy in Hollywood, it’s hard to find any studio more protective of their brand than Marvel Studios. From Day 1, Marvel has been incredibly protective over its projects, often going to drastic lengths to prevent secrets from leaking out. Seriously, we’re honestly not sure which is more secure these days: Fort Knox or the Marvel Studios headquarters.

That said, even we’re surprised by the extents that Marvel and Sony are said to have taken while filming Spider-Man: No Way Home.  In order to conceal the identity of certain actors returning for the project — including the now confirmed Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin — Marvel is said to have made the actors wear identity-concealing cloaks while on set. What’s even crazier is that the identity of said actors was so top secret that not even the film’s lead Tom Holland was made aware of who was on set!

Tom Holland reacts to Willem Dafoe’s Spider-Man return: “Oh shit, the Goblin’s here.”

Following the release of the second Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer which confirmed the returns of several long-rumored stars including Dafoe, Holland had the chance to finally react to the trailer’s big reveals, and admitted even he was in shock upon bumping into Dafoe on set for the first time.

“It’s actually a funny story when I met Willem for the first time. Obviously, at that time, all of the villains in the film, it was a huge secret that they were in the film. So they would walk around set with these cloaks on,” Holland revealed at a fan event. “I just sort of bumped into this guy in a cloak. I was like, ‘Watch out, mate.’ He took his cloak off, and I almost got really scared. Oh shit, the Goblin’s here.”

Honestly, we’re pretty sure we’d have the same reaction if the dude wearing a cloak who we just checked for not watching where he was going turned out to be the man behind one of the greatest superhero villains ever. And we also can’t say we’re surprised to discover Marvel and Sony chose to keep Dafoe’s casting secret from Holland given his track record of leaking Marvel secrets.

In fact, we’re sort of surprised he hasn’t leaked confirmation of Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield’s long-rumored roles in the film. But hey, there’s still time!

Tom Holland teases “spectacular” Spider-Man fight scene

At the same event, Holland promised fans that there were three scenes in the movie that he would do anything to reshoot, because “because they are perfect and a true cinematic moment.” He also teased a particularly epic fight scene between Spider-Man and an unnamed villain that took there days to shoot:

"They designed these fights to shock you guys. My knuckles were all bloody. I was so knackered…It was awful but in the film it’s so spectacular."

The hype is read.

Tom Holland wonders if Marvel should make a Miles Morales movie

Elsewhere, in GQ, Holland contemplated his future as Peter Parker, which he doesn’t think can last forever. “Maybe it is time for me to move on,” the actor mulled. “Maybe what’s best for Spider-Man is that they do a Miles Morales film. I have to take Peter Parker into account as well, because he is an important part of my life. If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong.”

"I might start shooting The Crowded Room and go, ‘You know what, this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life.’ Or I might do Spider-Man 4, 5, and 6, finish when I’m 32, and never make another. I’m not sure what I want to do."

Miles Morales is a younger Spider-Man who headlined the 2018 Sony movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Plenty of fans would be thrilled if there was a movie about him, but producer Amy Pascal seems unwilling to part with Holland, whatever he thinks. “I’ve talked to him about doing, like, 100 more,” she told GQ. “I’m never going to make Spider-Man movies without him. Are you kidding me?”

Spider-Man: No Way Home bows in theaters on December 17.

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