Tom Holland got a big wake-up call as he said his experience working with Christopher Nolan on The Odyssey “will upset Marvel a little bit.”
Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld is also reading more into the quote, arguing Holland exposed a bigger problem with how Marvel makes movies.
Liefeld, who has been publicly critical of Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige, says Holland’s comments point to the studio’s longstanding habit of figuring things out on set rather than locking everything down ahead of time.
What Tom Holland Said About Nolan And Marvel
Holland made the comments in a new GQ profile tied to Nolan’s The Odyssey, where he plays Telemachus.
Praising Nolan’s preparation, Holland said, “I think coming from the Marvel space, and I think this will upset Marvel a little bit — his level of preparation is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Holland said Nolan can answer any question instantly, and the experience clearly changed how he looked at Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The actor said he pushed the team not to show up on set and figure things out as they went.
He said he wanted real answers for why the movie needed to exist beyond the obvious reasons: it is Spider-Man 4, it will make a lot of money, and it can anchor a big summer release.
Holland said director Destin Daniel Cretton was a big part of that process, but he also admitted he kept calling the studio, including producers Amy Pascal and Rachel O’Connor, and pointing to Nolan’s way of working as the model.
Holland added, while working on The Odyssey, the delay “saved” Spider-Man.
Rob Liefeld Says Holland Exposed Marvel’s Problem
Liefeld broke down Holland’s quote on his Substack and argued the comment matters because Holland is one of Marvel’s biggest stars.
“Working with a director of Nolan’s caliber, an elite, master class level talent, inspired Holland to pass the important lessons from one production to the next, a point he stressed to his upcoming Marvel collaborators as they prepared to shoot Spider Man: Brand New Day,” said Liefeld.
Liefeld said Holland’s comments stood out because they came from someone still leading one of Marvel’s biggest franchises, not from an outsider taking shots after the fact.
In Liefeld’s view, Holland’s line about not showing up to set and figuring it out backs up what critics have said about Marvel for years: unfinished scripts, heavy reshoots, and a production process built around fixing problems later.
Liefeld went even harder, writing that “for years we have heard the horror stories” about Marvel’s process.
He also accused Marvel of using its power to keep talent and press from speaking out.
“Marvel could intimidate reporting of their abuses in order to cover up their sloppy practices,” wrote Liefeld. “They intimidated talent and press alike, don’t step out of line, you’ll lose benefits, privileges, opportunities.”
For Liefeld, Holland’s comments confirm what he says people have been hearing about Marvel for years: the studio’s process is messy, protected by its power, and no longer getting the same pass it once did.
Marvel’s Messy Production Reputation Isn’t New
The studio has long had a reputation for starting productions before everything is fully locked, then leaning on reshoots, rewrites, and post-production to pull the movie together.
For a long time, the box office covered for it. Marvel was winning so often that the process almost became part of the brand: keep the machine moving, adjust as needed, and trust the final product would work.
That has changed as the MCU has hit a rougher stretch, with weaker box office results, mixed reviews, and more fan complaints about quality control.
Holland’s comments land right in the middle of that conversation. When one of Marvel’s biggest stars says Nolan showed him a better way to work, it is easy to see why Liefeld jumped on it.
Brand New Day Is Now The Test
Holland has credited the delay caused by The Odyssey with helping the movie land director Destin Daniel Cretton and giving the script more time to develop.
Now the pressure is on Brand New Day. Holland says Nolan showed him a more prepared way to work, and he took that mindset back to Marvel and Sony.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens July 31, 2026, and it now carries an extra layer of pressure. Fans will be watching to see if Holland’s Nolan-inspired approach actually shows up on screen.
