Jon Bernthal Helped Tom Holland Prepare His MCU Audition Tape to Be Spider-Man

starred together in a mostly forgotten 2017 movie called Pilgrimage. What makes the film a significant moment for both of them is that it was while working on that movie that they both auditioned for their very different Marvel roles, and Bernthal recently revealed on Jimmy Kimmel Live that he actually helped Holland with his audition tape.

The pair are currently reuniting on screen thanks to their roles in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming epic, The Odyssey, but as Bernthal recalled, their last collaboration included giving each other a little boost in their Marvel auditions. He said:

“We did a film about seven or eight years ago. That was where both Tom did his audition for Spider-Man and I did my audition for Punisher. We actually made each other’s audition tapes on that film. He had such focus and such belief, it was so beautiful. He would say, ‘I’m Spider-Man,’ I mean, he really believed he was going to get it. I was like ‘There’s probably a lot of people that want to be Spider-Man. I mean, you’re super talented and all, but the odds are kind of against you, but yeah, let’s make the tape.’

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“He just had this belief, and when you get to know him and see how he shows up, there is a reason why he is the movie star that he is. I will take credit that in his audition tape … I gave him the note, ‘Tom, maybe you should run up that wall and do a double backflip and then start the scene.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, you think I should do that? That’s not too much?’ I was like, ‘I don’t think any of these other fools are able to do that,’ and he in fact did that. It’s not that I take responsibility for him, but you know, like a little something.”

Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal’s Heroes May Never Meet in the MCU

The world of Marvel Comics is full of crossovers and collaborations between certain groups of heroes, and there have been many times that Spider-Man and Daredevil have crossed paths with Frank Castle. However, there are several questions whether that can actually happen in the MCU the way things currently stand.

While Marvel Studios has regained the TV and movie rights to many characters in the last decade – thanks mostly to The Walt Disney Company’s frequent purchases of other studios who previously held the rights – one character that will likely always be just out of reach will be the most iconic and profitable Marvel hero of all-time, Spider-Man. Currently under the control of Sony Pictures, Spider-Man’s involvement in the MCU has already been under threat of falling apart in the past, and insiders have claimed that, due to the complex and convoluted rights situation, Spider-Man can only appear in MCU movies and animated shows – hence the creation of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man on Disney+.

While the pair could meet in a Spider-Man movie, it is currently hard to see how the family-friendly web-slinger’s adventures could be tied into the bone-crushing violence that follows the Punisher wherever he goes. That seems to be a problem for the future though, as right now, the chances of Spider-Man sharing screen time with any of the MCU’s “street-level” vigilantes seem slim – but as we have seen time and time again, nothing is impossible where Kevin Feige’s mighty franchise is concerned.

Source: Jimmy Kimmel Live

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Release Date

July 31, 2026

Director

Destin Daniel Cretton

Prequel(s)

Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home

Franchise(s)

Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man