14 Years Later, Tom Holland Reunites With One Of His First Co-Stars In Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is packed with exciting surprises, from brand-new villains and unexpected team-ups to plenty of comic book references (including full-on comic cover recreations). However, one of the movie’s best hidden details is something many viewers probably won’t notice until the credits. Remarkably, Tom Holland secretly reunites with one of his very first co-stars in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Years before he was cast as Spider-Man, Tom Holland made his feature film debut in 2012’s The Impossible. Starring alongside Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, Holland earned widespread acclaim for his emotional performance as Lucas Bennett. 14 years later, Spider-Man: Brand New Day features a wonderfully fun nod to the very beginning of Holland’s impressive acting career.

Continuing a very fun Spider-Man tradition, Peter Parker receives a brand-new AI assistant in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, voiced by one of his first co-stars from The Impossible.

Spider-Man’s New A.I. Assistant Is Voiced by Naomi Watts

One of Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s coolest new additions is E.V., Peter Parker’s newest artificial intelligence assistant, presumably created by Peter Parker himself during his years in isolation since the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Integrated directly into Spider-Man’s new suit (inspired by Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s costumes), E.V. monitors Peter’s vitals and web-shooter systems, analyzes combat scenarios, and assists with everything from navigation to tactical support while he’s swinging through the streets of New York in the new MCU movie.

E.V. quickly establishes herself as one of the movie’s most useful supporting roles, shown caring for Spider-Man’s well-being even when Peter is ignoring/avoiding his struggles. However, the real surprise is who’s providing E.V.’s voice, with the credits confirming that Marvel Studios cast Naomi Watts to serve as the new AI’s voice, resulting in a fun reunion with Tom Holland more than a decade after the pair first shared the screen together.

Back in 2012, Holland made his feature film debut in The Impossible, portraying Lucas Bennett opposite Watts, who played his mother, Maria Bennett. The disaster drama absolutely launched Holland’s film career, showcasing the acting abilities that eventually helped him land the role of Spider-Man just a few years later, beginning with 2016’s Captain America: Civil War.

Because E.V.’s role is entirely vocal, some viewers may not immediately recognize Watts during their first viewing. Once they do, though, it becomes a genuinely touching callback to the actor Holland has credited more than once as one of his very first mentors upon entering the industry, long before he became the MCU’s Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Spider-Man’s Past A.I. Assistants In The MCU Are Pretty Cool Too

Spider-Man Far From Home Peter wearing the Edith glasses on a coach

E.V. also continues a surprisingly fun tradition throughout Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy. After all, Peter Parker has rarely lacked helpful A.I. companions, and each one has its own clever casting history.

In 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter’s first A.I. was named Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly. This was a very fun MCU connection, seeing how she’s married to Paul Bettany, whose voice first brought Tony Stark’s J.A.R.V.I.S. to life before he eventually appeared on-screen as Vision.

Then there was E.D.I.T.H. in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home, the advanced Stark system Peter inherited through a pair of Tony’s glasses. Rather than casting a major Hollywood name, Marvel cast Dawn Michelle King to voice E.D.I.T.H., who’s worked behind the scenes as one of Marvel Studios’ longtime editors for years, contributing to MCU projects dating all the way back to 2008’s Iron Man.

Now, Spider-Man: Brand New Day adds Naomi Watts to the small and unique group. Between Karen, E.D.I.T.H., and now E.V., Spider-Man’s artificial intelligence companions have become a small yet very fun tradition. Additionally, Watts’ casting gives a meaningful nod to the start of Tom Holland’s acting career, which, of course, has come a remarkably long way since The Impossible.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters from Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures.