Is Tom Holland's Spider-Man the Real Reason Andrew Garfield's Got the Boot?

Marvel's Spider-Man: No Way Home sees Tom Holland back on screen to complete his Spider-Man trilogy, but also features surprise appearances by previous web-slingers Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. While Tobey had a trio of Spider-Man movies released between 2002 and 2007, Andrew famously only has two Spider-Man movies under his belt.

Now that fans have gotten a reminder of the magic that Andrew brought to the role, many are wondering just why The Amazing Spider-Man 3 was canceled and why Andrew’s turn as Spider-Man was so unceremoniously ended.

Here’s some surprising information about why Tom Holland’s Spider-Man may have been the reason Andrew’s got the boot.

In 2012, Andrew Garfield gave the world a fresh start on the Spider-Man franchise with The Amazing Spider-Man. Starring opposite Emma Stone as his love interest Gwen Stacey, Andrew wowed fans with the couple’s chemistry both on and off the set.

But after a poor box office performance for 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, rumors began to circulate that Andrew would not be returning for a third installment. A year later, emails released via the infamous Sony hacks revealed that Andrew might have been fired for insulting a Sony executive.

Andrew snubbed Sony’s Kaz Hirai by not making an appearance at a gala where Kaz had planned to announce The Amazing Spider Man 3, slated for release in 2016. “Here we are about one hour away from our gala event and Andrew decides he doesn't want to attend,” the email read. “He has a rather scruffy beard and he just wants to be left alone.”

But even more information about what happened with The Amazing Spider-Man 3’s cancellation was revealed in The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

According to The Direct, the book reveals that right after the release of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sony’s then-co-chairperson, Amy Pascal, asked Marvel Studios' president, Kevin Feige, for ideas or notes for the third installment of Andrew’s Spider-Man trilogy.

But instead of suggesting storylines for The Amazing Spider-Man 3, Kevin pitched something else entirely. He wanted Spider-Man to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Before he even met with Amy, Kevin had assembled a team at Marvel Studios to put together an idea of what Peter Parker would look like in the MCU. “They all quickly agreed ... that they didn't want to take Peter Parker out of high school,” the book reveals.

Marvel execs felt that “the idea of Peter experiencing the day-to-day-events of school life, like school trips, homework, and a homecoming dance, was such an exciting … playground for ideas and storytelling.”

With Andrew’s Spider-Man graduating from high school at the end of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it seems Marvel producers never envisioned that version of the superhero in their universe. Plus, the licensing deal struck between Sony and Marvel was probably a major reason Andrew didn’t get a third movie.