In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, secrets are usually guarded like nuclear codes. Plot twists are hidden, cameos denied, and spoilers sworn to secrecy. But in early 2022, Tom Holland detonated a very different kind of Marvel mystery—one involving padded spandex rather than multiversal chaos.
During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Holland casually dropped a line that instantly set the internet ablaze: “One of us has a fake ass.” The “us,” of course, referred to the holy trinity of Spider-Men reunited in Spider-Man: No Way Home—Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire.
What sounded like an offhand joke became a full-blown pop-culture investigation.
Holland explained that while filming the blockbuster—directed by Jon Watts—he noticed something suspicious while standing next to one of his co-stars in the iconic Spider-Man suit. “I looked and thought, ‘Wow… hang on. That’s not real,’” he said, grinning. He refused to name names, but the damage was done. With that single sentence, Holland turned millions of fans into amateur forensic analysts.
Social media erupted. Screenshots were dissected. GIFs were slowed down. Entire Reddit threads were devoted to comparing silhouettes, suit seams, and suspicious curves. The hunt for the so-called “Spi-derrière” coincided perfectly with No Way Home’s historic box-office run, which ultimately soared past $1.9 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of the pandemic era.
For months, the mystery lingered—until Andrew Garfield decided to clear his name.
Appearing on Late Night with Seth Meyers in April 2022, Garfield laughed off the controversy but delivered a decisive verdict. “All I know is,” he said, “I am totally unmodified.” With that single sentence, Garfield officially removed himself from the suspect list, leaving only two possibilities: Holland himself, or the original web-slinger, Tobey Maguire.
Since Holland had framed the issue as something he noticed on someone else, the spotlight shifted squarely onto Maguire. The irony was irresistible. The most private and media-averse Spider-Man suddenly found himself at the center of one of the internet’s most ridiculous conspiracies—without ever commenting on it.
The saga only strengthened the sense of brotherhood between the three actors. They recreated the famous Spider-Man pointing meme, joked about the rumors in interviews, and Holland later revealed they shared a group chat where the padding debate became a running gag.
In the end, whether the mystery involved costume design, camera angles, or pure trolling hardly mattered. The “fake ass” scandal became proof that even a billion-dollar franchise thrives on humor, camaraderie, and the joy of fans obsessing over the most gloriously unimportant details imaginable.