Gwyneth Paltrow Was Unaware of Tom Holland's Identity Despite Collaborating With Him

Gwyneth Paltrow's ongoing mix-ups regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) made headlines again, this time highlighted by Robert Downey Jr. He recounted a humorous story about Paltrow not remembering who Tom Holland was, even though they shared the screen in multiple films.

The anecdote surfaced during The Hollywood Reporters 2025 Women in Entertainment breakfast gala, where Downey Jr. celebrated Paltrow receiving the 20th annual Sherry Lansing Leadership Award. He used the moment to affectionately tease her about her well-known struggles with MCU knowledge.

Downey Jr. humorously noted that although Paltrow is widely recognized for her intelligence, she often appears perpetually puzzled by the basic elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its characters. He shared a memorable instance when she genuinely asked him, Whos that? about Tom Holland. Downey Jr. explained, Thats Spider-Man. His character is Peter. His name is Tom Holland. Youve acted in four films with him.

This was not the first time Paltrow confused her Marvel roles. In 2019, during a conversation on Netflixs The Chef Show with director Jon Favreau, she insisted she was not in Spider-Man: Homecoming, despite having a cameo. Favreau reminded her, Remember when we were in Spider-Man? She initially replied, We werent in Spider-Man, only to recall later with surprise, Oh yes! That was Spider-Man??

Even in more recent interactions, Paltrow continued to display her MCU forgetfulness. She commented on Downey Jr.s Instagram post about his return as Dr. Doom, asking, I dont get it, are you a baddie now?

With Avengers: Doomsday set for December 18, 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars arriving in 2027, it seems Paltrow may need some refresher lessons to catch up on her Marvel history.

Author: Zoe Harrison