Tom Holland’s Drunken Phone Call With Disney’s CEO Helped Keep Spider-Man In The MCU

Spider-Man is one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s most popular superheroes, which made Marvel Studios and Sony’s shocking “impasse” earlier this year all the more, well, shocking. It appeared as if we had seen the last of Spidey in the MCU following Spider-Man: Far From Home, but the two megalithic companies were able to settle their differences and realize there’s enough billions of dollars to go around for everyone. But it may not have happened without a drunken phone call from Tom Holland.

While appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the actor, who was there to promote his Will Smith pigeon spy movie Spies in Disguise, said that he was “devastated” by the Marvel-Sony split and asked for Disney CEO Robert Iger’s contact information so he could thank him for “changing my life in the best way.” Holland “got his email, I sent him the email, and he responded very quickly saying, ‘I’d love to jump on the phone with you at some point — when are you free?’ And you don’t give Bob Iger a schedule. You’re like, whenever Bob!” That “whenever” turned out to be when he was at a pub trivia night.

“I get a phone call from an unknown number, and I have a feeling like, I think this is Bob Iger… but I’m drunk,” he said, adding, “I was really emotional because I felt like it was all coming to an end.” (There may have been some weeping involved; then again, Holland was drunk, so he could have been crying because he heard an REO Speedwagon song on the jukebox.) A month later, Marvel and Sony made nice, and as Kimmel told Holland, “I’m glad you got drunk and got on the phone with Bob.” To alcohol, the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems. (It applies — Iger owns The Simpsons now.)

Watch the clip below.