Zendaya and Tom Holland’s fairy-tale romance captured a lot of hearts, but it seems that Holland captured a special role in Zendaya’s family’s hearts, too. In a family event recently in Oakland, British actor Holland was addressed with a name no one else in attendance could use: “Spider-Man.” It revealed to everyone just how much taken in he’d been in Zendaya’s inner circle of family and friends.
Zendaya and Holland first met during a 2016 Spider-Man: Homecoming photoshoot, and soon enough, in-character attraction spilled over into real life. For years, they kept quiet about dating, but when rumormongers saw them together in 2021, buzz ensued. Fast-forward to 2025, when Zendaya flashed a stunning diamond ring at the Golden Globes, announcing her engagement and taking a seat in Hollywood’s most-loved couples’ clique.
The intimate but energetic party in Oakland perfectly captured how seamlessly Holland fit in with Zendaya’s family. Party clips captured warm and sweet shots of Holland mingling, dancing, and even holding a baby in tow. As the night wore on, family members fondly referred to him with “Spider-Man,” a warm name drop for his Marvel character.
One particularly trending clip included a visitor inquiring about saying “I love you” in sign language and then panning over to Holland and saying, “Oh, hold on, I’m getting Spider-Man!” There was a clip in which a baby sat in Holland’s arms with a caption humorously stating, “The real Spider-Man. Facts.”
It didn’t take long for social networks to go into a tizzy with reaction. Video of the meetup circulated in a wildfire form through channels such as X (formerly Twitter), with followers fawned over Holland’s real-life chemistry with Zendaya’s family. “The fact that Zendaya’s family calls him ‘Spider-Man’ is adorbs,” a fan posted. “Being Spider-Man even during a family dinner? That must mean that Tom Holland is living a dream,” a fan added.
Beyond their courtship, Zendaya and Holland have taken a level higher in terms of devotion—with tattoos, no less. Zendaya, sources say, carries a small “T” under her armpit, and a discreet “Z” under his rib cage, respectively. There is no rush for them to begin planning for marriage, with both preferring to develop their career and enjoy life in its current state.
Reports indicate that privately, during Christmas and New Year, at one of Zendaya’s family locations, proposed to her. Before getting down on one knee, even took permission from Zendaya’s parents, attesting to the intensity of their relation.
While wedding bells have not yet rung, both have hectic calendars in store for them in the near future. Holland will re-play Spider-Man 4’s role of Spider-man, and Zendaya will feature in a variety of future productions, including Christopher Nolan’s reimagining of The Odyssey. The two have even been rumoured to feature together in the long-awaited flick with a variety of Hollywood big-shots.
