Hollywood has always been built on legacy. When one star steps away from an iconic role, studios do not retire the character. They hand the keys to someone new and hope for the very best.
Some of these inheritances are career-defining moments. Others become the role that defines an entire generation. Read on to find out which modern stars stepped into the biggest shoes in the business and owned them.
Tom Holland inherited Spider-Man and broke every Box Office record
Tom Holland became the third actor to play Spider-Man when Marvel and Sony cast him in 2015. He inherited the role from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield after the franchise needed a complete modern reboot.
Holland has appeared in six MCU films as the character and his Spider-Man movies have collectively grossed over 9.9 billion dollars worldwide. He is set to return in Spider-Man Brand New Day in July 2026.
Letitia Wright took over Black Panther after one of Hollywood’s saddest losses
Letitia Wright inherited the Black Panther mantle after Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer on August 28 2020. Marvel chose not to recast T’Challa and instead shifted the franchise’s focus to Boseman’s on-screen sister Shuri.
Wright stepped into the lead in Black Panther Wakanda Forever in 2022. The film opened to 181 million dollars domestically and 330 million globally setting the all-time record for biggest November debut in North America.
Timothée Chalamet put his spin on the most beloved candy man in cinema
Timothée Chalamet inherited the role of Willy Wonka originally played by Gene Wilder in 1971 and by Johnny Depp in 2005. His film simply titled Wonka was released by Warner Bros. in December 2023 worldwide.
Wonka grossed over 630 million dollars globally and became one of December 2023’s most profitable films. Chalamet received widespread critical praise for his musical performance and the role expanded his reach as a global star.
Anya Taylor-Joy inherited a role Charlize Theron made iconic
Anya Taylor-Joy inherited the role of young Furiosa from Charlize Theron who played the character in Mad Max Fury Road in 2015. George Miller chose Taylor-Joy after conducting a global search for the right actress.
Furiosa A Mad Max Saga released in May 2024 and grossed over 172 million dollars worldwide in total. Theron publicly voiced surprise at not being consulted about her character’s recasting. Taylor-Joy earned strong critical praise.
Sydney Sweeney is set to inherit one of Sci-Fi’s most iconic roles
Sydney Sweeney was confirmed in October 2022 as both star and executive producer of a Sony Pictures remake of Barbarella. The 1968 original starring Jane Fonda is considered one of cinema’s most iconic cult classics.
Edgar Wright entered talks to direct the remake in 2024 and Jane Goldman was attached to write its script. Sweeney confirmed in 2025 that meetings were progressing and the film would be worth the wait.
Pedro Pascal was handed two of television’s most beloved characters
Pedro Pascal was handed the lead role of Joel Miller in HBO’s The Last of Us in 2023. The character had been beloved by millions of players since the Naughty Dog game released in 2013.
The series became HBO’s second most watched debut ever after House of the Dragon. Pascal earned an Emmy nomination and the show was renewed for a second season before its very first episode had aired.
Florence Pugh inherited the Black Widow name without the baggage
Florence Pugh inherited the Black Widow legacy when cast as Yelena Belova in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2021. Her character was positioned as the direct successor to Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff in that franchise.
She appeared in Oppenheimer in 2023 and Dune Part Two in 2024 and received her second Oscar nomination for We Live in Time in 2025. Marvel has confirmed her for future appearances in the MCU.
Simu Liu inherited a slot no Asian actor had ever been given
Simu Liu inherited Marvel’s first Asian superhero lead slot when he was cast in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in 2021. No Asian actor had ever led a Marvel film before him.
The film opened at number one domestically over Labor Day weekend 2021 and grossed over 432 million dollars worldwide. Disney CEO Bob Chapek called it an experiment and Liu publicly pushed back on his comment.
Daniel Craig redefined bond for a generation before handing it back
Daniel Craig inherited James Bond from Pierce Brosnan and debuted in Casino Royale in 2006. He starred in five Bond films over 15 years before leaving the franchise with No Time to Die in 2021.
His five Bond films collectively grossed over 3.9 billion dollars worldwide. No Time to Die earned over 774 million dollars globally and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Craig set a new standard.
Anthony Mackie inherited Captain America’s shield from Chris Evans
Anthony Mackie first appeared as Sam Wilson in Captain America The Winter Soldier in 2014. Chris Evans passed the shield to him at the end of Avengers Endgame in 2019 in a memorable emotional scene.
Mackie made his debut as Captain America in Brave New World released on February 14 2025. The film opened to 88 million dollars domestically and pushed the Captain America franchise past 2.6 billion dollars globally.
Featured Image: Photo by Gage Skidmore on Wikimedia Commons
