Jake Gyllenhaal (left), Tom Holland (center) and Jon Watts attend the press conference. Photo: Li Hao/GT

A performer wearing a Spider-Man suit crawls on the wall at a press conference for Spider-Man: Far From Home in Beijing on Tuesday. Photo: Li Hao/GT

On Tuesday afternoon, hundreds of superhero fans lined up to get a glimpse of Spider-Man actor Tom Holland at a promotional event in Beijing for Marvel's upcoming film Spider-Man: Far From Home. 

Camera flashes lit up the room, as cosplayers dressed as the wall-crawling superhero Spider-Man posed for local media.

Traveling along with Holland were Jake Gyllenhaal, who plays the comic book villain Mysterio, and film director Jon Watts. 

As the first Marvel superhero movie after the blockbuster Avengers: Endgame. MCU fans around the world are looking forward to see what happens with the youngest Avenger, Spider-Man. 

At the conference, the three expressed their love for fans in China and shared some interesting behind-the-scenes stories. 

Holland told the audience that in the Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker is not that eager to be an Avenger, but he comes to a realization after Endgame and will try to inherit Iron Man's legacy.

Gyllenhaal joked that he had practiced for a year and a half to learn how to fly and shoot different colored lasers from his hands but was disappointed to hear he could only shoot green ones. 

Gyllenhaal also noted that he think Holland is the best Spider-Man among the different versions of the character that have appeared in film. 

"I'm the fan of different genres of movies, that's why I want to spend my life doing it," Gyllenhaal told the Global Times, noting this was his first Marvel superhero film. 

"I really love and enjoy the MCU and the world of these movies."

Gyllenhaal also shared his opinions about heroes in real life.

"The idea of a hero in particular is very hard for most people who are considered heroes to accept," said Gyllenhaal. 

"You ask anybody who has done something extraordinary and they will say, 'I don't need to be called a hero, that's what I do and that's my job." 

Holland said he was particularly impressed by the staff in a hospital in London where was visiting children.

"We go to the brain surgeon and the people who work there are the most incredible human beings I've ever met," Holland said. 

"They require no thanks for what they do because they have the ability to change and save people's lives."

Watts' first Spider-Man film Spider-Man: Home Coming hit Chinese mainland theaters in 2017, earning 775 million yuan ($112 million) at the box office. 

Noting it was his second time in China, he told the fans that this is a brand new story during which Spider-Man will meet new enemies, new allies and new friends. 

"After Avengers: Endgame, the whole world is looking to Peter and wondering if he can be the next Iron Man," said Watts.

"In this film, the audience can see his growth from being a high school student who really wants to prove himself as an Avenger."

Watts also discussed whether there are too many superhero movies nowadays.

"There's always the chance that people one day will wake up and say 'I don't wanna see superheroes anymore,'" Watts said. 

"So the challenge is not to think of it as a superhero movie, but to think about it as just telling stories that people haven't seen before and just happen to involve a superhero."

Spider-Man: Far From Home will arrive in the Chinese mainland on June 28, four days ahead of North America. Just like Avengers: Endgame, Chinese fans will be the first group of people who can see the film. 

"It happened that June 28 is my birthday," said Watts, adding that the best present for him is to have people see what he feels is a fantastic movie.
Newspaper headline: ‘Far From Home’