Jacob Batalon From Spider-Man Is Almost Unrecognizable Now
Fans of the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies know that Jacob Batalon's Ned Leeds is one of the best characters in the movies. From keeping Peter Parker's spidey secrets in 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming to dating Betty Brant in 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, Ned was a scene-stealer in the first two films of the latest Spider-Man trilogy.
But in Batalon's latest Instagram post, the actor is almost unrecognizable from his appearance in the two Spider-Man movies. To mark his 24th birthday on Oct. 9, 2020, Batalon shared a selfie that revealed his drastic weight loss, and he had the perfect caption to match it. "Don't try to get at me..imma be vibin all day ๐ค๐ฝ๐๐๐ฅcheee๐ by the way, while I appreciate the concern, people can stop telling me to lose weight now," Batalon wrote in his caption.
It's disappointing (but not surprising) to hear that fans have been concern-trolling Batalon over his weight. But it seems like he's taken the comments in stride and done what he feels is best for himself.
Jacob Batalon's weight loss could be connected to his Spider-Man role
While it's all speculative, fans believe Jacob Batalon's new look could be a sign that Ned Leeds will become the Hobgoblin in Spider-Man 3. Like the Green Goblin, the Hobgoblin is a Spider-Man villain from the Marvel comics. "Getting that hobgoblin bod ready," one fan commented on the actor's Instagram post.
And while Batalon's latest post is giving fans renewed interest in his role in the third movie, fans have been speculating about Ned's potential for becoming a villain ever since Spider-Man: Far From Home hit theaters. As Nerdist explained in May 2019, Ned became the Hobgoblin in the comics after marrying Betty Brant. Incidentally, Betty Brant is the name of Peter and Ned's classmate whom he begins dating on their European school trip. They break up by the end of the trip, but the relationship could be setting up more about Ned's future.
"To be completely honest, yes. I would love to, I would love to do that," Batalon told Nerdist when asked about potentially becoming the villain. "That just sounds like such a fun process as an actor to go through. But at the same time, Ned is just a really sweet guy. I definitely don't see that in him. But, you know, I'm definitely not saying I couldn't do it. I could definitely do my best villain. I'd love to."
Whether or not his character goes to the dark side in the next movie, Batalon's weight loss has fans talking.