Robert Downey Jr.'s reunion with Marvel co-star Gwyneth Paltrow was filled with humor as the Iron Man actor hilariously revealed that Paltrow once asked him who Tom Holland was. For context, Robert Downey Jr. presented Gwyneth Paltrow with the 20th annual Sherry Lansing Leadership Award during The Hollywood Reporter’s 2025 Women in Entertainment breakfast gala on December 3, 2025.Before presenting the award to Paltrow, Downey Jr. took to the stage to playfully tease his former co-star, who played his love interest Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Oppenheimer actor described Paltrow as “impossibly intelligent, yet forever confused by the basic tenets of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its inhabitants,” before adding that the actress was once confused about Tom Holland, who plays Peter Parker in the MCU.“I responded, ‘That’s Spider-Man. He said his name was Peter. His character's name is Peter. He's Tom Holland. You've done 4 movies with him,'" Robert Downey Jr. said.DiscussingFilm @DiscussingFilmLINKRobert Downey Jr says that Gwyneth Paltrow once asked him who Tom Holland was, despite starring alongside him several times. “I responded, ‘That’s Spider-Man. He said his name was Peter. His character's name is Peter. He's Tom Holland. You've done 4 movies with him.’”The hilarious moment went viral on social media, with several netizens taking to X to comment on the incident. One X user wrote that Paltrow was "living in her own cinematic universe," adding:"Gwyneth living in her own cinematic universe and honestly i respect it."JUP Turkish🪐 🇹🇷 @jupturkeyLINK@DiscussingFilm gwyneth living in her own cinematic universe and honestly i respect itSeveral fans reacted to the moment with humor. One fan questioned how the actress forgot Tom Holland despite working with him on multiple Marvel movies.openthefridge ❄️ @openthefridgeLINK@DiscussingFilm gwyneth really said "its my world and im the only character in it"Ayo @Ayse_CryptLINK@DiscussingFilm Gwyneth Paltrow asking who Tom Holland is after four movies together… is this a memory lapse or subtle shade?kingscrown @kingscrownBTCLINK@DiscussingFilm Gwyneth Paltrow is too chilled to remember some names, i love herWillimeshKO @iamwilliamKOLINK@DiscussingFilm BRO 💀💀 how you forget Tom Holland?? The kid who literally cried in your billionaire arms for like half the MCU?? Gwyneth be out here treating the Avengers like background actors in a Goop commercial.Others mentioned Gwyneth Paltrow's older interviews, where she said she forgot filming a lot of the MCU movies. In a 2017 interview with Elle, the actress said she found the MCU "confusing because there are so many Marvel movies," adding that she hasn't "seen very many of them."Esihle @Thato_RachidiLINK@DiscussingFilm didn’t she say she doesn’t remember filming any of those movies, how do you forget Tom Holland…..Greedy | #EGE @Greedyszn1LINK@DiscussingFilm Lmao didn’t she say she doesn’t remember filming any of those movies 😭Meanwhile, some netizens sympathized with her, adding that they understood her confusion.ＺＡＣＨ @ZachBowdersLINK@DiscussingFilm I can understand her confusion because that's not how Marvel movies work They film a ton of stuff and don't always know where it's being used Additionally I think she was in maybe one scene with himWEB3 MAJO ♞ @_MaJoFinanceLINK@DiscussingFilm Lowkey this makes sense. These guys film on green screens, different units, different countries, over like 5 years. Half the time they don’t even act with each other fr.Gwyneth Paltrow forgot she was in Spider-Man: HomecomingGwyneth Paltrow's forgetfulness about the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a running joke among fans, after the actress forgot that she was in Spider-Man: Homecoming, which was Tom Holland's first stand-alone flick as Peter Parker. The confusion began when Gwyneth Paltrow joined fellow Marvel actor and Iron Man director Jon Favreau on his Netflix-backed The Chef Show in 2019. During the episode, Favreau explained that he began shooting for the show while filming Homecoming. This seemingly left the actress befuddled, resulting in Favreau telling her that they filmed the movie together. Paltrow insisted that she did not appear in Homecoming, adding that she was in Avengers."We weren’t in Spider-Man...No. I was in Avengers," she said.However, the actress seemed to recall the movie after Favreau explained her scene, exclaiming, "That was Spider-Man? Oh my God!" According to People Magazine, Spider-Man star Tom Holland jokingly said Paltrow forgetting she was in Homecoming "broke [his] heart" during the press tour for Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019.Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow revealed her confusion stemmed from never having watched Homecoming, which she admitted during her interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2019. Paltrow's confusion over MCU follows her to this day, and the actress was surprised to find out that she was in seven Marvel movies during a May 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, saying, "That can’t be right."Gwyneth Paltrow at the Los Angeles World Premiere Of "Avengers: Endgame" (Image via Getty)Gwyneth Paltrow also revisited her forgetting her Homecoming cameo in the interview, adding that Marvel kept all their projects "top secret.""They keep it all very top secret, you know. They think they’re the CIA or something over there. That it’s like national secrets. Like who’s doing what and who. That’s why I didn’t know I was in ‘Spider-Man!’ ‘Cause they never said. There were no signs that said ‘Spider-Man’. The script didn’t say ‘Spider-Man’. It’s all a secret," she said.Gwyneth Paltrow's upcoming film, Marty Supreme, is scheduled for release on December 25, 2025. The movie, directed by Josh Safdie, also stars Timothée Chalamet, Tyler, the Creator, and Odessa A'zion.