With online videos of the incident now viral on social media, fans were happy to declare that chivalry isn’t quite dead yet. (Also read: Wedding bells ahead for Zendaya, Tom Holland in 2025? Couple’s families ‘big cheerleaders’ of relationship)

In a real-life translation of Spidey saving MJ, TomDaya were initially seen walking hand-in-hand until they were split up, leaving the Dune actress alone in a cramped circle packed by overzealous photographers clicking her pictures as fans crowded the place, asking for autographs.

Finding his way back to his girlfriend, Holland butted his way in to protect her from further getting mobbed. He’s heard sounding an alarm of disapproval, “No, no, no,” as he pushed his way through the unrelenting crowd to pull Zendaya out. Tom eventually grabs hold of her hand as they finally make their way inside the event venue.

The Spider-Man “power” couple was spotted in twinning burgundy outfits for the night as they had hit the town in a rare joint public appearance for the launch of BERO. TomDaya have especially been known for keeping a low profile. The one time the pair did step up together for the first time in a long while, the Internet couldn’t keep calm.

Fans react to Tom Holland rescuing Zendaya from paparazzi

While some exclaimed that they weren’t aware of the Uncharted actor’s impressive game,” others hailed him as a bearer of “positive masculinity.”

Despite the fast-moving video, some even caught a glimpse of Zendaya flashing a smile as Tom came to her rescue. “You can tell she loves him by the way she smiles,” wrote a user on X, formerly Twitter.

Quite a few Spider-Man enthusiasts noted how “all spidermen hate the razzi,” plugging in old pictures of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s brush with the photographers. Another fan chimed in, “The trilogy is complete. It was his destiny.”

Meanwhile, a significant amount of backlash arose against the security, which turned out to be rather ineffective in the heated moment. However, it still didn’t stop Tom’s protective instincts to kick in. “Oh he don’t plaaaaaay about his boo!!!!” someone commented under a video of the incident circulating on X.

More like-minded responses followed. “Security wasn’t doing a damn so he took matters into his own hands. Real,” another person wrote. A third added, “Why they acting like Tom need to chill? Lol his security need to be way better.”

Tom Holland and Zendaya on being protective of their relationship and issues with paps

In 2021, Holland got candid about paparazzi pics of him and Zendaya kissing, which basically outed their relationship to the world before they went public about it. “One of the downsides of our fame is that privacy isn’t really in our control anymore, and a moment that you think is between two people that love each other very much is now a moment that is shared with the entire world,” he told GQ at the time. Both actors are renowned for keeping their personal lives private. Holland was vocal about how they both “felt robbed” of their privacy after those paparazzi snaps kicked off a viral chain reaction online, prompting speculations and whatnot.

The media outlet also spoke with Zendaya about the incident. The Disney star emphasised that the situation was “quite strange and weird and confusing and invasive.” Consequently, fans noted that the latest incident in NYC may have also conjured up unsavoury afterthoughts in the couple’s mind. “I love how he pushed them away from her and it was also shocking how the paparazzi where trying to ‘console’ her. And security should be beefed up so that such nasty people can’t even get close,” an X user weighed in. Another one pointed out, “I think cuz Zendaya such a sweetheart that she doesn’t know how to say no so it’s prolly so refreshing for her to have a man say no for her lol.”

In 2023, Holland reiterated that he and Zendaya are “incredibly protective” of their relationship. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “Our relationship is something that we are incredibly protective of and we want to keep as sacred as possible. We don’t think that we owe it to anyone, it’s our thing, and it has nothing to do with our careers.”