Summary
- Spider-Man: No Way Home justifies Spider-Man being seen as Iron Man’s sidekick in the early MCU by establishing close relationships with other heroes before the memory-erasing spell, making it more tragic.
- The MCU’s first Spider-Man trilogy explored Peter Parker’s origin story and isolated him for future stories, giving him time to hone his craft and learn from his mistakes. This means Spider-Man won’t be a sidekick in future projects, but a well-established solo superhero.
- Spider-Man 4 can further fix the complaint by focusing on a street-level, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, cementing the fact that he no longer needs older superheroes to carry the weight of his stories.
Until Spider-Man: No Way Home, one major complaint aimed at the MCU’s Peter Parker is that he was made Iron Man’s sidekick, but No Way Home may have solved this criticism. After Marvel Studios and Sony struck a deal to integrate Spider-Man into the MCU, Tom Holland made his debut appearance as the wall-crawler in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, taking his place as a member of Team Iron Man as the armored hero head-hunted the teenager and became his mentor. While there was elation about Spider-Man finally being introduced to the MCU, many felt that tying Peter Parker to a prominent hero such as Tony Stark was a mistake.
This criticism was only exacerbated throughout Tom Holland’s first solo trilogy as the MCU’s Spider-Man, as each film included high-profile superheroes acting as mentor-figures to the young web-slinger. Spider-Man: Homecoming included Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark’s Iron Man, while Spider-Man: Far From Home unfolded in the wake of Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame. While Spider-Man: No Way Home replaced Stark with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, the Phase 4 film also took huge strides in justifying why Spider-Man sought the help of more-established superheroes. Spider-Man: No Way Home could have also helped to negate these audience criticisms for Spider-Man’s future storylines in the MCU.
No Way Home Justifies Spider-Man Being Iron Man’s “Sidekick”
Many felt that Spider-Man wasn’t given the chance to explore his own distinct MCU story because he was so closely connected to Iron Man in his earlier adventures, but Spider-Man: No Way Home justified why this was necessary. At the end of No Way Home, Doctor Strange casts a spell that makes everyone forget who Peter Parker is, which leaves Parker completely alone. Since this is the case, it was a good choice to establish close relationships between Spider-Man and other heroes before this spell was cast. Not only does this make the spell more tragic, but may also make it easier for the MCU’s characters to eventually remember him.
No Way Home director Jon Watts revealed in the Spider-Man: No Way Home – The Art of the Movie book that the MCU’s first Spider-Man trilogy explored Holland’s Peter Parker’s full origin story as the wall-crawler, establishing him as a hero but then isolating him ready for future stories. This new origin story for Spider-Man may have been changed significantly from Marvel Comics and previous Spider-Man media, but gave Peter Parker plenty of opportunities to hone his craft, and ultimately learn from his mistakes before his real adventures begin. This likely means that Spider-Man won’t be anybody’s sidekick in future projects, but that he’ll return as a well-established solo superhero.
Spider-Man 4 Can Further Fix The MCU Complaint
Spider-Man 4 is in development at Marvel Studios, and although a release date and story details haven’t yet been confirmed, the project is set to see Tom Holland return as Peter Parker. Spider-Man: No Way Home ended with Parker renting an apartment, designing and stitching a new suit, and listening to police scanners to scout criminal activity. It can be assumed that Spider-Man 4 will pick up with him being a street-level, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, rather than a high-profile Avenger. This will help to further cement the fact that Spider-Man is no longer a sidekick, and doesn’t need older superheroes to carry the weight of his stories.