Spider-Man IS the Next Iron Man

Note: I will be using em-dashes in this short essay. No, I didn't use AI. It's just my prose.

In Far From Home, a main driving force of Peter's character growth is his reliance on Tony and the perceived need of there being the "next Iron Man". Of course, we know that the next Iron Man doesn't actually mean the next person who'll wear the mantle of Iron Man; it's just a way of saying who's gonna replace Tony's presence in the world—in the way that he's saved, protected, and cared for it. The take away of that film is that Peter really doesn't need to be the next Iron Man, he just needs to be Spider-Man and that's enough. And so it's funny to me that both in-and-out of universe, Peter, simply by being himself, has truly become (is becoming) the next Iron Man.

Let's get IRL stuff out of the way, first. It's clear that Spider-Man films post-Endgame have been the main money maker for the MCU. It shouldn't be surprising for anyone if I were to conclude that Tom Holland's^(1) role in the MCU is closing the gap if not already matching that of RDJ's. For a lot of people, especially the general audience, Tom is already the face of the current saga, much like RDJ was in the previous saga. This is not only true in terms of viewership—it's also true narratively. This is especially true because we're actually lucky to have grown along this Spider-Man in a way that we have never gotten with any other character in the superhero business.

Far From Home was the first film to deal with the immediate consequences of the Snap & Blip, death of Iron Man, and Tony Stark's successor (in universe). Ultimately, the film concluded with the idea that there doesn't need to be one, and that Peter shouldn't try to be either. No Way Home was the first time we saw the Multiverse on the big screen in the form of variants. Great medium to show it too, since Tobey and Andrew weren't just variants in universe, but also IRL with their own films, unlike with Loki or Doctor Strange as we see later on. Perhaps, more importantly, it was also the film that gave us the true origin of Tom's Spider-Man.

Finally, Brand New Day >!sets up Mutants and Mutates (we'll see if the MCU will differentiate between the two), Peter's new role as a mentor/friend/etc. to Jean^(2), and even a potential storyline involving the Universal Inhibitor. People have naturally compared Spidey to Oppenheimer IRL, but we could also compare it to Tony's own experience (ironically, also with Banner's involvement & deterrence) in developing Ultron. Both designed with benevolent intentions in mind—though ultimately being the very thing that they will come to regret most.!<

On to the topic of the future of Spider-Man in the MCU. I hope that by this point I have provided ample evidence of the symmetries between Iron Man and Spider-Man's importance both in-and-out of universe. Aside from that, I think there's a really unique place for Spider-Man in the MCU in the future. In a very literal sense, Spider-Man sits in the middle of the Avengers and the X-Men—as both a Mutate and an old Avenger—potentially being a main player of an Avengers vs X-Men film. He's also both experienced and young enough to both be an idol^(3)/friend/leader for the Young Avengers and Gifted Youngsters, while also being connected to the older Avengers through Bruce, Doctor Strange, Starlord, Happy(?), etc. from previous films. We're not yet there though, we still have to get through Doomsday.

A lot of people are rightly concerned with Doomsday. They see the MCU bringing back RDJ and Chris Evans as a cheap tactic. That might be so, but I would argue that it is a necessary one. A lot of people didn't see Thunderbolts*, Fantastic Four, Brave New World, Love and Thunder, Quantumania, or Loki. And let's face it, they can't make them be the main players of the next film and also hope that they will bring the three billion dollars—if they're not gonna use Spider-Man, they're gonna need something else. More importantly, a cheap tactic doesn't mean it's a bad one. Like Christopher Nolan once said (in a different, but still relevant context), knowing the mechanism does not invalidate it. At the very least, I remain both cautious and optimistic for the future.

I think the current saga is simply a transitionary period that we need to wait out. While Spider-Man has a very clear and meaningful trajectory in his own films, he's largely not been involved in the greater events of the MCU (everybody else, too. We haven't had a big team-up since 2019, go figure.) I don't think Doomsday and Secret Wars are going to be the climax of the MCU like IW and Endgame like many people seem to think. They are meant to be an epilogue of some sorts, tying up the many loose ends from Endgame, while preparing us for a new era of MCU—an era that will, hopefully, have Spider-Man as its lead. You can call it a reboot, but I've avoided that term explicitly due to its negative connotations, and also because I know what the Secret Wars comic books have to offer—and it's a lot more exciting than a simple reboot.

There's also a reason why I don't just think that Spider-Man can be the face of the MCU, but also why I want him to be the one to do it. With the way things are going, I feel like the next saga shouldn't just be themed as "Heroes saving the world", but as "Disparaged, powerful, people in their struggles for self-determination" What is Spider-Man if not both? There is still the problem of politics. Hopefully, Tom's creative control over the character will help to deter Sony from being too greedy. I think the smartest thing Sony can do for the foreseeable future is to let this happen. If Tom Holland really does read what the audience wants from Spider-Man like he says he's done, let this be the one he references in the future. All in all, that's why I think it might not just be a Brand New day for Spider-Man, it might even be a Brand New Day for the MCU.

^(1)I know that Spider-Man as an IP is and has always been bigger than Iron Man. The point is not to argue over whether Tom has brought more to the table than RDJ ever did when it comes to increasing the value of the MCU/their respective characters, only to state that Tom literally has the key to the future of MCU—with him having creative control over Spider-Man.

^(2)Some people see Peter and >!Jean's relationship as potentially being a romantic one. While others vehemently and completely oppose the idea. If nothing else, I think the idea itself could provide interesting story elements to explore in the future: have Jean be conflicted in fighting Peter while the rest of the X-Men hate him due to his Inhibitor; have Jean and Peter complete each other in a way that MJ just can't as a person that doesn't struggle with being "special"; have Peter be the only person ever that Jean can't hop into while simultaneously being the only person to consent to being hopped into; even allow Jean to still have a love triangle if they switch out Wolverine for Peter. It's not canon to the comics, yes, but lots of things in the MCU aren't either. I'm open to it.!<

^(3)Maybe a controversial opinion, but I don't personally feel the need to see Tom be a mentor to a younger Spider-Man/Woman. In the same vein that the next Iron Man is not Iron Man, the next Spider-Man should also not be Spider-Man. A younger Spider-Man/Woman can still exist and come into their own if they adapt Ultimate Spider-Man's storyline. I don't really need to see another variation of Insomniac's Spider-Man or ITSV Spider-Man. I do want to see Spider-Man DIE BRUTALLY, lol. If Tom really wants to be a mentor to someone, I think >!Sadie is already that person.!<