Warning! This article contains major SPOILERS for Daredevil: Born AgainDaredevil: Born Again just confirmed a harsh reality: even the MCU’s Spider-Man isn’t safe. It’s fair to say that Tom Holland’s wall-crawler has encountered a far greater threat than his live-action predecessors after going toe-to-toe with the MCU’s most formidable villain yet, Thanos, in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. While this might suggest that he is more than qualified to take on cosmic threats capable of wiping out half of the universe, he was subsequently humbled by such tech-wielding street-level villains as Mysterio and Green Goblin in Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home, respectively.
Spider-Man is due to return in Spider-Man 4 in 2026. Its proximity to Avengers: Doomsday hints that this won’t be the street-level adventure many had hoped for, though details about the story, including which villain Spidey will face, are still forthcoming. Whatever the case, there are several indications that Spider-Man is no Wolverine, and while his power-set places him among the MCU’s most powerful superheroes, Daredevil: Born Again helps to prove how easy it would be to cut Spider-Man’s MCU career brutally short.
Daredevil: Born Again Just Confirmed How Vulnerable Superheroes Can Be
Most Superpowers Can’t Stop A Bullet To The Head
Daredevil: Born Again revealed that there are even more New York-based vigilantes in the MCU to bolster the ranks of such mainstays as Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Doctor Strange. This has formed the basis for Wilson Fisk’s political career as he begins rallying against vigilantism, stoking public disdain for the practice. This culminated in a tragic end to Daredevil: Born Again episode 3, where the noble vigilante veteran, White Tiger, was executed seemingly at Fisk’s behest. His murder was shockingly efficient, with a single gunsH๏τ to the head being all it took to permanently remove White Tiger from the picture.
White Tiger met a similar end in Marvel Comics, except he was sH๏τ on the steps of the courtroom after losing his trial and attempting to escape.
What’s more shocking, however, is that Daredevil: Born Again was sure to establish that White Tiger has superpowers granted to him by the amulet he was wearing. This sets a terrifying precedent, as the show reminds us that nobody except the likes of ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool and Wolverine can survive a bullet to the head. Sure, Spidey’s “Peter tingle” is explicitly designed to shield him from such surprises, but with characters like Mysterio and Green Goblin proving that this doesn’t make him omniscient, it’s easier than ever to fathom the possibility of just one well-placed bullet writing him out of the MCU.
Spider-Man’s Secret Idenтιтy Is Even More Necessary After No Way Home
Green Goblin Proved That Villains Will Target People Spider-Man Cares About
Spider-Man: No Way Home also ended tragically, as Peter Parker accepted complete anonymity after Doctor Strange unleashed the full force of the Runes of Kof-Kol. Despite promising MJ and Ned that he would remind them of his idenтιтy after the spell, reflecting on the danger his loved ones were placed in as a result of his idenтιтy being made public caused him to refrain. As heart-wrenching as this decision was, it was a wise move from Peter Parker and indicative of his maturity now that he is entering adulthood.
Green Goblin aimed straight at the heart of Peter Parker’s vulnerability, Aunt May, after recognizing the depth of their bond – which is a move that plenty like him will be quick to replicate. This threat could also expand to an army of regular citizens, as Fisk is helping to prove by stirring up anti-vigilante sentiment. Even if Spider-Man’s incredible powers helped to shield him from danger directly, those he cares about, like MJ and Ned, would not be so easily protected.
Sadly, Daredevil: Born Again Makes A Reverse Of No Way Home’s Spell Even Less Likely
New York Is An Even More Perilous Place For Vigilantes
The extrajudicial killing of White Tiger could encourage copycats. Fisk’s dogged campaign to vilify vigilantes in the public eye, meanwhile, makes the environment even less hospitable for Spider-Man to divulge his idenтιтy to anyone. As the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home painfully illustrated, Peter Parker has never been so alone, but any attempts to remedy his loneliness in the wake of his fateful decision would be extremely ill-advised. Now more than ever, Spider-Man should embrace his newfound anonymity.
It would be a somewhat refreshing about-face for the MCU to embrace superhero anonymity in the wake of Fisk’s rise to power and his anti-vigilante sentiment.
It would be a somewhat refreshing about-face for the MCU to embrace superhero anonymity in the wake of Fisk’s rise to power and his anti-vigilante sentiment. It would be a stark indication of how the MCU is being turned on its head as vigilantes like Spider-Man re-embrace anonymity after the MCU began with Tony Stark’s self-exposure as Iron Man. Whatever the case, as the implications of Fisk’s rule continue to unfurl in Daredevil: Born Again, hope remains that Spider-Man can survive them should they affect his next appearance in Spider-Man 4.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday (2026)
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MCU Spider-Man 4
- Release Date
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July 24, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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May 7, 2027