The MCU’s Spider-Man developed a close relationship with Iron Man, but another character was almost the young hero’s mentor instead. When it was confirmed that the MCU could finally include Spider-Man, Marvel knew that their adaptation of Peter Parker would have to stay true to the comic character while also standing out from the past live-action versions of Spider-Man. We got Tom Holland’s take on the character as a result, and there are plenty of Spider-Man elements that Marvel got just right.

In Spider-Man’s MCU solo debut, Marvel decided to skip Peter’s origin story and have him start Spider-Man: Homecoming with his powers already. However, that didn’t mean that he was already an expert at the superhero life. Peter was inexperienced in his early MCU days, often taking on more than he could handle. In a slightly different take on his story, Marvel ended up providing a mentor for him to work with in the MCU. This character shaped much of Spider-Man’s story, and it’s interesting to think about how different it could’ve been if another character had stepped up instead.

Spider-Man’s Early MCU Stories Focused Around Iron Man Being His Mentor

The Duo First Met In Captain America: Civil War

Holland’s Spider-Man first debuted in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. He ultimately only played a minor role, but Tony is shown going out of his way to recruit Peter to his side. Tony is well aware of Peter’s talent and sees something in the developing superhero despite him being rough around the edges. He trusted Spider-Man enough to believe that he could handle his own during the fight against Captain America’s team and knew when to put his foot down when things were getting out of hand.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter spent most of the film trying to prove himself to Tony. He wanted more responsibilities after getting a taste of life with the Avengers, but ultimately ended the film learning his place thanks to Tony’s guidance. Peter trusted Tony so much that he followed him into space in Avengers: Infinity War, then fought Thanos alongside him in Endgame. Iron Man’s death shook Peter greatly, as he felt like he lost both a mentor and a father figure. Seeing Peter’s grief just proved how close they grew, and showed how much Tony truly taught him.

The MCU Almost Made Another Marvel Character Spider-Man’s Mentor

Nick Fury Almost Played Tony’s Role In Peter’s Life

Iron Man always seemed like the obvious choice for Spider-Man’s mentor. He had more than enough money and resources to help him out, and Tony always enjoyed individuals who shared the same engineering brain as him. However, another Marvel character was almost made Peter’s mentor instead, and it would’ve changed the character greatly. In a 2019 interview with USA Today just a few months ahead of Far From Home’s release, director Jon Watts talked about his initial idea to make Nick Fury Spider-Man’s mentor. Read his full quote below:

“Part of my pitch for the very first movie was bringing Nick Fury in and making him the mean subsтιтute teacher.”

Spider-Man: Far From Home takes place just after Tony’s Endgame death, meaning that Spider-Man was thrust into the world alone for the first time in a while. Fury does step up in a way, guiding Peter through the adult hero responsibilities that he previously desired. Peter’s innocence as a kid really comes through against Fury’s serious demeanor, yet it was the dynamic he needed while he was still grieving Tony. It’s interesting to think about how different Peter would’ve been if Fury had been his mentor from the beginning.

How Nick Fury Being Spider-Man’s Mentor Instead Of Iron Man Would Have Changed His MCU Story

Fury Would’ve Pushed Peter In A Different Way

The reason why Iron Man worked as Spider-Man’s mentor is because their chemistry felt natural. It would make sense for Tony to keep tabs on a genius inventor like Peter, and their mentor-mentee relationship in Spider-Man: Homecoming progressed naturally from the events of Captain America: Civil War. Watts said himself that Fury would’ve been a more strict, “mean subsтιтute teacher” sort of mentor, which possibly would’ve taken the whimsy and innocence out of Peter’s character.

Spider-Man was at the point in his hero life where he needed an adult figure who would encourage him to push himself, yet reel him back when he got out of control. This is where Tony’s “fun uncle” vibe worked better than Fury’s “mean subsтιтute teacher” energy could’ve ever had, and it shaped the current MCU Spider-Man that we now know and love. Now that he’s alone, he’s learning to step up thanks to the lessons that Tony taught him, and it would’ve been unlikely for Fury to ever get through to him in the same way.