It’s been a few weeks now since Sony withdrew from their deal with Marvel and dragged Tom Holland’s Spider-Man kicking and screaming out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so superhero fans have had some time to take it in.
Aside from the fact that Marvel has given us the best Spider-Man movies in years, Spidey leaving the MCU will have some major ramifications for the wider world of the franchise. Peter Parker had become deeply immersed in that universe, so here are 10 Ways Spider-Man Leaving Could Affect The Wider MCU.
The Avengers Will Just Pretend Peter Parker Never Existed
We saw Spider-Man fight alongside Earth’s mightiest heroes in the last couple of movies, but the only Avenger he made a lasting connection with is now dead. Characters like Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel will vaguely remember him from their brief interactions, but the MCU seemed to be setting up something bigger for the future. Now, when the Avengers do inevitably assemble again, they’ll all just have to pretend that Spidey doesn’t exist. To a certain extent, we can give Marvel the benefit of the doubt, because we know about the deal, but it’ll stick out like a sore thumb.
Spidey Will Forever Take The Blame For Mysterio’s London Attack
The end of Spider-Man: Far From Home placed the blame for Mysterio’s attack in London on Spider-Man. The video doctored by Mysterio and released via the Daily Bugle made it look as though Spidey orchestrated the attack and then killed a heroic Mysterio in cold blood when he tried to stop him.
Now that Spidey isn’t there to clear his own name and those story threads will never be resolved, it seems as though Spider-Man will just be stuck with the blame for the London attack forever. The cliffhanger seems to have been set up by Marvel as a negotiating tactic that backfired.
New York Has No Underdog Superhero To Look Up To
Spider-Man isn’t the only MCU hero to come from New York, but he is the city’s only “friendly neighborhood” superhero. Doctor Strange has his sights set on protecting the fabric of reality as opposed to the citizens of the Big Apple, while the Avengers are based in New York, but do most of their fighting elsewhere. When they do come to New York, it’s to stave off a large-scale alien invasion. Spidey helps old ladies across the street and retrieves stolen bikes – he’s a hero for the people. He’s the underdog superhero that New Yorkers can look up to, and now, they have no one.
His Budding Relationship With Doctor Strange Is Over Already
A few months before talks broke down between Sony and Marvel and the worst happened, Tom Holland said he’d like to see a team-up with Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. The former is a man of science and the latter is a man of magic; Strange is a lot like Peter’s old mentor Tony Stark; and they already developed an interesting dynamic when they fought alongside each other in Avengers: Infinity War. Spidey and Strange could’ve had a very fun team-up movie, or even a few, but now that Strange is in an MCU that’s missing Spidey, their relationship is already over.
No One Has The E.D.I.T.H. Technology
Spider-Man: Far From Home introduced us to the E.D.I.T.H. technology created by Tony Stark. It has links to missiles, satellites, government records – lots of lucrative stuff. Tony gave it to Peter after he died, but then Peter proceeded to give it to Quentin Beck almost immediately. Beck’s team were shown downloading the E.D.I.T.H. technology onto a hard drive, while Peter managed to get it back from Beck following the final battle in London. With Spider-Man out of the MCU and all of his villains likely getting swept under the rug, no one in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in possession of the E.D.I.T.H. technology.
There’s No Place For Happy Hogan
With Iron Man’s solo trilogy over, the MCU has been having a tough time finding a place for Happy Hogan. This became especially difficult following Tony Stark’s death. What’s the point in having Tony’s bodyguard as a character when there’s no body left to guard? Luckily, the Spider-Man movies gave him a reason to stick around. Far From Home set him up as a sort of new Uncle Ben figure for Peter Parker, while a burgeoning romantic subplot with Aunt May seemed to ensure that he’d be around for a while. Unfortunately, with Spidey out of the MCU, there may be no place for Happy anymore.
The World Knowing Spider-Man’s Identity Won’t Matter
The mid-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home set up an incredible third solo movie for the character that would continue the MCU’s tradition of giving us Spidey stories we’ve never seen on the big screen before. J. Jonah Jameson revealed Spidey’s true identity to be Peter Parker and framed him for Mysterio’s attack on London.
This would have huge consequences for both Peter and the wider MCU if he was still in the franchise, but if he’s out, then it won’t matter in the slightest. Most of the Avengers already knew his identity, and now, he won’t be there for them to protect him.
Mysterio Will Stay Dead
Mysterio seemed to die at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, but then in the mid-credits scene, he pulled off one last trick from beyond the grave. This character’s whole deal is his use of astounding illusions. Marvel tried to convince us he was a good guy in the trailers before pulling the rug out from under us like he did to Peter. So, maybe they were trying to convince us he was dead so that he could emerge from the shadows as a founding member of the Sinister Six in a post-credits scene following Spider-Man 3. However, now that there will be no Spider-Man 3 in the MCU, he’ll just stay dead.
We Won’t See Ground-Level Response To Major MCU Events
The greatest thing about the Spider-Man movies in the MCU was that they gave us a ground-level view of the major events in the MCU. Characters like Steve Rogers and Tony Stark will view the Sokovia Accords and the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Snap from the perspective of the government or the military. But Peter Parker is just a high school kid from Queens. He’s one of the civilians who get affected by these earth-shattering events. With Spider-Man out of the MCU, we won’t get to see the major events from this street-level perspective anymore, which is a real shame, because it brought a lot to the world-building aspect.
Tony Stark Doesn’t Have A Successor
It was a framed picture of Peter Parker that inspired Tony Stark to invent time travel and join the Avengers in their quest to bring back all their “dusted” comrades. That quest would end with Tony dying, but at least Peter was saved, as he planned, and he could live on as his successor. Tony spent his life obsessed with the idea of legacy, and what he would leave behind for future generations. Spider-Man: Far From Home set up Peter to be “the next Tony Stark,” who would lead the MCU’s next saga, and now, Tony doesn’t have a successor, which is the greatest shame of the Sony/Marvel split.
