10 Ways Spider-Man Leaving The MCU Is Secretly Great

8. The Iron Man Connection Is Finished

Iron Man's relationship with Spider-Man was something of a double edged sword for the MCU.

On the one hand, it was great to see Stark as a mentor and Peter as the kid obviously eager to impress him. It also managed to cleverly subvert the Uncle Ben expectation with Stark's passing in Avengers: Endgame too, adding a heart-wrenching dynamic to Iron Man's final act on the silver screen. On the other, Robert Downey Jr's character largely overshadowed Peter everywhere he went, to the point where it's actually possible to argue that both films were pretty much all about Tony's legacy, and how they impacted people for better or for worse.

Any future Spider-Man film that brings back Vulture or picks up where Mysterio left off is going to have a problem on its hands when it comes to their respective motivations (as they both tie to Tony Stark), but for Peter specifically, having him move on from his old mentor could be a major boost.

For all that the new Spider-Man films have been able to try something new, they've also pushed integral aspects of the character to the back-burner; his relationship with Aunt May, his wider supporting cast and even his own working-class background have all been pushed to the periphery. That can all change without the MCU to think about, and the character would be much better for it.