Spider-Man: Far From Home: - Is Spidey The New Iron Man We Need?
Is Peter Parker the right hero to succeed the MCU's biggest name?
WARNING : THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR AVENGERS: ENDGAME AND SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
Upon entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was a breath of fresh air. He and those the studio took a character that had lost his way in poor films that did nothing new with the character and revitalised him. Now 3 years later, Peter Parker is an MCU mainstay who has been a key part of one of the largest events in cinematic history.
Having been a vital character in Avengers: Infinity War, Holland was once again given time to shine in Endgame although on an admittedly smaller scale. Following on from this, Spider-Man: Far From Home was tasked with ending Phase 3 of the MCU and boy, has it done a hell of a job?!
It more than manages to live up to the
hype, providing the satisfying end Phase 3 needed without compromising the impact of Endgame. In fact, it dutifully begins tying together
the remaining story threads coming out of that movie and promises many
exciting things for the future.
A key theme in Far From Home is the fallout from the death of Tony Stark. A major question over the whole film - and indeed over the MCU behind-the-scenes - is who will succeed Iron Man’s large metal shoes. For a lot of the film, Peter is wrestling with that legacy and seems to initially come to the conclusion that he needs to be a replacement for Iron Man. Or that someone does.
Despite a rejection of this mantle, Far From Home is still the story of how Spider-Man becomes his true successor - at least in terms of becoming the focal point of the MCU. This is a move that makes perfect sense from a storyline and a business standpoint. In business terms, Spider-Man is easily one of the biggest names Marvel has at their disposal - you need only look at his merch sales for that. This name value will go a long way in replacing the financially lucrative Iron Man and, with Captain Marvel poised to replace Steve Rogers as Marvel’s resident Captain, it’s up to Spider-Man to do the same for his mentor.
From a storyline perspective, this is a move that makes even more sense. Far From Home manages to double down on the subtle hints that have followed Spider-Man since his inception. The journey of Peter Parker in the MCU has many elements that mirror that of Tony Stark’s.
The repeated desire to do good and help people is rooted within both characters, as is the numerous mistakes they make in pursuit of this. Notable examples would be the creation of Ultron by Stark and the relinquishing of the EDITH (Even in Death I’m The Hero) technology to Quentin Beck by Spider-Man. Despite the setbacks, both heroes are never dissuaded from doing what they believe to be right. They are linked throughout Spidey’s time in the MCU; Stark very much being the father figure that Peter so desperately needed and that Tony lacked.
Similarly, Spider-Man shares Stark's inability to walk away from the hero life. As much as they may try, both Peter and Tony seem compelled to do the right thing, no matter the personal cost or how much they may wish to just leave it behind. This is seen when he has everything to lose in Endgame and yet, still, he is unable to walk away. This is the same with Peter. Wish as he might he is unable to walk away.
The intrinsic link between them is again highlighted as Spider-Man seems destined to deal with the fallout of his mentor’s actions. Both villains in both Spider-Man films have been motivated by the actions of Tony Stark and it has been left up to Spider-Man to deal with this. Across these films, the student must pay for the mistakes of the master as he emerges from his shadow and grows to fill the void left by Stark’s death.
Despite the similarities, there are also a few differences between both characters which are worth picking up on. Spider-Man is much more traditionally pure of heart than his predecessor. He is also more earnest and wants to try his utmost to look out for the ‘little guy’. This contrasts greatly with the sardonic privilege of Stark and his habit of dealing principally with world-ending emergencies. However, it is these differences which show Stark what is clear to all of us watching now – Spider-Man could not only match Iron Man but exceed him.
Tony Stark knew this and knew that it would be their differences as well as their similarities which would make Peter Parker the perfect man to replace Tony Stark and condone for his mistakes, both big and small.
Fundamentally, Spider-Man: Far From Home takes Peter on a journey in which he realises that he cannot be the new Iron Man. Peter realises instead that he must act in his own way and forge a new legacy as Spider-Man. It's no accident that we see him - for the first time since he made his first rudimentary "Street Spider-Man" costume - making a suit for himself to his own design and requirements. And there's more to it.
His use of his ‘Peter Tingle’ in the climatic showdown with Mysterio shows how Spider-Man has realised he must be his own hero. Symbolically, he even fights the drones that Tony wanted to bestow upon him as his "new power". This epiphany seems set to shape the next phase of the MCU as we know it as Peter accepts who he is.
Essentially, though Spider-Man isn’t the new Iron Man, he is very much a successor to Tony Stark. The parallels drawn between the two in Far From Home - particularly when Peter creates his new suit - are hard to miss. The epiphany that Peter has shows that he must act as his own individual and as his own hero without being too concerned about the legacy of Iron Man. This is however almost certainly what Tony knew Peter was likely to do having mentored the young hero. Parker's choice to be himself also mirrors Tony Stark who was always true to himself and never attempted to be anything other than what he is.
This shows that the very fact that Peter accepts himself makes him the perfect successor to Iron Man. Tony Stark’s legacy is in good hands and the MCU has found the successor it needs and deserves.