MCU What If...? - 10 Biggest Takeaways From Episode 5
7. Uncle Ben
One of the biggest challenges in bringing Spider-Man into the MCU was that it would be the third different iteration of the hero in less than ten years. Everyone knew his backstory, and had seen it on the big screen twice in recent years, it simply didn’t need to be told again.
Marvel Studios got around this issue perfectly, as Peter Parker was given something of a soft origin story in Captain America: Civil War. He already had his powers, and the spider bite wasn’t alluded to until Homecoming a year later, and even then, it was only mentioned in passing.
One huge aspect of Peter’s backstory that has been absent ever since his 2016 debut is his Uncle Ben. Again, this was hinted at when Peter referenced everything that Aunt May has been through, but never has the name been spoken or the character confirmed. This changed with What If…? in episode five.
Peter Parker reeled off a list of everyone that he has lost including his parents, his Aunt May, and Tony Stark, and for the first time in his MCU life, Peter finally spoke about his Uncle Ben, even if it was something as little as just speaking his name.