Spider-Man: Homecoming Originally Gave Peter A Different MCU Mentor, And The Story Would Have Been Wild

As a longtime fan of Spider-Man, I can honestly say that I love the way Tom Holland’s portrayal has been handled in the Marvel movies in order so far. Inducting him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: Civil War and seeing him interact with the Avengers was a brilliant move, and his trilogy of solo flicks is a slam-dunk as far as I am concerned. As a result, Peter Parker’s fourth MCU adventure, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is easily among the upcoming Marvel movies I am anticipating the most.

However, it is crazy to think about just how different Holland’s Spider-Man movies could have been if one of Jon Watts’ original ideas for 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming had not been scrapped. Instead of making Tony “Iron Man” Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) the teen superhero’s mentor, the director had another important Marvel character in mind that would have created a whole different kind of dynamic. Did Watts and Marvel Studios make the right call by leaving this concept on the cutting room floor for Peter Parker’s first solo MCU outing? Read on and decide for yourself.

Nick Fury Was Going To Be Peter Parker's "Mean Substitute Teacher"

Prior to the official release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Jon Watts revealed to io9 that, before incorporating Tony Stark into the story, he was hoping to bring back Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and team him up with Peter Parker instead. Two years later, while promoting Spider-Man: Far From Home, the filmmaker would further elaborate on his vision for this concept with the following quote from USA Today:

Earlier in that same 2019 interview, Watts compares and contrasts Stark’s relationship with Peter to that of Fury’s with the webslinger. He refers to the “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” as a “cool uncle,” while the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D. serves as something of a cruel stepfather. These drastically differing dynamics certainly were key to making Spider-Man: Homecoming and its first sequel entertainingly unique from one another, among other things, of course.

What Does Watts Mean By "Mean Substitute Teacher"?

You know, Jon Watts’ comment about making Nick Fury Peter’s “mean substitute teacher” in Spider-Man: Homecoming actually has me a little confused. I mean, is this meant to be taken figuratively and nothing more than a way to describe the character’s more demanding approach to mentoring Peter Parker? Or does he mean it literally, like how a post by the Instagram account Marvel True Facts interprets the quote as saying Fury would have kept tabs on Peter by going undercover at his high school?

I cannot find any direct quotes from Watts to confirm one or the other, but if the latter were true, that would have resulted in some crazy high school movie hijinks. Just imagine Fury, who would have been a well-known figure at this point as the man who brought the Avengers together, trying to blend in among the faculty. I can see him now, disguised under a short-sleeved dress shirt and tie and maybe a toupee. I assume he would also need a contact lens to hide his damaged eye, since the eyepatch would easily give him away.

The more I think about it, I cannot imagine this is actually what Watts meant. The hoops that Fury might have to jump through in order to pose as a substitute teacher without getting caught would be next to impossible. Plus, an undercover op such as this does not sound like his style, although it could have made Homecoming into one of the funniest superhero movies of all time if done right.

I'm Glad Tony Stark Ended Up Being Peter's Mentor

Overall, regardless of what the full intentions of Nick Fury’s ultimately scrapped role in Spider-Man: Homecoming would have been, I think most would agree that bringing in Tony Stark was the absolute right decision. For starters, it seems like the natural way of things to see the film continue to follow their relationship beyond their initial meeting in Civil War, which was already boasting “mentor-mentee” vibes by the way the veteran vigilante trusted him to help with his battle against Steve Rogers (Chris Evans).

On top of that, dialing back to Watts’ description of Stark as a “cool uncle” to Peter, that is the exact type of adult figure the teenager needed at that point in his life. We never saw Holland’s iteration of the character lose his Uncle Ben, since both the Sam Raimi movies and 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man had their own interpretations of that pivotal tragedy. However, its implied effects on him were clear in the actor’s portrayal, and seeing Iron Man show him the support he craved at that time made for a satisfying dynamic.

Plus, let’s not forget that, if Homecoming had not established Stark as Peter’s father figure, we might not have gotten the now iconic, heartbreaking moment from Avengers: Infinity War ending when they embrace right before Thanos’ snap causes Spider-Man to dissolve out of existence. And, of course, that led to their heartwarming reunion in Avengers: Endgame, bringing this deeply important MCU relationship full circle.

While I can certainly understand Watts’ desire to make a movie with Nick Fury and work with the Samuel L. Jackson, I would say it was best for the franchise to save that collaboration for the sequel. I also think most would agree that the Oscar nominee certainly brought the proposed “mean substitute teacher” energy to the screen when that time came.

Then again, as revealed in the Far From Home post-credits sequence, Peter was never actually talking to the real Fury, but his Skrull ally Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), but that’s beside the point. Maybe, at some point in the future, we will see another upcoming superhero movie that will officially bring these heroes together.