Unlike Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of the Web-Slinger operated in worlds where they were the only superhero around… or at least, the only one in New York City. So we never got to see them cross paths with other famous Marvel crimefighters, such as Iron Man, who shared a close relationship with Holland’s Peter until his death in Avengers: Endgame. However, Garfield believes his version of Peter would be quite suspicious towards the MCU’s Tony Stark.
Andrew Garfield shared his musing while taking part in GQ’s video series on celebrities answering fan questions online. Over on Quora, someone asked how Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man would treat Garfield’s Spider-Man, and the actor responded thusly:
I definitely think Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man would be pretty suspect of MCU Iron Man. I think he would be a little turned off by the excess, the billionaire, trillionaire status of Iron Man. I think it would rub my version of Spider-Man the wrong way. But maybe there could be some influence there. Maybe my Peter Parker could wake Tony Stark up to his own egoic drives a little bit.
So while Tom Holland’s Peter Parker was more than welcome to Tony Stark’s mentoring and advanced technology to up his Spider-Man game, Andrew Garfield believes his Peter would be more weary of Tony’s fame and fortune. That’s not to say that these two wouldn’t ever team up to fight the forces of evil, but Garfield’s Peter would likely be more weary spending any non-costumed time with Iron Man. But hey, like the actor posits, maybe if this Spider-Man spent enough time with Robert Downey Jr’s Tony, the former might be enough of a positive influence to get the latter to change his ways just a bit.
Had Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures been able to work out a deal that incorporated Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man into the MCU, maybe we could have seen such a dynamic on the big screen. Instead, the superhero was rebooted following The Amazing Spider-Man 2, with Tom Holland taking over the role in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Three years later, Tony Stark sacrificed his life to save the universe, so unless Robert Downey Jr. decides one day return to the MCU as a version of Tony from another universe, we won’t see him in this franchise again.
As for Andrew Garfield, despite his continued insistence that he’s not in Spider-Man: No Way Home, many fans are still certain that it’s actually the opposite, and that both he and Tobey Maguire will swing in to aid Tom Holland Spidey. It’s already common knowledge that the threequel will delve into the multiverse thanks to villains like Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus and Jamie Foxx’s Electro causing trouble in the MCU. Originally Garfield was supposed to reprise Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man 3, but following The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s disappointing theatrical run, Sony decides to change tactics and team with Marvel Studios for the next era of this character’s film run.
For now, you can watch Andrew Garfield in the Lin-Manuel Miranda-directed Netflix movie Tick, Tick… Boom!. Spider-Man: No Way Home arrives on December 17, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more news about it and other upcoming Marvel movies.
