As the resident Spider-Man fanatic on staff here are CinemaBlend, I find myself rewatching all of the Spider-Man movies in order any time I’m surfing and nothing new catches my eye. Just about all of the Spider-Man movies are available to stream (still waiting on you, Spider-Man: No Way Home) and despite arguments that these movies don’t age very well, I find that I’m still discovering new things in the films that evoke strong emotion.
Like this one line of dialogue, for example. It takes place in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it was probably a throwaway, and a reference back to Tony Stark’s past. But when I heard it recently, knowing what eventually happens in the MCU, it hit much harder than I was expecting. The scene happens when Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is airlifted by The Vulture (Michael Keaton) for the first time, and then dropped in a lake. Iron Man rescues him, only, Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) isn’t in the suit. He’s on the other side of the globe… but still lecturing his protege. The scene goes like this:
In an effort to keep young Peter Parker on the straight and narrow, Tony Stark suggests that it’s never too soon to start thinking about college. And he mentions to Peter, almost off the cuff:
I got some pull at M.I.T.
Stark undoubtedly does. We have seen him present at the school, and because of the popularity of his family, and his brand, he no doubt could have easily made one phone call and gotten Peter and his friends into M.I.T.
Except, when it was time for Peter and his friends to apply to college, Tony Stark was dead. He had sacrificed himself to save the planet from Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Peter was by Tony’s side at the end, and then spent the bulk of Spider-Man: Far From Home figuring out how not to become the next Iron Man. It was a tough emotional journey, and one that made Spider-Man: No Way Home even harder.
Take the loss, and Tony’s words, one step further. Let’s say that Stark had survived. He would have been able to get Peter and his friends into M.I.T., and the accusations that kept them OUT of M.I.T. would have been irrelevant, thereby preventing the sorrow waiting for Peter in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Essentially, Peter makes the dangerous spell with Doctor Strange in that movie so that everyone will forget his secret identity, and his friends will be able to go to their dream school. None of that has to happen if Tony were still around to get Pete into his school. The damaging events of No Way Home don’t have to happen. And Parker doesn’t have to sacrifice everything and everyone – including his dear Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) – if only Tony was able to use his “pull” at M.I.T., and help Peter out one last time.
In my humble opinion, Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of the best Spider-Man movies ever made, so having Peter Parker go through that gauntlet to restore balance was worth it, and Tony calling in a recommendation favor wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun. But hearing Stark casually mention his ability to get teenage Parker into college, knowing the pain that search eventually caused Spidey, hit extra hard on the rewatch.
We still have no real idea what is happening with Spider-Man 4, as well as the status of the trilogy capping Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which has a few details made known but also keeps changing things up. Keep it locked on CinemaBlend, though, because the moment we hear anything about upcoming Spider-Man movies, we’ll share the details as soon as possible.
