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There is a common misconception about the relationship between Spider-Man and Iron Man in the MCU that needs to be addressed. So, listen up, folks: The MCU Spider-Man is NOT Iron Man’s sidekick. Allow me to explain why. (Thread)
A sidekick is a person's assistant or close associate, especially one who has less authority than that person.
The sidekick is basically a secondary character. He/she travels with the protagonist and is the main support to the hero/heroine. https://thewritingkylie.com/blog/the-epic-guide-to-character-creation-part-6-sidekick-archetypes
The sidekick is basically a secondary character. He/she travels with the protagonist and is the main support to the hero/heroine. https://thewritingkylie.com/blog/the-epic-guide-to-character-creation-part-6-sidekick-archetypes
Now, some might argue that since Peter occasionally listens to Iron Man’s orders, due to Iron Man having more authority, and because he was a secondary character in CW, IW, and EG, he’s a sidekick, right? Here’s why it’s not that simple.
When we first see Peter Parker in Civil War, he’s already been Spider-Man for 6 months prior to meeting Tony Stark. When Tony meets Peter, he’s there to ask for his help to subdue Captain America and his rogue Avengers. Peter’s hesitate, at first, but he eventually agrees.
People assume that because Peter said that he has to impress Tony, he only cares about Iron Man and wants to be his sidekick. No. He’s trying to impress Tony because this is his audition to try to become a member of the Avengers, the biggest superhero team on the planet.
It’s like when the coach of a football team gives you an opportunity to be the quarterback, so you spend time practicing your plays and enhancing your skills so you have a better chance of joining the team. Hardwork and dedication is the only way to succeed.
So, when we see Peter spend the majority of Homecoming trying to impress Tony by dedicating his time to be Spider-Man, he’s doing it in service of trying to join the Avengers, not be Iron Man Jr, as some fans like to call him.
If you’re trying to achieve a goal, you can’t halfass it and give minimal effort. Tony is the leader of the Avengers (besides Cap) and he has final say on who joins the team. If Peter doesn’t try to do his best, he can’t join the team. Same as trying out for the football team.
But, that doesn’t mean that Peter always listened to Tony. He spent the majority of HC ignoring Tony’s orders not to go after Vulture, since he was the only one who knew how much of a threat he is. Any “subordinate” would’ve listened to Tony and do what he’s told.
But, this showcases Peter’s independence from Tony and shows that he doesn’t just blindly follow orders. Just because Peter is a kid, doesn’t mean he’s going to blindly follow the orders of adults, especially when he knows those orders are wrong.
Even after Tony took back Peter’s suit, he still decides to go after Vulture because it’s simply the right thing to do. If he’d listened to Tony, he’d break his motto of “With great power comes great responsibility”.
And even after achieving his goal and earning a spot on the team, he turns down Tony’s offer to be an Avenger because he sees that the Avengers won’t be there to deal with the smaller problems like Vulture selling weapons in his neighborhood.
Peter is a very independent person. And despite receiving tech from Tony, he’s not Iron Man Jr. simply because he has a suit from Stark. He solves problems his own way, and fights villains his own way without help with Iron Man.
Even when the two team up again in IW, and Tony still calls the shots, Spider-Man is clearly there to help the Avengers defeat Thanos, and not to be Iron Man’s sidekick. Especially since Tony didn’t want him there to begin with.
The only reason why people keep saying that Spider-Man is Iron Man’s sidekick in the MCU is because Tony actively tries to gives Peter orders simply because he’s a kid. He has this mentality of “I’m an adult, so you have to listen to me“.
But, obviously, Peter doesn’t just listen to people just because they’re adults. Peter has his own mind and his own thoughts. He shouldn’t be treated as any lesser of a hero just because of his young age. He’s proven his worth to Tony and the Avengers.
And after realizing that Peter is capable of handling himself and that’s just as much of a hero as his friends, Tony finally decides to treat Peter as an equal and officially make him an Avenger.
Peter doesn’t need his hand held, and he doesn’t need to have other heroes fight his battles for him. If he did, there’d be no point in putting on that suit, and there’d be no point in Tony trusting him to join Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Peter became a hero because he sees it as his responsibility to save lives. Not to be constantly saved by others because he can’t save himself. He’s just as effective in saving people, even more so, than Iron Man. He even saved Tony twice from Cull Obsidian.
Even after being dead for 5 years, he’s ready to get back into the fight and save the universe. It’s here where he’s fully treated as an equal to the other Avengers. Not a sidekick, an Avenger.
Few more things. Peter does not want to be the “next Iron Man” in FFH. The world is asking him to be the next Iron Man. They’re doing that because they believe that Spider-Man is ready to take on the responsibility of protecting the Earth in Tony’s absence.
But, they’re asking him to be someone he’s not. He’s not Iron Man, he’s never going to be Iron Man, and Marvel Studios is not turning him into Iron Man. Making his suit from Stark tech doesn’t solidify him as “Iron Man Jr.”
What it actually does is establish Spider-Man as the new face of the MCU. He’s replacing Tony, not as Iron Man, but as the franchise’s most popular character. After all, Spider-Man is Marvel’s most popular superhero, and Marvel Studios knows this.
And just because Vulture and Mysterio became villains due to the direct/indirect actions of Tony Stark, that doesn’t make them Iron Man villains. They still have a personal connection to Spider-Man. And only used Tony as an excuse to become villains.
In conclusion, Peter and Tony are close in the MCU. But, that doesn’t mean that Tony is Uncle Ben 2.0 or that Peter is Iron Man Jr. They’re simply two superheroes who respect and care about each other. Almost like father and son. And that’s damn fine with me.
