Spider-Man as we know him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is no more, as a new reveal related to Uncle Ben changes a core aspect of the character, rewriting the franchise’s version of Peter Parker in a major way. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man franchise is filled with characters from the larger MCU, as well as villains and supporting players from Spider-Man’s Marvel Comics corner.
For instance, Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s cast will introduce Spidey villains like Tombstone, Boomerang, Tarantula, and more, while also bringing back heroes like Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Jon Bernthal’s Punisher. The MCU Spider-Man franchise has always operated like that. However, one of the biggest Spider-Man-related characters from the comics has never appeared in the films, though a different version of him was mentioned.
Uncle Ben was in both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man movie franchises. However, the iconic character was nowhere to be seen in Holland’s first MCU movie trilogy. That made sense, as audiences caught up with Peter in Captain America: Civil War after he had already been active as Spider-Man for months. That suggested Uncle Ben had already died. Then, in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Maguire and Garfield’s Peters mentioned their Uncle Bens.
Friendly Neighborhood Assessment · MCU Era
Tom Holland’s
Spider-Man Trivia
🏠Homecoming2017
✈️Far From Home2019
🌌No Way Home2021
😈VillainsSinister…
🤖MCUAvengers
THWIP! LET’S GO →
01
Before getting his own solo film, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker made his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut by being recruited by Tony Stark to help in a massive superhero conflict. In which MCU film did Holland first appear as Spider-Man?
AAvengers: Age of Ultron
BCaptain America: Civil War
CSpider-Man: Homecoming
DAvengers: Infinity War
✓ Correct! Tom Holland first appeared as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War (2016), where Tony Stark visits Peter in Queens and recruits him for the airport battle against Team Cap. His quippy, starstruck portrayal instantly won over audiences.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Captain America: Civil War. Holland debuted in the 2016 film before Homecoming (2017). He was recruited by Tony Stark for the iconic airport fight scene, stealing Captain America’s shield with his webs in one of the film’s most memorable moments.
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02
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter faces a blue-collar salvage contractor who turned to arms dealing after being shut out of the Chitauri cleanup by Damage Control. Using an alien-tech wingsuit, he becomes one of Spider-Man’s most grounded villains. Who is he?
AThe Vulture (Adrian Toomes)
BThe Shocker (Herman Schultz)
CThe Scorpion (Mac Gargan)
DThe Tinkerer (Phineas Mason)
✓ Correct! Adrian Toomes, played brilliantly by Michael Keaton, is the Vulture — a working-class father who builds a criminal empire selling alien-derived weapons. The twist that he’s the father of Peter’s date Liz is one of the MCU’s best surprises.
✗ Web miss! The answer is The Vulture (Adrian Toomes). The Shocker and Tinkerer are his henchmen in the film, and Scorpion (Mac Gargan) only briefly appears. Toomes is the main antagonist who personally confronts Peter in the unforgettable car ride scene.
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03
Tony Stark built Peter a high-tech suit loaded with features Peter didn’t even know about, including an AI assistant that helps him in combat, provides tactical analysis, and even gives dating advice. What name does Peter give this AI?
AFriday
BEdith
CKaren
DJocasta
✓ Correct! Peter names his suit’s AI “Karen,” voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She assists him with web shooter modes, reconnaissance, and even his love life. Friday is Tony Stark’s AI, and E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark satellite system that appears in Far From Home.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Karen. Friday is Tony Stark’s personal AI, E.D.I.T.H. is the Stark defense satellite Peter inherits in Far From Home, and Jocasta is an AI from the comics. Karen, voiced by Jennifer Connelly, is Peter’s suit assistant throughout Homecoming.
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04
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter encounters a seemingly heroic figure who claims to be from an alternate Earth, battling elemental creatures across Europe. In reality, he’s a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee using advanced holographic drones. What is his real name?
AWilliam Ginter Riva
BAldrich Killian
CJustin Hammer
DQuentin Beck
✓ Correct! Quentin Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, is Mysterio — a master of illusion who uses Stark Industries’ B.A.R.F. holographic technology and weaponized drones to fabricate the Elementals and pose as a hero. His final act of revenge shapes the entire third film.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Quentin Beck. William Ginter Riva is one of Beck’s team members, Aldrich Killian is the villain of Iron Man 3, and Justin Hammer is from Iron Man 2. Beck is Mysterio, the illusionist who manipulated Peter’s trust across Europe.
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05
In one of the MCU’s most shocking mid-credits scenes, J. Jonah Jameson broadcasts doctored footage from Mysterio’s final moments that completely upends Peter Parker’s life. What does this broadcast reveal to the entire world?
AThat Spider-Man killed Mysterio in cold blood
BThat Spider-Man is Peter Parker
CThat Spider-Man is a Skrull impersonator
DThat Spider-Man commanded the drone attack on London
✓ Correct! Mysterio’s doctored footage, broadcast by J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons reprising his iconic role), exposes Spider-Man’s identity as Peter Parker to the entire world. This revelation drives the entire plot of No Way Home as Peter desperately seeks to undo the damage.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While the footage also frames Spider-Man for the London drone attack, the earth-shattering reveal is Peter’s unmasked identity being broadcast globally by The Daily Bugle’s J. Jonah Jameson.
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06
With his identity exposed and his loved ones under threat, Peter seeks help from a powerful sorcerer to cast a spell that would make the world forget he is Spider-Man. Peter’s constant modifications to the spell cause it to fracture the multiverse. Which sorcerer casts this spell?
AWong
BWanda Maximoff
CDoctor Strange
DKarl Mordo
✓ Correct! Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) casts the memory-wiping spell at Peter’s request, but Peter keeps asking for exceptions — for MJ, Ned, May, and Happy to still remember him. These constant changes corrupt the spell and tear open the multiverse, pulling in villains from other Spider-Man universes.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Doctor Strange. While Wong is the Sorcerer Supreme and actually warns Strange against it, it is Stephen Strange who agrees to cast the spell. Wanda’s multiverse interference occurs in Multiverse of Madness, not here.
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07
Throughout all three films, Peter’s loyal best friend serves as his “guy in the chair,” helping with tech support and keeping his secret. In No Way Home, this character even discovers he can open magical portals using a Sling Ring. Who is Peter’s best friend?
ANed Leeds
BFlash Thompson
CHarry Osborn
DMiles Morales
✓ Correct! Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, is Peter’s best friend and self-proclaimed “guy in the chair.” He discovers Peter’s secret identity in Homecoming, supports him across all three films, and in No Way Home he accidentally uses Doctor Strange’s Sling Ring to open portals to other Spider-Men.
✗ Web miss! The answer is Ned Leeds. Flash Thompson is Peter’s rival and bully who ironically idolizes Spider-Man. Harry Osborn is Peter’s friend in the Raimi and Webb films but doesn’t appear in Holland’s trilogy. Miles Morales is only hinted at. Ned is the irreplaceable “guy in the chair.”
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08
At the emotional climax of No Way Home, Peter makes an enormous personal sacrifice to save the multiverse. Doctor Strange completes the spell, and when it takes effect, Peter is left completely alone. What does the final spell do?
AIt sends Peter to an alternate universe where no one knows him
BIt erases Spider-Man from existence entirely
CIt removes Peter’s spider powers permanently
DIt makes everyone in every universe forget who Peter Parker is
✓ Correct! The final spell makes every person in every universe forget that Peter Parker exists. MJ, Ned, Happy, the Avengers — everyone. Peter visits MJ at the coffee shop afterward but decides not to re-introduce himself, choosing to protect them. He starts over completely alone, sewing his own suit in a small apartment.
✗ Web miss! The answer is that everyone forgets who Peter Parker is. The spell doesn’t erase Spider-Man — people still know the hero exists — but nobody remembers Peter Parker the person. This devastating sacrifice means MJ, Ned, and even Happy Hogan have no memory of him at all.
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↻ SWING AGAIN
Now, the character is part of another major MCU moment, but not on-screen. Talking to CBR in celebration of Captain America: Civil War’s 10th anniversary, the Russo Brothers revealed a shocking change to Spider-Man’s origin story in the MCU. According to Joe Russo, “No, he wasn’t responsible for Uncle Ben’s death.” The director claims that if that were the case, Holland’s Spider-Man would be more intense than he is. The reveal changes everything.
Marvel’s Reveal Means Uncle Ben’s Death Does Not Impact Spider-Man The Same Way
In the source material, the live-action adaptations before the MCU, and more, Uncle Ben is directly responsible for the fact that Peter becomes Spider-Man. The character is meant not to use his powers with responsibility at first, which in turn ends up leading to Ben’s death, and Peter subsequently changes his ways to honor his uncle and be the person he thought the young character could be. The MCU officially does away with that core part of what makes Spider-Man who he is.
Marvel had already revealed only little information about Spider-Man’s origin in the MCU, as Peter getting bitten, Uncle Ben’s death, and more were not shown on-screen. Now, it turns out that the guilt that was supposed to get Peter to turn into Spider-Man in the first place was never there. As such, we simply have no idea how Uncle Ben’s death played out, the impact it had on Peter, and what exactly made him become Spider-Man. Additionally, the Russo Brothers’ reveal only diminishes Uncle Ben’s role in the MCU, which was never much to talk about, even further.
The MCU Replaced Uncle Ben’s Defining Spider-Man Moment With The Perfect Character
Aunt May death in Spider-Man: No Way Home
Now, it makes even more sense that Marvel Studios and Sony chose to give Uncle Ben’s most important moment in Peter Parker’s life to another character, Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May. She was the one by Peter’s side every step of the way in the MCU. Holland’s Marvel hero was responsible for her death in a way, as he tried to help cure the villains in Spider-Man: No Way Home instead of just sending them back to their universes like Doctor Strange wanted to. As such, Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin was in the MCU long enough to kill Aunt May.
As Aunt May died, she passed on the MCU’s version of Uncle Ben’s iconic quote to Holland’s Spider-Man, saying, “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.” May taking on Ben’s role in the MCU is fitting, as their connection in the comics and other adaptations makes her the perfect replacement for the unseen character. Additionally, by uttering those words in the movie that precedes Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Aunt May’s death fulfills the same role as Uncle Ben’s. It ushers in a new chapter in Peter’s life, with him firmly embracing what it means to be Spider-Man.
TV Show(s)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Inhumans, WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Secret Invasion, Marvel’s Echo, Agatha All Along, Ironheart, Daredevil: Born Again, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Cast
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Brie Larson, Chadwick Boseman, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Clark Gregg, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Simu Liu, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Angelina Jolie, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan, Ma Dong-seok, Brian Tyree Henry, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Lia McHugh, Jonathan Majors
Upcoming Films
Blade, Avengers: Doomsday (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars