The MCU’s Spider-Man has often found himself working with other Marvel heroes, who often act as a mentor to the young crime fighter. The dynamic has repeatedly worked well, especially with Iron Man in Spider-Man Homecoming, to the extent that the trend has become a recurring one across the entire Tom Holland-led trilogy.
Whilst the next film will likely see a more mature but tortured version of Peter (due to the sacrifice he made at the end of No Way Home), he’s going to need help from a familiar face to get back on track, so to speak. There are a lot of characters in the MCU who could act as a mentor figure for Spidey, from Captain Marvel to Wolverine. Some may be better role models than others but all of them have qualities that Peter could learn and grow from (even Deadpool could teach him a thing or two) so we’ve compiled a list of candidates most likely to appear in Spider-Man’s next adventure.
Daredevil
Spider-Man is yet to work with another street-level hero. This could be the perfect opportunity for the writers at Marvel to bring Peter away from the grandiose, Earth-saving battles that he’s frequently found himself involved in the MCU so far. Working side by side with Matt Murdock would definitely make for one hell of an entertaining movie. It makes sense that the characters should bump into each other as they both reside in New York and Peter’s already met Murdock, as he had a little cameo in No Way Home.
Daredevil is returning to the MCU proper next year in the Disney plus series, Daredevil: Born Again. Hopefully, that will set the hero up perfectly to make an appearance alongside Spider-Man in his fourth solo adventure, which will presumably be released sometime after Born Again.
Deadpool
The pair have quite the dynamic in the comics. Whilst they both rose to fame as solo heroes, many fans have come to see Deadpool and Spider-Man as a two-for-one package. They frequently have adventures together, both in the comics and in the Spider-Man Animated Series, so pairing them up in a Spider-Man movie seems like a no-brainer.
Considering that Deadpool will be officially part of the MCU come 2024, there’s never been a better time to give fans what they want and have the merc with a mouth show Spidey the ropes. Of course, he’ll have to be toned down a bit if he’s going to share the screen with one of Marvel’s most beloved heroes, but it will be worth it to see the duo in action.
Sam Wilson
What better hero to help Peter in his time of need than Captain America? A hero who stands for what is right and is able to offer counsel to Spider-Man, who is struggling in a world without friends. Peter fought against him in Captain America: Civil War so it would be interesting to see these two working together. Of course, Sam wouldn’t actually remember that, unless Marvel finds some sort of workaround, (which we have no doubt they’ll be able to find).
Sam’s snarky wit would work great in contrast to Peter’s well-meaning, but also sarcastic personality and we’re sure there are definitely a few things that the two could teach each other.
Captain Marvel
There’s a long-standing fan theory that Carol Danvers still knows who Peter Parker is as Doctor Strange’s spell was planet-wide, and Captain Marvel was off-world at the time, so the spell wouldn’t have affected her. As a result, it would be the perfect setup for her to show up in the next Spider-Man film and act as a friendly face for Peter, who’s been forgotten by the rest of the world.
The kind of adventure the two would be involved in is up for debate, they make quite an unlikely pair, as they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum. Spider-Man deals more with petty criminals and bank robbers, whilst Captain Marvel is often involved in intergalactic conflicts. How Marvel would combine these two polar opposites is anyone’s guess.
Mr. Fantastic
If you don’t count John Krasinski’s version of the character, (which we don’t), then we’ve yet to see Mr. Fantastic make an appearance in the MCU. But after he does finally make his debut, it would be great to see him work alongside Spider-Man. Peter studies Biophysics and Biochemistry in the comics, so it would be logical to have him meet Reed Richards through his college studies. The same way Andrew Garfield’s Peter knew Curt Connors through their interest in science.
We haven’t seen a great deal of Peter’s scientific knowledge, but he is one of the MCU’s smartest heroes. One of the few characters smarter than him is Richards, perhaps he could act as a mentor to Peter Parker, helping him with his college degree and his life rather than helping Spider-Man fight crime. It would be a change to the well-established dynamics of the mentor figures we’ve seen so far.
Wolverine
Another face we’ve yet to see properly in the MCU. Wolverine and Spidey have shared many adventures together in Marvel Comics. The pair couldn’t have more contrasting personalities, but that’s what makes them such a great duo in the comics. Wolverine is a gruff and grizzled brute, preferring to use force, whilst Peter is a smart and sarcastic man who avoids confrontation if possible.
Despite their differences, they have an unbreakable bond in the comics and even become blood brothers after a time-traveling adventure in which each learns more about the other. The pairing is certainly a possibility now that we know Wolverine’s coming to the MCU.
The Human Torch
Due to them being close in age, Johnny Storm would work best as Spider-Man’s equal, both could figure out whatever problem they have together rather than having Spider-Man led by someone more experienced. It would be an interesting shake-up to the usual mentor dynamic.
As Peter finds himself in a new world where nobody knows him, he’s going to need some friends his own age, so maybe it would be the perfect time for him to meet Johnny. Perhaps they meet at college before realizing that they both have superpowers. From there they could go on to work together, fighting crime in New York City.
Ms. Marvel
Just like the Human Torch, Kamala Khan is around the same age as Peter, however, personality-wise, she and Peter are much more alike. Both have very similar interests, as they are into science and are big fans of their fellow superheroes, Kamala looks up to Captain Marvel the same way Peter looked up to Iron Man. At times, their characters almost feel like the same person.
Kamala is still learning about her powers, so maybe Peter could even take the role of the mentor for a change. The pair have already teamed up in the comics before in a story where they both attend the same science demonstration before everything goes wrong and they have to team up. They were a great duo in the comics, and now would be the perfect time to see both characters interact in the MCU.
Hawkeye
Either Clint Barton or Kate Bishop would be a great match for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. Once again, it would allow the Marvel writers to focus on crimes around the city rather than cosmic, world-altering battles. We could even see them face off against Kingpin.
We haven’t really seen much interaction between Hawkeye and Spider-Man yet, so it would be great to see how these two operate together. There’s also the option to have both Kate and Clint fight alongside him and it would develop their story even further after the events of the Hawkeye Disney Plus show.
The Wasp
The Wasp hasn’t had much to do in the MCU thus far, she’s often overshadowed by Ant-Man, especially in Quantumania, where it felt like she was just there, so the audience wouldn’t ask questions. Pairing her up with Spider-Man would be the exact change of environment her character could benefit from. Not to mention that they’ve teamed up in the comics before so it wouldn’t be too weird to see them fighting together in the next Spider-Man film. On top of that, they both share a bug theme so it makes sense, at least thematically, to have them team up.
Does Spider-Man need a mentor?
Some fans have argued that Peter Parker shouldn’t have a mentor in his next film as it has proven detrimental to his character growth at points. Whilst that is a good point, the MCU is a sprawling, inter-connected universe, it’s pretty much a given that another character from another movie or show will pop up in some capacity in any Marvel film. It’s probably unavoidable that Peter will fight alongside another MCU hero at some point in the film. It’s not a bad thing as they can sometimes bring out the best qualities in Spider-Man, for example, his comic run with Wolverine demonstrated his good nature in contrast to Wolverine’s aggression.
When used right, a mentor figure can really allow a character such as Spider-Man to shine. Peter Parker still has a lot to learn and there are plenty of major characters who could continue to guide him along his path in the next film, even if it’s just for a small scene. There’s still plenty of time for us to see a fully matured Peter, at this point in his story he’s still young and inexperienced so it would be great to see him team up with another MCU veteran to fight crime in New York.