Iron Man And Spider-Man’s Moment In Avengers: Infinity War Is One Of The MCU’s Most Important Scenes

It’s Crucial For Two Compelling Character Arcs

With very few details about Avengers 4 on the ground, we can only guess as to how the remaining heroes will undo Thanos’ “snapture.” As such, Peter Parker’s role in Avengers 4 is very much unknown, but you can bet his passing will be a big part of it.

From playboy to paranoid protector, Iron Man has been on a fascinating character journey since 2008, and Parker plays an important part of that. After he recruited him in Captain America: Civil War, Tony Stark has felt responsibility for the teenager, pivoting between encouraging and curtailing the fledgling hero. Stark hopes that Peter will do some good, but hopes he’ll avoid making the same mistakes he did. Nowhere is that more evident than in that now famous conversation in Homecoming:

“What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? ‘Cause that’s on you. And if you died, I feel like that’s on me. I don’t need that on my conscience.”

In light of Peter’s “dusting” in Infinity War, Stark’s words take on a whole new meaning. Of course, Spider-Man would probably have disintegrated even if he hadn’t stowed away on Ebony Maw’s craft. Yet his death is going to weigh very heavily upon an already traumatized Tony Stark.

The playboy/philanthropist is nursing a whole lot of guilt already, not just from Civil War but from his weapon dealing days. Add the death of his young protégé to that mix and you’ve got a very vengeful Iron Man on your hands. We can only imagine what lengths Stark will now go to rid himself of the “curse” of Thanos. And lord help the Mad Titan if Pepper Potts was among those who faded away in Infinity War…especially if she actually is pregnant! The film may have even set Stark up to make the ultimate sacrifice: to save Peter Parker and the universe at the cost of his own life.

As for Spider-Man himself? Again, this is somewhat dependent on the story of Avengers 4. Yet it’s doubtful that he – and the millions of others who were wiped out by Thanos – will forget those events in a hurry. Indeed, with Homecoming’s sequel occurring mere minutes after the end of Avengers 4, it seems that Spidey will be dealing with the aftermath of this for some time yet. How would that kind of experience impact a young hero? And how will Spider-Man cope if his beloved mentor is a casualty of the reinvigorated conflict against Thanos?

With Holland’s contract lasting for two more solo movies (and potentially quite a few more after that), the MCU is clearly preparing to detail the slow maturation of Spider-Man in more detail than his previous outings. In this way, audiences can witness how he becomes the sassy yet seasoned superhero and scientist that we love from the comics.

In short, it’s safe to say that this defining moment of Avengers: Infinity War could have major repercussions for the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward.