In the recent Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker and Michelle “MJ” Jones officially became a couple, but is it possible that the wall-crawler’s first MCU love interest is being prepped for a comeback? That’s what’s implied in this new theory from Screen Rant, which suggests that Liz Toomes might ultimately take Sam Wilson’s place as the next Falcon.
As you likely recall, Laura Harrier’s character was revealed to be the daughter of Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. After her father was sent to prison, Liz’s arc was left somewhat unresolved, as she moved away to Vermont and never found out what really went down between Peter and Adrian.
Jump forward to the mid-credits scene of Far From Home, however, and our hero’s secret identity has been revealed to the world. From here, the theory goes that Liz could use Vulture’s technology to make a triumphant return. On the one hand, she may become a new villain and seek revenge against Peter, only to be convinced to switch sides. On the other hand, there’s the possibility that she’ll be inspired by Spider-Man to get into the superhero game herself, perhaps helping Peter out while he’s absent or on the run.
Though this may all sound a little farfetched, it’s worth bearing in mind that the comics have already tried something very similar. Specifically, in the Miles Morales: Spider-Man comic, Vulture’s granddaughter Tiana Toomes adopts the Falcon-esque superhero persona of Starling.
On top of that, in a recent interview with ComicBook.com, Far From Home director Jon Watts hinted at Liz’s continued relevance. And if you think that Peter’s old love interest just doesn’t have the experience and training yet to enter the field of battle, the filmmaker’s comments may offer a solution:
“Oh yeah… we talked about it a little bit. I mean, that’s something that I would love to explore more future films… [Harrier] was [five years older than everyone] when we shot the movie, so now she can just actually play her. Now she can just play her actual age.”
So, assuming that Liz survived the snap, how might she have spent those extra five years? Could she have used that time to learn more about her father’s technology, and matured into a formidable fighter in her own right? And if Liz really did become a superhero, wouldn’t it be oh so fitting if she assumed the persona of a certain bird-themed Avenger that Sam Wilson just recently put into retirement?
Of course, to get to this conclusion, you have to make a whole load of questionable assumptions, and as it stands, we have no solid evidence that Harrier is even returning in a future Marvel movie. Still, it’s a nice idea, and after the cliffhanger ending of Spider-Man: Far From Home, this would certainly be one way of bringing some welcome symmetry to Peter Parker’s solo trilogy.
