Marvel comics writer Dan Slott didn't like Spider-Man activating Instant Kill and using it against the Outriders in Avengers: Endgame. The prolific writer currently works on Tony Stark: Iron Man and Fantastic Four in print, but he's best known for his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. No wonder he has strong opinions about how the web-slinging hero played by Tom Holland on the big screen is handled by the MCU.
One of the unfortunate 50 percent affected by Thanos' (Josh Brolin) snap at the end of Avengers: Infinity War, Peter Parker was absent for most of Endgame. But his death was one of the biggest driving forces behind Tony Stark/Iron Man's (Robert Downey Jr.) decision to suit back up again and try the Time Heist. Once the initial mission was accomplished thanks to Smart Hulk's (Mark Ruffalo) second snap, all heroes, including Spider-Man, return just in time to help the remaining Avengers against what was a losing battle against the Mad Titan and his minions. Battle ensued, and at one point, Peter gets surrounded by Outriders, forcing him to activate Instant Kill on his suit and use it against them.
This particular moment in Endgame didn't sit well with Slott as he admitted on his official Twitter account, writing "Peter Parker shouldn't kill." Co-director of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Peter Ramsay seconded this opinion as well as a handful of other fans. Despite his opinion about the specific issue, Slott clarified that he still enjoyed the movie. Check out his post below:
A lengthy conversation regarding the matter has started in the comments section of Slott's tweet. As previously mentioned, there are those who are with him regarding this issue, sticking to Peter Parker's age-old core principle of no killing, just like DC's Batman. There are several counter arguments to this, however, including the notion that the Outriders are mindless beings, and it was either him who's dying or them so Peter had no choice at that point. Another point made is that it was never explicitly said that Instant Kill actually kills Spider-Man's adversaries.
Whether or not Spider-Man killing in the Joe and Anthony Russo-directed flick is justified is a discussion that will continue. It's no secret that Marvel Studios is attempting to approach their version of the hero differently to separate him from his predecessors, but it shouldn't be at the expense of the principles he's known for. Prior to Avengers: Endgame, Peter Parker was seemingly sticking to the character's code from the comics. He's proven to be anti-kill in Spider-Man: Homecoming, when he even saved Vulture (Michael Keaton) before handing him off to the police. With this one instance already under scrutiny, it'll be interesting to see how his battle sequences moving forward are handled.
Source: Dan Slott
