Spider-Man Got The Best Moment in Avengers: Infinity War

He's still a fresh face in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Tom Holland's Peter Parker has had a slew of fan-favorite highlights already, including some of the best moments in Avengers: Infinity War. The wall-crawling superhero has quickly become an MCU standout, and a number of his Infinity War scenes, including his poignant death, are some of the film's most talked about moments.For years, Spider-Man operated within his own franchise, separate from the MCU, while Marvel's Disney-owned characters flourished in a shared universe. Fans believed seeing Marvel's most iconic character eventually join the Avengers was only a pipe dream. That all changed when Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment struck a historic deal in 2015 to co-utilize the web-slinging hero, paving the way for Tom Holland debut as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War in 2016. People quickly got behind this newest incarnation with some citing Holland's performance as the most true to the comics. Just a year after his brief introduction, he was off to his own adventure in his first MCU standalone - Jon Watts' Spider-Man: Homecoming - solidifying his place in the ever-expanding MCU.

This Page: How Spider-Man's Death Stood Above The Others

How Spider-Man's Death Stood Above The Others

Peter Parker hanging outside of a school bus in Avengers: Infinity War

While Peter obviously had an idea about how dangerous it was to become a superhero, let alone one who travels to another planet to go up against an intergalactic villain, the teen was the most laid back during the bout against Thanos - tackling everything with childlike wonder. Even after he'd seen what the Mad Titan was capable of doing, he didn't lose his playfulness and chattiness as he courageously took him on side-by-side with Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. That kind of naive optimism gave the impression that no matter what happened, Peter would still come out of this experience unscathed (the knowledge that Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 is on the docket also helped). So when it finally dawned on people that he was getting snuffed out along with half of the universe thanks Thanos' snap, fans were understandably devastated.

By now, it's no secret that Holland improvised his Infinity War death, which made it all the more impressive. Unlike film's other, seemingly random deaths, Peter's demise was prolonged, starting with him innocently telling Stark that he doesn't feel good. Once he realized what's happening, the vulnerable kid in him emerged as he clung to Stark and repeatedly said: "I don't want to go." It's a similar situation when he found himself hopelessly buried under the rubble during his fight with the Vulture, the only difference is that he was able to pull him out of the entrapment back then. This time, there was no way he would've been able to escape his imminent demise. Still, at the very end, he put on a brave face and apologized to his mentor for his outburst - a good callback from their intense confrontation in Homecoming where Stark told Peter he'd have to carry that guilt and remorse if the young superhero were to die.

Why Spider-Man's Death Means More

While Avengers: Infinity War had no shortage of character deaths, many of which are expected to be reversed when Avengers 4 rolls around, Spider-Man was by far the most iconic character to die. His time in the MCU has been short, but he's still one of the most popular superheroes. even to people who don't closely follow comic books or comic book movies.

Fans have seen three iterations of Spider-Man on the big screen in almost two decades, but this is the first time that the character actually dies on screen. He's no stranger to losing someone dear to him - the Sam Raimi trilogy kicked-off with the death of Uncle Ben, while the Marc Webb series ended with Gwen Stacy's tragic demise - but Spider-Man was built-up to be an invincible hero for years. This MCU version, on the other hand, opted to highlight his vulnerabilities and struggles beyond just keeping a secret identity. It doubled-down on him being a kid putting on a brave front to be a hero, and that's what makes him more relatable than ever. Marvel Studios and the Russos deciding to kill him resonates with everyone because Spider-Man has been a persistent part of our social lexicon for so long, and many fans have even grown up with his films.

Thematically, Spider-Man is the embodiment of basic heroism. Arguably, out of all the characters that went off to Titan, he was the one who really didn't have any business being there. Since his initial interaction with the bigger superhero world in Captain America: Civil War, it's only been two years since he's continuously operated as a street-level hero (his personal decision), but that doesn't mean that he's any less dedicated to his responsibility of keeping the streets of Queens safe. And when it mattered the most, he was ready to step-up to the plate. He asks Tony "How can I be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there's no neighborhood?" which perfectly summarized his moral code: it doesn't matter how big or small a situation is, he's always ready to lend a helping hand.

How It Affects Avengers 4

In the bigger lore, Peter Parker's death will have the most impact moving forward as it ties neatly with Tony Stark's personal arc. As insinuated when Doctor Strange gave up the Time Stone to save Stark's life, fans know that the pioneering MCU hero will have a significant role to play in Avengers 4. Since the Queens native's debut in the MCU, their mentor/mentee relationship has quickly evolved to become one of the strongest bonds in the franchise. Infinity War made sure to remind the audience that he's thinking about starting a family with Pepper and the realization that he can't even save Peter will definitely have a psychological impact on him.

Stark seeing his pseudo-son die in his arms will undoubtedly be his personal motivation to stop at nothing to potentially undo Thanos' snap, perhaps even ultimately causing him to give up his own life. Whether or not his sacrifice will result in the resurrection of Peter and the other MCU heroes who died after Thanos' snap still remains to be seen. Nevertheless, Stark deciding to sacrifice himself to save Peter echoes back to his horrifying experience in Afghanistan in the first Iron Man, where Ho Yinsisn sacrificed himself to make sure the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist got another shot at life. Maybe this is Tony's time to do the same.

Regardless of how it all pans out in Avengers 4, Peter's experience in the bout against Thanos will only shape him into a better hero - one that is worthy to be the face of the MCU in its upcoming new chapter. As previously reported, Homecoming 2 will expand Spider-Man's horizons as the film will take him around the globe - a clever choice for Marvel Studios to slowly build him up to become one of their premier characters. It's been such a hard work to bring him into the franchise, it's safe to say that they'll use him to his fullest potential.