At a first glance, it might seem like there are superheroes who are more similar to each other than Iron Man and Spider-Man. After all, one is a billionaire, the other one a schoolkid from Queens. But the MCU still managed to bring these two heroes closer in a way that makes their mutual relationship one of the most interesting ones in the fictional universe.
In the MCU, Tony Stark is a mentor to young Peter Parker. They don't always agree on everything but work well together nonetheless. Fans also noticed the connection between them and made many hilarious memes about the duo as a result.
Like Father, Like Son
Tony is sometimes overly harsh on Peter in the MCU. As Stark himself says, he just wants Peter to be better than him. But what both of them, and especially Tony, fail to realize is that they have more in common when they think. When Peter lies to Tony about the band practice, Tony then appears all suited-up and confronts Peter about the lie.
Even though he himself told a similar life a few years back when Rhodey called him. These two might not be actual father and son but the apple still didn't fall far from the tree.
The Worst Dad Ever
Continuing with the concept of Tony functioning as a father-figure for Peter, it leads to the inevitable conclusion - Iron Man is the worst dad ever. What dad would let his 14-year-old son fight against a bunch of dangerous adult people, take away his favorite toy (Spider-Man's suit), ignore him for months on end - and finally, deny him a simple hug?
Spider-Man's initial reaction - to activate the instant kill mode in his suit - suddenly doesn't seem like such overkill in this scenario.
The Greatest Insult
Iron Man and Captain America have a love-hate relationship going on in the MCU. It all leads to the Civil War. And even though Peter teams up with Iron Man during the conflict, he's also a Captain America fan - as he says when he meets Steve at the airport.
Later on, when Tony wants to take the improved Spider-Man suit away from Peter, the greatest insult Peter could ever throw on the older superhero would be saying that Captain America is better than Iron Man. That's just something Tony's heart and ego wouldn't be able to cope with.
How To Get The Suit Back
In the MCU, it takes Peter fighting Vulture in what basically looks like his pajamas to get the enhanced Spider-Man suit back from Tony. But maybe there was another way and Peter just didn't think of it.
Tom Holland has some serious dancing skills going on, and his performance of Rihanna's Umbrella on The Lip Sync Battle broke the internet. If Tony saw it, perhaps he would have immediately realized the suit was in good hands after all.
A Dark And Bitter Soul
Spider-Man is one of the youngest superheroes in the MCU. When he fights in the Civil War, he's just 14. And that means he lives and thinks in a different way than the rest of the heroes.
This meme conversation never made it into the films but it sounds exactly like something both Iron Man and Spider-Man would say. No matter how hard Peter might try to persuade Tony his soul is all dark and bitter like coffee, in reality, he's more like a glass of milk.
Different Priorities
Speaking of the way Spider-Man differs from the remaining superheroes... he also lives a completely different life. For one, he's still in high-school and has things to worry about. Like finishing his homework before he goes to Germany to fight the rogue Avengers alongside Iron Man. Or being in school in time for the long-awaited pizza day.
In the end, Peter's not that interested in big superhero drama. He just wants to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, to spend time with MJ, play games with Ned... and eat pizza.
Done With Homework
Before he takes on the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War (2016) Peter wants to finish his homework first. That has Tony rolling his eyes - he most likely has already forgotten what it was like going to school.
This meme shows how it could have looked if Peter had refused to go with Tony and only joined him at the last possible moment after having finished his homework. It would seem like Stark would be in for a big surprise. It doesn't happen every day that huge spiders land on planes, after all.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
This meme is rather dark - if one realizes that Tony has sacrificed his life to bring Peter back and abandoned his little daughter in the process. Luckily, Morgan Stark still has her mom to take care of her - and Pepper Potts seems like she's going to do just fine raising the little girl.
Still, there's no denying that Tony put everything on hold for Peter and some fans are reading it the way that Peter was more important for Tony than Morgan. Then there are also those who like to ship the two superheroes but that's venturing into the realm of fanfiction, and not memes.
Relaxing At The Beach
Has anyone mentioned rather dark memes? Well, here's another one - but still funny. The truth is that Tony risks everything to bring Peter back because he feels like Peter's death is his fault. After all, he did say to Peter in Spider-Man: Homecoming: "And if you die - that's on me." Tony's worst dream then later comes true and when he gets the chance to reverse it 5 years later, he doesn't hesitate.
This meme shows what Tony could have been doing in the meantime, but it's more likely he was focused on raising Morgan than playing on the beach.
Overly Complicated
It's true that Tony tries to do his best but he doesn't exactly excel at giving the best advice to the young and impressionable Peter. His wise words are often so complex and mysterious they leave Peter scratching his head and trying to figure out what they meant.
Tony's advice in the car when they're returning back home from the fight in Germany also isn't very helpful. In his typical fashion, he leaves Peter with few cryptic words and it's up to the young hero to make sense of the mess.