After a long wait, Spider-Man finally made his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: Civil War thanks to Tony Stark – but how did Iron Man know Peter Parker is Spider-Man? The MCU has been bringing various characters from Marvel Comics to the big screen for over a decade, and one that fans waited years to see in this universe was Spider-Man. The web-slinger’s inclusion in the MCU was delayed due to Sony owning the rights to the character, but a deal between Sony and Marvel allowed Spider-Man to join Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the rest while also being part of Sony's own universe.

The MCU had a different approach to Spider-Man and skipped his origin story and introduced him as an already known hero in New York City, and his actions around the city had already become viral. His heroic deeds and one-of-a-kind abilities caught the attention of Tony Stark, who later recruited the young hero as part of his team in his fight against Steve Rogers and his own team in Captain America: Civil War. After fighting alongside and against the biggest MCU hero at that point, Spider-Man returned in his first solo movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and quickly became one of the most important characters in the never-ending expansion and evolution of the MCU.

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Spider-Man continued fighting crime and different types of villains in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and after keeping his identity secret for years, at the end of Far From Home, Mysterio had one final trick planned and framed Spider-Man for his murder and revealed his identity to the world. By then, there were only a handful of characters who knew Peter Parker was behind the Spider-Man mask, but a big question on this topic remains: how did Iron Man know Peter was Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War? As it turns out, Tony used his advanced technology for more than just creating suits, weapons, and gadgets, as he apparently also kept a close eye on anyone with superpowers.

Tom Holland as Spider-Man with Shield in Captain America Civil War

Speaking to ComicBook in 2017, Captain America: Civil War writer Christopher Markus said Tony Stark knew Peter Parker is Spider-Man because he had been “keeping tabs” and “might know about everybody”. Markus added that Tony had “A.I somewhere running crime statistics”, and while all that explains how he knew that Spider-Man exists (if the viral videos weren’t enough), it doesn’t quite answer the question of how he knew Peter Parker is the web-slinger. Taking Markus’ explanation into account, fans have concluded that Iron Man basically stalked Spider-Man with the help of his advanced technology and eventually got to see the hero unmasked, and the rest was just some easy research. Now, Tony having some A.I running crime statistics would mean that he was aware of every criminal/villain and enhanced individual as well, which doesn’t quite match with what was seen in the MCU post-Civil War.

With Iron Man now gone and Spider-Man having his own, major problems to deal with now that nobody remembers him following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s unlikely the MCU will give a more detailed answer to how Tony Stark knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, and while the A.I explanation makes sense, it also raises many questions about how far Tony would go in terms of safety and privacy.

Next: Why Spider-Man Has to Make a New Suit at the End of No Way Home

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