Iron Man Is The Coolest Mentor In Spidey Promo

Screen Rant

Iron Man is the 'Coolest Mentor Ever' in New Spider-Man Video

By Andrew Auger

Published Jun 12, 2017

Robert Downey Jr. premieres a new featurette focused on the relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Robert Downey Jr. has premiered a new Spider-Man: Homecoming behind-the-scenes featurette on his social media platforms highlighting the relationship between Tony Stark/Iron Man and Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the upcoming superhero blockbuster.

This third cinematic reincarnation of Spider-Man has a leg above the preceding two in that Tom Holland's version of the character officially exists within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sony and Marvel have made sure to take advantage of this partnership as soon as possible, inserting the web-slinger into a scene-stealing role during last summer's Captain America: Civil War and bringing Tony Stark into the fold of Spidey's solo outing.

The Avengers star took to Twitter and Facebook on Monday to premiere a brand-new promo showcasing some of the interactions between the two characters in the upcoming film. Downey Jr. promoted his involvement in the film in typical humble fashion:

As mentors go, Peter could have done worse---by picking anyone but ME! #SpiderManHomecoming https://t.co/j7fPWsym2l pic.twitter.com/2tGUIzic9V— Robert Downey Jr (@RobertDowneyJr) June 12, 2017

Teased in Civil War, the mentor-mentee relationship between billionaire superstar Stark and teenage amateur Parker is at the forefront of Homecoming. Most of the footage in the new featurette has already been seen plenty of times in other promotional material for the film, but there is one fun newer bit where Stark activates some heating tech inside of Parker's suit.

Holland refers to the core of the relationship as being similar to the relationship between big and little brothers. Even though Stark is over two decades older than Parker, these two will eventually be equals on a team destined to save the world from an alien threat. It makes sense that Stark wants to see if Parker's abilities and mental awareness are up to the task so that he and the other Avengers can trust him in the upcoming Infinity War.

This Peter Parker is still growing up and learning how to channel his superpowers, working with a high-tech suit that Stark designed for him. We've seen that the two will butt heads on certain issues throughout the film, an interesting dynamic that will hopefully add some emotional complexity to the mix.

There was fear that Tony Stark's presence in the film would overshadow the development of the Peter Parker character, and the marketing has confirmed that this is not just a cameo role for Downey Jr. However, it seems clear that Stark is very much a supporting player this time around, an important piece to Homecoming who is pushing Peter to be the best superhero that he can be. That kind of fathering relationship may be valuable to a film that lacks the "Uncle Ben" element of the previous adaptations.

Besides Holland and Downey Jr., Spider-Man: Homecoming stars Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes/the Vulture, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, and Zendaya in a recently revealed role. Tickets are on sale now for the film, so fans should make plans now and get ready to enjoy another Marvel blockbuster.