What Spider-Man's Name Change Means For The MCU

In Avengers: Infinity War, Peter Parker's crime-fighting alter ego dons a new suit and gets a new codename to match: Iron Spider. But what does this mean for Spider-Man's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?Marvel Studios has begun ramping up hype towards the release of Infinity War, even moving the release date up one week to April 27th. We already knew from the trailer that Spidey is sporting a new costume, the same suit Tony Stark offered him when he was meant to formally join the Avengers at the conclusion of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Fans immediately recognized the outfit as the Iron Spider armor, viewing it a tease to the comics. It will find a proper use in Infinity War; though Peter surprised Stark by walking away from becoming an Avenger at that time, the invasion of Earth by Thanos causes Peter to finally wear the new Stark Tech suit and become the Iron Spider.Related: Why Marvel Moved Infinity War's Release DateMerchandise for Infinity War, such as new Avengers 3 promos and a lot of toys, identifies this Spider-Man getup as "Iron Spider", which is a bit of a surprise. Does this mean the web-slinger's undergoing a permanent name change? Is Iron Spider merely a one-off revamp just to add an extra level of specialness to Avengers 3, as well as a shout-out to the famous Civil War storyline in Marvel Comics? Or could it be that Iron Spider has greater MCU ramifications for our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man going forward into Phase 4?This Page: Iron Spider Explained

Iron Spider Explained

Marvel Studios always draws inspiration from the comics source material. Tony Stark mentoring Peter Parker in the MCU and creating Iron Spider armor for the Web-Head is no different. During the 2006/2007 Civil War event, Tony became Peter's mentor and employer. In Peter, Stark recognized a kindred intellect and scientific genius, and the billionaire took the financially-struggling Parker under his wing. Stark helped Peter and his family with resources and protection during the conflict. In turn, Peter became Tony's assistant. In the ultimate act of trust, Peter agreed to publicly reveal his identity as Spider-Man at Tony's urging, which Peter quickly came to regret.

Of course, Tony gifted Peter with the Iron Spider armor, one of the most memorable redesigns of Spider-Man's costume. A new Stark Tech uniform loaded with gadgets and weapons, the Iron Spider suit's most distinctive features were the 'waldoes', which are the huge mechanical pincer arms emanating from the armor's back. That Stark selected his own trademark red and gold as the colors of the Iron Spider rather than honoring Spider-Man's traditional red and blue colors spoke to how Stark regarded Parker as another type of Iron Man: an extension of his image. Parker initially had issues with the armor as Stark had programmed it with Iron Man's fighting style and not Spider-Man's. After the necessary tweaks, though, Peter wore the Iron Spider suit for a time and exploited all of his new wonderful toys in his crime-fighting exploits.

When his feelings of being manipulated by Tony and his philosophical disagreements with Stark's methods during the Civil War pushed him too far, Spider-Man turned on his mentor and fought against Iron Man alongside Captain America's Secret Avengers. As a result, Peter abandoned the Iron Spider persona and resumed adventuring as the classic Spider-Man. However, in the years since, the red and gold armor has made several appearances and other characters have briefly become the Iron Spider - including Mary Jane Watson!

Spider-Man is in his new Iron Spider suit

What Is Iron Spider In The MCU

The Iron Spider armor appeared at the conclusion of Spider-Man: Homecoming as a bonus for Peter joining the Avengers. While the high school science geek wanted nothing more than full employment with Earth's Mightiest Heroes, he learned his lesson in Homecoming that he wasn't ready and was better off for now being a friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man. When Peter passed on membership, the Iron Spider suit went back into Stark's storage at the Avengers Compound. But we know Peter wears it in Infinity War. After tangling with the Vulture's repurposed Chitauri tech, Spider-Man is used to dealing with extraterrestrial powers, but he'll still definitely need the upgraded protection and weaponry his new gear provides to survive taking on Thanos and other alien invaders more powerful than any he's ever faced.

This isn't a direct copy of the comics, however. The Infinity War Iron Spider toy does feature the suit's "waldo" mechanical stinger arms just like the comics' suit, but the movies' Iron Spider design is an upgrade of the classic red and blue Spider-Man look but with gold accents and glowing white spider eyes. Overall, even though he's billed as Iron Spider, the suit is still recognizably Spider-Man, as opposed to the radical Iron Man-influenced redesign of the comics. Not only is becoming Iron Spider a tech upgrade for Peter, it's also a sort of graduation to the Avengers and to the dream of saving the world he's always had.

In a way, Tony has been gradually molding Peter into the Iron Spider since Stark recruited him in Captain America: Civil War. Peter's current Stark Tech Spider-Man suit is already an extension of the Iron Man suit, with a female A.I. Peter named Karen and various amounts of hidden gadgets, as well as a very Iron Man-like HUD display in Peter's mask. Tony has been generous with Iron Man tech in the past, letting James Rhodes keep the War Machine armor he took from his billionaire best friend in Iron Man 2 (and giving Bruce Banner a Hulkbuster in Infinity War). With Peter, however, Tony clearly sees not just a protege but someone who might be able to carry on his legacy. Of course, in Tony's mind, it's Iron Man's legacy he's focused on. Even though Peter is a radically different kind of superhero than Iron Man is, for Stark, Iron Spider is a fusion. The best of both heroes (yet clearly a Stark Industries creation).

Future Of The Iron Spider

Peter Parker surviving the cataclysms of the next two Avengers movies isn't really in doubt, since the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel has already been announced and reportedly begins mere minutes after Avengers 4. Spider-Man is one of the big name superhero mainstays that Marvel Studios is banking on to carry the shared universe through Phase 4. But will Peter continue to be known as "Spider-Man" or will "Iron Spider" take hold after Infinity War? The answer to that question may partly lie in whether audiences embrace Peter being called "Iron Spider". To most fans, regardless, he will always be referred to as Spider-Man.

After all, the name "Spider-Man" is one of the most famous brands in the world. However, as Spidey is part of the MCU because of a deal Marvel Studios made with Sony, Marvel might be looking to put their own stamp on the Web-Head; they may want Iron Spider to be the MCU's exclusive version of Spider-Man. Indeed, regardless of whether he's called "Spider-Man" or "Iron Spider" in-universe and in real-world marketing, Marvel designing the armor to be an upgrade of the classic Spider-Man look (as opposed to being a comics-accurate red and gold suit) is a smart move that allows the character to be instantly recognizable to fans as Spidey regardless of what name they call him.

For his part, now that Peter has graduated to the Iron Spider armor, why would he return it to Stark? Indeed, if Iron Man dies during the next Avengers saga as it's been rumored, Peter could continue on as Iron Spider as a tribute to his mentor - fulfilling Tony's unspoken desires for his legacy to be maintained. This also allows for a second Spider-Man under the classic name if Marvel Studios pulls the trigger on bringing Miles Morales to the MCU; there could then be an Iron Spider and a Spider-Man, with the former as an Avenger and inheriting Stark's role as a mentor to the latter, who could then become New York's new friendly-neighborhood web-slinger.

No matter what, Peter donning the armor of Iron Spider in Avengers: Infinity War is his all-important next step towards his bright future in the MCU.

Next: Who In The MCU Knows About The Infinity Stones?