Spider-Man Leads The Avengers In Secret Wars: Smart MCU Theory Explained

Spider-Man is one of two characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe getting four solo movies, and with his mentor Tony Stark/Iron Man gone, he might be the one leading the next Avengers team, and he might do so in Avengers: Secret Wars due to his most recent adventures. Since his debut in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has become one of the most popular characters in the MCU, and after his role in the MCU’s biggest multiversal adventure to date in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the web-slinger might be on his way to becoming one of the most important characters in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga.

After fighting against Team Captain America as part of Team Iron Man in Civil War, facing Adrian Toomes/Vulture, and coming across Quentin Beck/Mysterio, Peter Parker went on one of his biggest adventures to date in Spider-Man: No Way Home, as he and Doctor Strange accidentally opened the gates to the multiverse. Although Peter found a solution to this problem by having Strange cast a spell that would make the world forget he exists, this multiversal chaos left consequences in the MCU, as seen in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but not all of them will be chaotic, and this mess might actually help Spider-Man in the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars event, where he might serve as the team’s leader.

Theory: Spider-Man Is Now Immune To Incursions

The three spider-men on top of the Statue of Liberty in spider-man no way home.

The MCU’s Phases 4, 5, and 6 are all about the multiverse and the arrival of Kang the Conqueror and his variants, and with the multiverse have come a variety of concepts to better understand how the multiverse works, the many dangers that live in it, and the chaos that it can unleash. The TV series Loki gave an introduction to the multiverse and the concept of variants, but the MCU’s first full multiversal adventure was Spider-Man: No Way Home. Spider-Man’s third MCU movie confirmed that Sam Raimi and Marc Webb’s Spider-Man movies are part of the MCU’s multiverse, and brought back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of Spider-Man, but it also gave the audience a taste of what messing with the multiverse can cause, such as incursions.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced incursions, which are the result of prolonged multiversal travel, causing one or more universes to clash and be completely destroyed. Strange witnessed the result of an incursion during his multiversal travels in Doctor Strange 2, but Spider-Man has already been at the center of one in No Way Home. According to a theory shared on Reddit (via CBR), this experience might have left Spider-Man immune to future incursions, meaning that he will be aware of any changes to perception and memory that incursions bring, and this is also thanks to the final spell in No Way Home.

Spider-Man Has a Key Role In The Secret Wars Storyline

Split Image: Avengers Endgame poster; Secret Wars comics; Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania

Incursions are key in the Secret Wars storyline, but Spider-Man also had an important role in it. In the 2015 Secret Wars comic book storyline, a series of incursions across the multiverse leads to the fusion of the remains of various realities, creating Battleworld, with each reality known as a “domain” and ruled by an appointed Baron or Baroness, but they run their assigned domains with permission from God Emperor Doom, the Lord and Messiah of Battleworld. A group of survivors of Earth-616 was placed in stasis, among them Spider-Man, meaning that the web-slinger remembered the universe as it was before Battleworld was formed, and along with his fellow survivors, he fought to overthrow Doctor Doom and restore the universe.

The MCU hasn’t introduced Doctor Doom, but that can be reworked to fit the MCU’s timeline and narrative, but Spider-Man can still have a similar role to the one he had in the comics. Spider-Man might not be placed in stasis with other superheroes from his universe, but his experience with other multiversal issues and incursions, along with the final spell, might allow him to retain his memories no matter how much the multiverse changes or is destroyed, similarly to what happened to him in Secret Wars 2015.

Spider-Man & Doctor Strange Could Lead The Avengers In Secret Wars

Spiderman no way home spiderman doctor strange

Spider-Man being immune to incursions and remembering what the multiverse was like prior to Battleworld and Secret Wars makes him the most likely leader of the Avengers in Avengers: Secret Wars, but he might count on the help of a past friend and colleague: Doctor Strange. As mentioned above, Doctor Strange witnessed and went through incursions during the events of Doctor Strange 2, and in its mid-credits scene, he was recruited by Clea to help her fix an incursion he triggered with his many multiversal travels and dreamwalking. If Spider-Man is going to be immune to incursions after the events of No Way Home and the spell, that means that Doctor Strange will be immune as well, and he could even surprise the audience and Peter Parker by revealing he does remember him. Spider-Man and Doctor Strange could then bring together the rest of the Avengers and other heroes to undo the multiversal mess in Secret Wars and defeat whoever is in charge of Battleworld – whether a Kang variant, Doom, or someone else

Spider-Man Leading Secret Wars Would Make Him The New Iron Man

Throughout his whole history in the MCU so far, Spider-Man has been the mentee of another character – first, it was Iron Man, then Mysterio (before showing his true colors), and later Doctor Strange, so it’s now time for him to take the lead and become a hero on his own. However, leading the new Avengers team in Secret Wars would make Spider-Man the new Iron Man, in the sense of being the leader and one of the superheroes with the most experience, especially when it comes to multiversal issues. Spider-Man: No Way Home left Spider-Man ready to take a bigger role in the MCU and become one of its most important characters in the crossover events Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, and he could follow his mentor’s steps and become the next leader of the Avengers team.