Tom Holland reveals he would choose to bring back Iron Man to the Spider-Man Marvel Cinematic Universe movies over Uncle Ben. Although the two iconic superheroes have interacted plenty in the pages of Marvel Comics, the idea of Peter Parker taking to Tony Stark as a father figure was largely an idea that came out of the MCU. The friendship begins on something of an unequal, unrequited note in Captain America: Civil War, which was Holland’s first appearance in the MCU. The pair continued to experience difficulties and miscommunications in Spider-Man: Homecoming, with Tony expressing worry for Peter’s safety but reacting dismissively to his hopes of being a superhero. By the time that Spider-Man tearfully turns to dust in Iron Man's arms in the closing moments of Avengers: Infinity War, it’s evident how responsible Tony feels for Peter in general.

The dynamic proved endearing to audiences, with many praising the fact that Marvel utilized the star power of Robert Downey Jr. to go in a different direction with Peter’s character. In many ways, their relationship has propelled the MCU forward in terms of plot. It is the loss of Peter, and the guilt felt by Tony, that ultimately leads into the plan of stopping Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. In Spider-Man: Far From Home, Tony Stark’s sacrifice casts a shadow over the entire sequel.

Related: Iron Man's Endgame Death Was Even Worse For Spider-Man Than You Realized

While the deviation from comic book history has its share of detractors, Holland isn’t one of them. At the world premiere of Onward, which deals with two brothers who hope to bring their dead father back to life, Holland was asked by IGN about which person Peter would want to resurrect if he could. Given the choices of Tony Stark, Uncle Ben, Peter’s parents, or Gwen Stacy, the actor wastes little time in giving his answer: He’d choose Tony Stark.

Robert Downey Jr and Tom Holland in Spider-Man Homecoming

“It’d have to be Tony Stark. It’d have to be him.” Holland says. “Because I love working with Robert so much and if I could do another day with him, I would. It would be great fun.” While that answer might upset Aunt May, it’s understandable that Holland would want to work with Downey Jr. again. Holland has praised his elder co-star on many different occasions, noting the fact that Downey Jr. showed kindness and offered guidance when Holland was still new to Marvel adaptations. The two have since maintained a friendship offscreen and even recently starred in the Dolittle movie, though Holland only had a voice acting role.

From a purely narrative perspective however, there are some fans who have argued that positioning Spider-Man as an heir to Iron Man is a misunderstanding of what makes the underdog high school student such a beloved fighter. Regardless of the debate surrounding the characterization of Spider-Man in the MCU, distressingly convincing deepfakes of Back to the Future serve as proof of the fact that Downey Jr. and Holland have still have major untapped potential as a duo. Hopefully, they’ll appear in another project together down the line.

More: Spider-Man is Still Stuck in Tony Stark's Shadow After Far From Home

Source: IGN

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