Yes, Spider-Man: No Way Home Is Turning Doctor Strange Into Iron Man

Doctor Strange is one of the characters confirmed to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the first look at the movie’s merch shows that he will take Iron Man’s place in Phase 4 – here’s how. The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues its expansion with its highly-anticipated Phase 4, which covers both TV shows and movies and is introducing new concepts and events, most notably the multiverse. Phase 4 will also see the third Spider-Man movie, which will reunite the web-slinger with Doctor Strange in what will most likely be an adventure through the multiverse.

Following the “home” theme the MCU has been playing with, Peter Parker’s next adventure is titled Spider-Man: No Way Home and the studio has been especially secretive about it, with no plot details revealed so far. However, the confirmation of the appearances of Jamie Foxx’s Electro and Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus, along with the already introduced multiverse, hint at Spider-Man going on an adventure through different timelines, which can unleash a new wave of problems for the MCU. Luckily for Peter, he won’t be alone as he will count on the help of Doctor Strange, who judging by the recently revealed merch, will take Iron Man’s place.

Tony Stark served as Peter’s mentor as he was literally the one who brought him into this universe when he recruited him to join his team in Captain America: Civil War, and he also provided the young hero with the suit and technology he needed to be the best friendly neighborhood Spider-Man he could be. With Tony now gone after his sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame, the MCU is giving Peter a new mentor in Doctor Strange, even if he doesn’t need one anymore. This is confirmed in the Spider-Man: No Way Home merch, which debuted Spider-Man’s new suit, called “integrated suit”, which has some enhancements that aren’t exactly advanced tech as they look more like magic that only Strange can summon. Spider-Man can be seen wearing a symbol on his chest similar to the Tao Mandalas but placed like an arc reactor, and he’s holding another object reminiscent of a Tao Mandala on one hand.

There’s also a LEGO set of a workshop in the Sanctum Sanctorum, hinting at Strange allowing Peter to stay there and come up with all types of inventions, which is something Tony Stark would have done at some point. This hints at Spider-Man learning a trick or two about magic and using it to his favor thanks to the integrated suit, and while this opens up a lot of new opportunities for the character, it perpetuates the idea of Spider-Man always needing a guide or mentor. Even after his death, Tony continued guiding the young hero through E.D.I.T.H. and more, and the MCU is now using Doctor Strange as a replacement when the sorcerer is nothing like him nor should he be. While it’s understandable that Strange be a guide to Spider-Man when taking into account the potential multiverse adventures the web-slinger will go through, turning him into the new Iron Man risks changing the character into something he’s not and not letting Spider-Man reach his full potential as he’s always tied to a mentor figure.

Of course, this could be a one-movie-only situation and Peter won’t be tied to Strange like he was to Tony for the rest of his MCU history, allowing both to continue their own paths with the chance of teaming up again in the future. It’s to be seen how this mentor and mentee relationship will develop in Spider-Man: No Way Home and how he will use the sorcerer’s magic to his advantage, as well as all the interesting stuff he could come up with at the Sanctum Sanctorum.

Next: Why The Multiverse Peter Parkers Can Be The MCU Spider-Man's Best Mentors