Warning! Spoilers for Avengers: Tech-On Avengers #1!
When it comes to sassy one-liners, Marvel’s Iron Man is a hero who’s chock-full of them, and now Spider-Man has sassed the sasser himself for underestimating his smarts! People seem to forget that underneath his iconic spider spandex, Peter Parker is a genius scientist and thinker, so it’s not surprising that Spidey’s finally had enough of the naysayers, namely Tony Stark.
Seen in the premiere issue of the new sentai-inspired limited series titled Avengers: Tech-On Avengers, by Jim Zub and Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz, Spider-Man, Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers are dealing with the latest supervillain threat to endanger the world: Red Skull. Imbued with the dust of the destroyed Infinity Stones, Red Skull uses what he calls Infinity Mirror Shards to take away the abilities of the entire world’s population of powered individuals, present Avengers included.
Further continuing to act like the baddie he’s infamous for being, Red Skull uses high-tech, bullet-like objects to turn innocent bystanders into monstrous creatures under his control, forcing the Avengers to retreat and lick their wounds. Regrouping immediately afterward, Tony Stark has a few ideas as to what he can do to help solve their predicament, with Spider-Man offering up a piece of Red Skull’s exoskeleton he picked up on the battlefield for possible scientific inspection, leading Tony to make a comment directed towards Spider-Man that Spidey just isn’t having.
Saying, “That’s great, kid. I can analyze that and see if it’s —“ Spider-Man immediately cuts Tony off to say, “Not so fast, Mr. Billions. I’m a scientist too, and I’m not a kid,” clapping back at a guy who’s used to being able to say what he wants when he wants for no other reason other than he’s Tony Stark. Continuing to say, “Whatever you’re doing I get to be part of it,” Spider-Man puts his foot down to not only keep Iron Man's egomania in check but to remind him — and fans — that while he’s mostly known for his heroic Spider-Man shenanigans, he’s also a bonafide genius when not swinging around town.
Often the main scientist and benefactor of the superhero community, especially when it comes to the Avengers, Iron Man is used to being the only person on the team that does all the thinking. Tinkering on more than just his armored suits daily, Tony’s inflated ego also adds to his assumption that he’s the only hero who can help in this situation. Going so far as to talk down to Spidey by calling him “kid,” Tony forgets that Spider-Man is just as talented in the genius department as he is, perhaps even more so in certain areas. Considering his time as a leader in the industry when he had his own tech company, Parker Industries, not to mention all the gadgets and gizmos he’s cooked up over the years for his superhero career, Spider-Man’s smarts are often underestimated, for no real reason and by his friends and co-workers, to boot!
So although it’s clear that Tony Stark will probably always say the wrong thing at the wrong time, Spidey has finally clapped back to remind him that he’s not a “kid” nor some layman when it comes to science. Spider-Man may lean more into jokes than sass if given a choice, but sometimes people like Iron Man need a bit more of a heavy hand than what a “dad joke” can provide.