Every movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with Easter eggs, references, and subtle connections to other films in the franchise...but perhaps none more subtle than the recently revealed Spider-Man cameo in Iron Man 2 Hinted. The cameo was confirmed by Tom Holland himself, the 21-year-old Brit who debuted as the MCU's version of Spider-Man in 2016's Captain America: Civil War and recently spoke to The Huffington Post The secret was revealed in an interview with the London Post . While moviegoers may think Civil War marks Spider-Man's entry into the Marvel Universe, Holland insists that's not the case.
"I can confirm that's Peter Parker," the actor said when asked about the fan theory by The Huffington Post . "I actually just had a conversation with (Marvel Studios president) Kevin Feige 20 minutes ago. Maybe I just spilled a big, old spoiler, but it's out now. It’s cool. I love the idea of Peter Parker being involved in the universe from the beginning.”
But you might be wondering, where exactly does the Neighborhood Spider-Man show up in Iron Man 2 ? This scene takes place during the climax of the movie, when Justin Hammer's drones invade the Stark Expo and try to take out Tony Stark. Amid the chaos, a young boy wearing an Iron Man mask steps up to confront a majestic drone. Just as it starts targeting the diminutive hero, the real Iron Man lands behind the boy and blows the drone away. "Good job, kid," Tony quipped before flying off to deal with more mindless machines.
A semi-serious fan theory has taken root that the kid is none other than a young Peter Parker. In fact, there is some truth to this theory—and there's plenty of evidence to support it. Peter in 2016's "Civil War" would have been 15 years old, which makes the character in 2010's "Iron Man 2" about 9 years old. The Stark Expo is held in Peter's hometown of Queens. The kid appears to be wearing a light-up device on his hand to mimic Iron Man's armor, perhaps indicative of the prodigy's burgeoning technological prowess. And, as viewers know from the characters' interactions in Civil War , Peter Parker is a huge fan of Tony Stark. If that's not enough evidence, you can now add Holland's words to the list.
Of course, this whole thing is a bit of a retcon, considering that Marvel Studios didn't get the rights to use Spider-Man in its films from Sony until a deal was struck in early 2015. (If you're not familiar with the term, "retcon" is short for "retroactive continuity," which means a movie series or TV show adds significance to past events after the fact in order to tie them to current events. But if Spider-Man Man of Steel's cameo in the Iron Man sequel is a retcon... Well, it's a particularly clever cameo, and adds a surprising amount of pathos to the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming .
Knowing that Peter Parker is a huge fan of Iron Man, as he wears Stark's armor to his knees, gives the relationship between Peter and Tony even more resonance, something that will be on full display in Homecoming . While Civil War established a heartwarming mentor-mentee relationship between established superheroes and wannabe Avengers, the Homecoming trailer teased growing tensions between former teammates.
After Uncle Ben's death, Tony appears to have become Peter's surrogate father - a role the billionaire has little time or patience for. Peter's desire to prove himself to his idol seems to be leading him into increasingly dangerous situations. Knowing that their history goes back further than we know makes their interactions that much richer.
It's unclear whether the Iron Man 2 cameo will still be an Easter egg that fans appreciate during multiple rewatches of the MCU, or whether the long-ago interaction between Peter and Tony will actually be a part of Homecoming. A plot point in the events of "Episode" itself - perhaps a flashback to the actual scene itself.
But considering Kevin Feige is confirming the connection and talking about it with his castmates, it hints that this history between Iron Man and Spider-Man could very well hit the screen together this July possibilities to be explored.
