Photo Credit: Sony Pictures
There’s been surprisingly little to no mention of Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben (Ben Parker) in the MCU, even though his death traditionally plays a big role in Peter Parker’s origin story. We still don’t know the full story of what happened to MCU’s Uncle Ben; however, Avengers: Doomsday co-director Joe Russo recently revealed what their mindset was when introducing the character in Captain America: Civil War.
What did Avengers: Doomsday director Joe Russo say about Spider-Man?
According to Russo, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker doesn’t blame himself for Ben’s death. This implies Spider-Man’s origin story in the MCU is vastly different than that of the comics.
“[But] what Tom Holland is as an actor, if he blamed himself for his Uncle Ben’s death, I think he becomes a very different character,” Russo told CBR. “So in our minds, no, he wasn’t responsible for Uncle Ben’s death. That would have been a different interpretation. A more intense interpretation of the character.”
In Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker implies that his guilt over not being able to save Uncle Ben is what drives him to be a hero for the masses. “When you can do the things that I can, but you don’t… and then the bad things happen… they happen because of you,” Parker tells Tony Stark upon meeting him in the movie. Subsequent films like Spider-Man: Homecoming also pay lip service to Ben’s death, although the real twist to the story comes in Spider-Man: No Way Home, where Aunt May is killed by the Green Goblin, effectively taking over Ben’s traditional role in Peter’s origin.
Avengers: Doomsday will reunite many old and new Avengers with legacy heroes like the X-Men. It’s unclear whether Spider-Man will join the ensemble, though Peter Parker has his hands full with new troubles in the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Avengers: Doomsday is currently slated to release in theaters on December 18, 2026.
