Tony Stark Vs. Uncle Ben: Who Would Tom Holland Rather See Return?

Spider-Man actorTom Hollandis busy promoting his new animated featureOnward, but the world of Marvel is never far from the minds of his fans. During the premiere of the film, Holland was asked which of Spidey’s supporting cast, from his parents to Uncle Ben, to Tony Stark, to Gwen Stacy, he would want to see make a return. After lingering on Uncle Ben for a moment, Holland had a clear response.

“It would have to be Tony Stark. It would have to be him becauseI love working with Robertso much, and if I could do another day with him, it would be great fun.”

Words that are sure to bring a smile to the face of MCU fans, while also perhaps disappointing some Spider-Man purists. One of the biggest departures from the legacy and history of the webbed wall crawled that the MCU wrought was removing any direct mention to Uncle Ben, and makingTony Stark the father-figure in Peter Parker’s life.

It was a risky move to ignore such an important figure in Spider-Man’s life as his uncle, the man who raised him from babyhood, and who was the one who delivered Spidey’s most famous maxim to him: With great power comes great responsibility. Furthermore, it was Uncle Ben’s death at the hands of a mugger that Spider-Man failed to stop which spurred him on to become a superhero in the comics.

The MCU did away with all that backstory, giving Peter Parker an internal need to help others which made him become Spider-Man. Instead of wanting to honor the memory of Uncle Ben, the MCU’s Spider-Man was driven by a desire to make Tony Stark proud, his first friend in the superhero community, who took him under his wing and even inducted Spidey into the Avengers.

The relationship between Tony Stark and Peter Parker was one of the highlights of theInfinity Warsaga and compounded by the many interviews that Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. gave where the two professed nothing but love and support for each other.

Holland has often expressed gratitude to Downey for the care the older actor showed towards him on set during the filming of the Marvel movies. And now it is clear that the bond between them is so strong that Holland would prefer working with the actor again inSpider-Man 3rather than any other character from comic canon.

While Downey’s stint with the MCU ended with the death of Iron Man inAvengers: Endgame, he was still able to make his presence felt inSpider-Man: Far from Home, which came later, in addition to having a rumored cameo in the upcomingBlack Widowfilm in the form of unused footage from earlier movies. So the possibility of Tony Stark popping up at some point in a futureSpider-Manmovie is far from impossible, but not very likely.

For now, Holland is quite happy to talk about his latest Pixar animation featureOnwardreleasing in March, featuring another Marvel alumni Chris Pratt.IGNbrings us this fun little tidbit.