The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has always been lauded for its intricate and interconnected storytelling, but even the most meticulous of franchises can have a few loose threads. One such loose thread, or theory, within the MCU, centers around the question of how Tony Stark, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr., came to know about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
Peter Parker made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, where he was recruited by Tony Stark to fight on his side against Captain America. At the time, Peter was still a relatively new superhero, and his identity was a secret. But Tony somehow knew about him and his powers. One wild fan theory explains how this could happen.
What Does the Fan Theory Say?
The fact that Marvel has never officially explained how Tony Stark knew about Peter Parker has led some fans to speculate that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
The origin story of the MCU’s Peter Parker is still unknown, but a theory suggests Robert Downey Jr‘s Tony Stark is the one responsible for the creation of the spider that bit Peter Parker.
As per this fan theory, while Tobey Maguire’s Peter was bitten by a spider from a university he was visiting, Andrew Garfield’s Peter was bitten by one from Oscorp.
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Green Goblin, a.k.a Harry Osborn says: “I went to my home, and someone else was living there. There is no Oscorp here. I am confused.”
Oscorp Industries do not exist in this timeline of MCU or on Earth 616. Thus, it’s likely that one of the greatest labs in the entire MCU, Stark Industry produced the spider that bit Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker.
Just The Nobodys brought forward this theory, stating that Peter Parker visited the Stark Expo as a kid.
“So, what if years later, he actually went back to the Stark expo and he actually got bit by the radioactive spider there!”
When it became clear that the child in Iron Man 2, who was wearing an Iron Man helmet, had actually been young Peter Parker all along, this was confirmed retrospectively. It is now much more plausible that he was bitten by the legendary spider that gave him his superpowers during one of these Stark Expo visits.
Therefore, the only company that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker could reasonably be associated with is Tony Stark’s Stark Industries.
So, Tony Stark and Stark Industries are most likely the ones who created the radioactive spider. Now that this idea has been developed, it makes sense why Tony found contacting Peter Parker to be so easy and convenient.
Tony Stark Indirectly Created Some of the MCU’s Biggest Villains
Tony Stark is one of the most iconic and beloved superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s also one of the most complex and flawed, with a history of making mistakes that have had far-reaching consequences.
One of the ways in which Tony’s flaws have manifested themselves is in his indirect role in the creation of some of the MCU’s biggest villains.
Tony created Ultron in an attempt to create a peacekeeping force that would protect the world from future threats. However, Ultron quickly turned on his creator, believing that the only way to protect humanity was to destroy it.
Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, was a former Stark Industries employee who was fired by Tony for trying to steal his technology. He exploited the void left by Tony Stark’s death to pose as a new hero and ultimately sought to obtain Stark’s technology and fame for himself.
The MCU would not be the same without Tony Stark, both as a hero and as a character indirectly responsible for the creation of several iconic villains.
