‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Theory: Uncle Ben Could Come Back in a Heartbreaking Way
The MCU‘s upcoming release schedule is packed full of what promises to be exciting new adventures for fans’ favorite heroes. After the recent release of the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer, one title is certainly dominating the buzz among fans. While the trailer left some big rumors still up in the air, it did confirm that the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man from the MCU will be encountering villains from previous Spider-Man franchises. Fans are thrilled to see favorites like Doc Ock and The Green Goblin onscreen again, but there’s one other unexpected guest that some fans would really like to see in the new film.
The MCU’s missing Uncle Ben
Throughout every iteration of Spider-Man throughout comics and film, he always has an uncle. Typically, that uncle’s unfortunate death is what inspires him to take on his role as the defender of the little guys across Queens and become Spider-Man. For Peter Parker, that’s always Uncle Ben. We haven’t seen uncle Ben in the MCU, though Tom Holland’s Peter does seem to have been raised by his widowed aunt.
Many fans have been asking, where the MCU’s Uncle Ben is. While it was refreshing to see a Spider-Man origin that didn’t involve the same tragedy fans had seen dozens of times before, many assumed that he’d come in a flashback or by now for Holland’s version of the character.
Uncle Ben in ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’?
With so many familiar faces appearing in No Way Home and a pretty constant string of rumors that Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s version of Spidey will appear in the film, fans have been wondering if we may finally encounter Uncle Ben. While Holland’s version of Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben seems to already be gone, could he encounter an Uncle Ben variant?
Holland’s Spider-Man may have already had one mentor figure die, but Tony Stark is definitely not Uncle Ben. His uncle’s death is usually so foundational to Parker’s life as a superhero, that some long-time Spider-Man fans are really feeling like the MCU’s version is missing a key ingredient to Peter Parker’s character. Seeing him in No Way Home wouldn’t only be a treat, but could help push the MCU’s version of the webslinger towards standing on his own two feet.
With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility
The reason that Uncle Ben’s death is so important to Peter’s evolution as a hero isn’t only that his death came as a result of petty crime. Lots of heroes lose a loved one to a cruel world and turn into vigilantes, but Uncle Ben taught Peter better. In every iteration of the character, Uncle Ben instills Peter with the foundational principle that “with great power, comes great responsibility.”
On Reddit when fans were discussing how Uncle Ben may enter the story, one fan was quick to point out how poignant this lesson could be for the current version of Peter Parker. “Would be an acceptable twist to establish the ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ line in this way. Peter truly becomes Spider-Man in this movie,” they remarked, hitting on a key problem that Holland’s Parker has–confidence and responsibility. “Peter goes from bumbling quirky kid, to a leader, a real ‘super-hero”
One commenter did mention though, that without any connection to Uncle Ben in the MCU, it may not be worth an appearance “[Uncle Ben] Hasn’t been an on-screen character in the MCU in any way shape or form, so I don’t think it would have the emotional impact you suspect it might, especially in the more casual viewer,” Not everybody who enjoys the MCU knows the history of the comic books or has a connection to those traditional stories.
It is true that Holland’s Peter still feels a lot like a kid, so maybe fans can count on someone coming in to give him serious lessons about life, but it’s anyone’s guess whether it will be Uncle Ben or not. Luckily, with the film’s release coming up in December, fans won’t have to wait too long.
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