While we’ve seen that an Uncle Ben did exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we’ve also seen much of his core role and importance to Peter Parker replaced by that of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. Now, director Jon Watts is sharing exactly how that came to be with some new behind-the-scenes thoughts on Stark’s importance to a young Spider-Man.
According to Watts:
“Yeah. What I would say is that loss is such a big part of who Peter Parker is in the comics, whether it be Gwen Stacy or Uncle Ben, he has to deal with loss so often. In a way, I felt like this fit in very naturally and allowed me to tell the kind of Spider-Man stories that I think people want to see. So yeah, I think even if it’s not a direct comp for Uncle Ben, it definitely allows me to explore some of the similar themes.”
We’ve already seen plenty of previews from ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home‘ that while the world is grieving for the loss of one of their heroes, we see exactly how impactful it is on Tom Holland‘s take on Parker as well. You can see him suffering in some of the scenes, and it almost looks like part of the need for him to go on vacation is to just run away for a week and not think about the darker realities that come with being a superhero.
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As to why the Uncle Ben moment never happened in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming‘ or the upcoming sequel, Watts says he didn’t feel that was needed in this movie, mainly because there is already a lot to deal with from the loss of Tony. He did reveal a little Easter egg, though, saying “We have Uncle Ben’s suitcase though. Did you notice that?”
Eagle-eyed viewers have long made it known that Peter’s suitcase has BFP engraved on it adding the sentiment that “Peter’s literally carrying the baggage of whatever happened to Uncle Ben with him everywhere he goes.”
I love the way that they’ve been able to keep this idea of loss fresh for Parker that allows for a retelling of an origin story which we’ve all seen to death.
Do you feel that Tony Stark was a stand-in for the loss of Uncle Ben, or is this just a fresh wound for the young Wallcrawler? Share your thoughts in the comments below, True Believers!
Source: Comic Book
