Spider-Manhas endured some pretty devastating moments in theMCU, both in his own trilogy and in theAvengersfilms. Debuting in 2016’sCaptain America: Civil Warwhen he was recruited by Tony Stark’s Iron Man, Tom Holland’s Peter Parker has been Spider-Man for close to a decade now. In that time, Peter Parker, his allies, and his loved ones have been through quite a lot.
At present, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is currently on his own in New York City, with no one knowing who he is after Doctor Strange’s spell to save reality at the end ofSpider-Man: No Way Home. However,the MCU’s Spider-Man is set to receive a second trilogyand is expected to appear in one or both of the nextAvengersfilms, which are set to conclude the Multiverse Saga.In the meantime, here are our top 10 most devastating Spider-Man movie moments in the MCU(in chronological order):
10Vulture Realizes Peter Parker Is Spider-Man
Spider-Man: Homecoming
InSpider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker arrives at his homecoming date’s house where he and audiences are stunned by the reveal that Liz’s father is none other than Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture, whom Peter had already clashed with more than once.However, this surprise is immediately trumped in the next scene when Toomes drives Liz and Peter to the school dance, connecting the dots that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Tensions are incredibly high, with Peter knowing that the Vulture knows, and vice versa. Likewise, Vulture figuring it out right as the light turns green is the perfect cherry on top.
9Spider-Man Trapped Under Debris By Vulture
Spider-Man pursues Vulture inHomecomingdespite the threats that were made, and Vulture traps Peter Parker under a large amount of debris before leaving to raid Tony Stark’s jet full of valuable tech from Avengers Tower. Adapting the scene from the original comics andThe Amazing Spider-Man’s"If This Be My Destiny…!" arc, Peter lifts the debris using his super-strength and frees himself to go after Vulture.However, the initial fear and Peter’s desperate cries for help under the rubble is truly heartbreaking, making his resolve to find the strength within himself as Spider-Man that much more epic.
8Iron Man Holds Spider-Man As He’s Dusted
Avengers: Infinity War
Although Iron Man didn’t want him to come, Spider-Man snuck aboard the Ebony Maw’s ship to help Tony Stark and Doctor Strange inAvengers: Infinity War.However, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fail to stop Thanos from collecting all six Infinity Stones both on Titan and on Earth. Half of all life in the universe is turned to dust at the end of the thirdAvengersmovie, and this includes many of the Avengers themselves.
Spider-Man’s Complete MCU Timeline Explained
Tom Holland joined the MCU as Spider-Man in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and has since become one of the MCU’s most important superheroes.
To that end, one of the most tragic victims of “The Snap” is Spider-Man, who can sense the imminent dusting just before it happens, falling into Tony Stark’s arms as he apologizes before crumbling away into nothing. It’s an absolutely brutal scene, though one that helps motivateStark to help the surviving Avengers five years later by creating time travelto bring everyone back inAvengers: Endgame.
7Spider-Man Sees Iron Man For The Last Time
Avengers: Endgame
After being brought back with everyone else who’d been snapped, Spider-Man joined the fight against Thanos and his forces at the remains of the Avengers Compound. While Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were successful in defeating the Mad Titan,it came at the cost of Iron Man using the Infinity Stones, sacrificing himself to save the world and his loved ones.As such, seeing Peter Parker breaking down in tears as Tony starts to fade is all kinds of heartbreaking, a moment that certainly has an effect on Peter Parker going forward as seen inSpider-Man: Far From Home.
6Spider-Man Reunites With Happy Hogan
Spider-Man: Far From Home
InSpider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Parker is betrayed by Mysterio and experiences a full nightmare illusion. He’s then hit by a train and ends up in the Netherlands. Calling Happy Hogan to pick him up in a Stark jet,it’s devastating to not only see Peter’s paranoia and fear about what’s real but also his full confession onboard the plane about his struggle about whether he can live up to the expectation that he needs to become the next Iron Man.
This scene inFar From Homeis a powerful moment of vulnerability for Spider-Man. It’s also one that helps shape him in a new direction where he starts forging his own legacy beyond Iron Man’s, determined to be the best Spider-Man he can be. Overall, it’s also worth noting thatthis heavy and powerful Spider-Man scene is a great scene for Happy Hogan as well, a turning point where he becomes less of a background comedy character and a more pivotal person in Spider-Man’s life.
5Spider-Man Confronts Mysterio
Spider-Man’s confrontation with Mysterio at Tower Bridge in London at the end ofFar From Homeis also pretty devastating. Taking his mask off, getting to see Peter’s expression of betrayal and frustration is a strong reminder that, despite his superhero exploits as Spider-Man, Peter Parker is still just a teen who was lied to, attacked, and shot at by an adult he trusted while grieving the loss of his mentor. He’d seen a potential new mentor in Quentin Beck’s Mysterio, only for his true colors to be revealed.
4Mysterio Outs Peter Parker As Spider-Man
As seen at the very end ofFar From Homeduring its first post-credits scene, Quentin Beck posthumously released a doctored video depicting Spider-Man as a criminal with the army of Stark drones. The video also saw Mysterio outing Spider-Man as Peter Parker to the entire world.Naturally, this is one of the most devastating and shocking moments for the MCU’s Spider-Man, upending Parker’s entire life in more ways than one as seen inNo Way Home.
3Spider-Man Loses His Aunt May
Spider-Man: No Way Home
A massively brutal moment inSpider-Man:No Way Home, Peter loses his Aunt May after she’s killed by the Green Goblin. Attempting to cure Norman Osborn of the Goblin’s corruption, May was hit by his glider. However, she hung on long enough to share the iconic “power and responsibility” motto usually reserved for Uncle Ben. Tragically,Spider-Man was forced to leave his Aunt May as SWAT teams arrived and opened fire. All Peter could do was grieve in the rain with J. Jonah Jamesson rubbing salt in the wound with his constant rhetoric about Spider-Man doing more harm than good.
2The Amazing Spider-Man Saves MJ
Mirroring the tragic loss of Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy at the end ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker (“Peter 3”) successfully saves Zendaya’s MJ when she similarly falls off the side of the Statue of Liberty.As such, it’s clear from Peter 3’s pained expression that he’s remembering Gwen once he and MJ are both safely on the ground. To that end, it’s a very bittersweet moment that calls back to one of the most devastating live-action Spider-Man moments of all time.
1Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man Stops MCU Spider-Man
The rage to be seen on the MCU Spider-Man’s face while facing the Green Goblin at the end ofNo Way Homeis absolutely devastating, with Peter 1 wanting lethal revenge for what happened to May.Intending to kill the Green Goblin with his own glider, it was only because of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man that the MCU Webslinger didn’t become a brutal murderer. Furthermore, Norman taking the opportunity to stab Peter 2 in the side was equally shocking, at least until it was confirmed that the original live-action Spider-Man was going to be okay and recover.
