The MCU Whiffed On Spider-Man's Relationship With Another Avenger

As the MCU etched towards "Avengers: Endgame," plenty of key superhero pieces moved around Kevin Feige's table of rage monsters, assassins, and masters of mystic arts. With a world as rife with super-powered beings as this one, though, it's understandable some characters didn't share that much screen time together, if at all. Even so, it feels like a particular pair of legendary do-gooders should've crossed paths more often and didn't. This wasn't a wanting of just seeing two stars gelling with one another, but a diamond-caliber relationship with a long history that could've been as brilliant on screen as it had often been on the page for decades. We're referring to everyone's favorite wall-crawler, Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and the First Avenger, Captain America (Chris Evans).

Only briefly coming face-to-face in "Captain America: Civil War," the film that details the big break-up of the Avengers also sees Steve Rogers face off against the kid from Queens, with very little interaction after that. The only time we saw them together again was in a few key seconds of "Avengers: Endgame" when Steve chucks him Thor's hammer. Instead, time was spent fortifying the bond between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Peter Parker, which, granted, has its moments ("Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good"). However, the alterations to the "Civil War" storyline from the comics cost us easy opportunities for quality time between Cap and Spidey, as well as give us a perfectly balanced view (as all things should be).

For much of their time in the comics, Spidey and Steve respected each other, with the former often being in awe of the latter. Rogers was a champion for truth and justice that, even before his life-changing spider bite, Parker admired thanks to coming across his Uncle Ben's old Captain America comic book collection in "Amazing Spider-Man #1." Years later, whenever he encounters Rogers, he often finds himself starstruck, regardless of his own heroic endeavors that leave Cap impressed. This kind of relationship could've worked just as well as Peter and Tony's dynamic in the MCU, particularly from the events that unfold in the original "Civil War" comic book event.

In the comics, Spider-Man switches sides from Iron Man to Cap after seeing how much the divide is doing to the world and its heroes. What's interesting is Spidey only makes the shift thanks to a quote from Steve that was an Easter egg in "Captain America: Civil War" by Sharon Carter (Emily Van Camp). You know, the one all about planting yourself like a tree and saying, "No. You move." As great as it was to hear it initially, seeing it within the confines of how it was originally applied would've been so much better and added another element to a relationship we never see. Instead, it was replaced by one that never evolved past the early phases.

The MCU consistently plays Peter as a hero with training wheels that take forever to come off. Even after his teacher passes away, he looks to other role models instead of making it on his own. Spider-Man was still a boy; had he spent more time with Steve, that could've been different. In so many iterations, Cap displays the utmost respect for everyone's friendly neighborhood, seeing the same ideals and beliefs he enacts, even having similar backgrounds (both were bully fodder before obtaining their gifts). Under his wing, Cap could've helped Peter stand on his own two feet, regardless of the surface he was sticking to.

This middle ground could've allowed Cap and Pete to grow, for Steve to reach the same opinion that many iterations of his comic book counterpart gained over the years. The MCU is one of the few universes where this isn't the case. In Earth-616, Steve expresses his gratitude and wanting for Spider-Man to be an Avenger on plenty of occasions, while in the Ultimate universe, Steve tells Spidey in the lead-up to "The Death of Spider-Man," "When you grow up, you're going to be the best out of all of us." These are the sorts of pep talks Spider-Man needed and Steve should've given. Our only hope is that with a future slate of stories in the MCU, Parker might get a second chance with a new hero who's more friend than mentor, should he ever visit Hell's Kitchen.

In the comics, there's a handful of heroes that Spider-Man is best pals with, but one in particular in the MCU also happens to be his lawyer. Making a brief cameo in "Spider-Man: No Way Home," Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil (Charlie Cox), has just as much of a history with Spider-Man as Cap does. Both share the same issue of hidden identities but often lean on each other for personal and superhero problems, including looking out for the little guy. Should Tom Holland's wall-crawler return as fans hope, seeing him work alongside Cox's Man Without Fear would open up so much potential that Steve or even Tony didn't have time for.

With "Daredevil: Born Again" firmly establishing the hero of Hell's Kitchen in the MCU, it would be great to see him be an ally on the same street level as Peter Parker, which he has yet to have. Seeing them go back to his neighborhood rather than handle world-wrecking problems is the sort of obstacle Pete could be better suited for now that his identity has been forgotten and he has no mentor or just general friend to fight crime with. Now, admittedly, we might get a second chance at seeing Cap and Spidey together in "Avengers: Secret Wars" if fans' expectations and Chris Evans' coy casting discussions are worth noting. For now, though, maybe Peter having a really good lawyer and a Devil on his shoulder could give him what he lacked for so long.