There Are Actually 12 Heroes That Spider-Man Hasn't Met In The MCU
When it comes to superhero comics, few characters are as well-connected as Spider-Man. Name any Marvel character from the mid-1960s to the present, and there's a very good chance that the webslinger has either teamed up, fought, or exchanged quips with them. Aside from having multiple solo titles and team-up books under his name, Spider-Man also tends to be a popular choice as a guest star in other characters' books, often to draw attention to them and boost their titles' sales.
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, things are a little different. Because of Spider-Man's unique licensing rights situation between Marvel Studios and Sony, he's a bit less well-traveled than his comic book counterpart. And while Tom Holland's version of the wall-crawler has found himself involved in many of the MCU's ensemble films, he hasn't really had the chance to formally meet or even have conversations with some of the MCU's major players. After all, fighting alongside each other, attending funerals together but never talking, or simply being on the same battlefield doesn't necessarily count as "meeting."
Here are the MCU movie heroes that Spider-Man hasn't had any deep or meaningful on-screen interactions with. For the sake of this discussion, characters who have only appeared in Disney+ shows or shows that are merely tangentially connected to the MCU don't count.
He never got to swap spider-stories with Black Widow
While it's true that Peter Parker and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) fought as allies under team Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in "Captain America: Civil War," the two arachnid-themed Avengers didn't really get to know each other at that Leipzig-Halle Airport battle.
As audiences saw in Peter's videos of his trip to Germany in "Spider-Man: Homecoming," the young hero didn't take part in Iron Man's strategic meetings with his fellow Sokovia Accords enforcers — and when Spider-Man leapt into battle, most of his energy and attention went to fighting the Falcon (Anthony Mackie), the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Captain America (Chris Evans), and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd). By the time the skirmish ended, Natasha had already run away after turning traitor, while Spider-Man was taken out of commission due to injuries sustained from the giant-sized Ant-Man's accidental backhand.
Spider-Man and the Black Widow would later find themselves fighting against a common enemy once more, albeit on different battlegrounds, in "Avengers: Infinity War," with the former taking the fight directly to Thanos (Josh Brolin) on Titan and the latter participating in the Battle of Wakanda to stop Thanos' forces from taking the last Infinity Stone. Sadly, Peter was among those who vanished in the Blip — and while he did manage to return to the land of the living, Natasha had to sacrifice her life to make that possible.
He hasn't made fun of Thor's odd mannerisms
Save for his impromptu trip to space in "Avengers: Infinity War," the MCU's Spider-Man is a self-described "friendly neighborhood" hero who's more comfortable going on grounded, street-level adventures. Unsurprisingly, many of the heroes he hasn't met in this universe are of the cosmic variety — and you can't get more otherworldly than the God of Thunder himself, Thor (Chris Hemsworth).
The first time Spider-Man and Thor had an opportunity to meet each other was during the final battle in "Avengers: Endgame." However, they didn't even get the chance to banter — though the webslinger did get to fly through the sky via Mjolnir, thanks to a last-minute save from the unexpectedly worthy Steve Rogers — which, given the circumstances, was perfectly understandable. After Tony Stark's funeral, the Asgardian decided to join the Guardians of the Galaxy as part of a period of self-reflection, while the spider-powered teenager continued to serve as one of New York's few remaining active superheroes.
While it's true that Peter and Thor have very little in common, it's a shame that MCU fans haven't seen the two interact on the silver screen yet. It would be very entertaining to watch Spider-Man make humorous observations about the God of Thunder's ridiculous behaviors and fish-out-of-water reactions to the most mundane Midgard things.
He hasn't connected with Bruce Banner — or teamed up with the Hulk
In the comics, Peter Parker and Bruce Banner are among the brightest scientific minds in their universe. As for their alter-egos, while the Hulk is one of Earth's mightiest warriors, Spider-Man's no slouch in the strength department, either. Thus, it would have been simultaneously amazing and incredible to see Tom Holland's Peter Parker talk science with Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner — and to watch Spider-Man and the Hulk have a Marvel-ous team-up.
While Spider-Man was busy helping Tony Stark bring in Steve Rogers in "Captain America: Civil War," the green behemoth was off-world, forced into a gladiatorial match against Thor (and later aiding the Asgardians in battle) in "Thor: Ragnarok." In "Avengers: Infinity War," Spider-Man lent a much-needed helping hand to Iron Man in fighting off Cull Obsidian, largely because the Hulk didn't want to come out of Bruce following his defeat at the hands of Thanos.
During the five-year period when Spider-Man and half of the universe remained dead following Thanos' snap, Bruce and the Hulk were able to iron out a deal and co-exist peacefully. Peter and the rest of the fallen were brought back to life in "Avengers: Endgame" thanks to the Hulk, in an act that left his arm severely injured. And while Webhead and Jade Jaws both pitched in during the final battle, the two could-have-been-Science-Bros didn't really get the chance to partner up.
He hasn't gotten to know (some of) the Guardians of the Galaxy
All things considered, the Guardians of the Galaxy would probably seem like an interesting crew for Peter Parker: a weirdly charismatic team of oddballs and outlaws with a strange sense of humor. While he did get to converse with (and save) half the team in "Avengers: Infinity War," the fact that Peter hasn't had any meaningful interactions with Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), or Gamora (Zoe Saldana) should be rectified in a future MCU production.
Spider-Man fought alongside Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Batista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) on Titan, in a failed attempt to take the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos before he could complete the Infinity Stones. This ended in him and the surviving Guardians (save for Nebula and Rocket, who was busy helping out in the Battle of Wakanda) getting dusted and staying dead for five years. Upon their return in "Avengers: Endgame," Spider-Man found himself allied in battle with the Guardians once again, as well as a time-displaced version of Gamora (as the Gamora of the main timeline was sacrificed by Thanos on Vormir to acquire the Soul Stone). However, despite being on the same battlefield, Spider-Man didn't really get the opportunity to be baffled by Groot's unique language, trade barbs with Rocket, or talk to Gamora.
He has not had a chat with the Wasp
When Paul Rudd's Ant-Man sided with Captain America's team in "Captain America: Civil War," he didn't have Evangeline Lilly's Wasp on his side. For a brief period of time, though, the Wasp almost made it to Team Cap's roster, before the Russo brothers decided that the story of her introduction would be better served in a movie that didn't already have too many characters and storylines on its plate. While the decision to have Scott Lang join Team Cap without Hope van Dyne ultimately allowed her to have a proper official costumed debut in "Ant-Man and the Wasp," it was still a missed opportunity for the stinging superheroine to butt heads against Spider-Man.
Spider-Man and the Wasp would later get a shot at fighting on the same side in "Avengers: Endgame," following their revival after getting dusted by Thanos. However, they still didn't get the chance to interact with each other during the extremely crowded final fight — and despite the fact that they both showed up at Tony Stark's funeral, audiences didn't get to see them meet each other or swap stories.
It's worth noting that in their early comic book careers, Spider-Man and the Wasp had a somewhat antagonistic relationship, largely due to Janet van Dyne's rather unscientific belief that wasps and spiders were meant to be natural enemies.
He has not fought alongside Lady Sif
Despite her significant role in Thor's early MCU mythology, Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) hasn't been seen that often in subsequent movies. In fact, she didn't even show up in "Thor: Ragnarok," and was confirmed to have died during the Blip — off-screen, to boot — in "Avengers: Infinity War." It's safe to assume that like the rest of the heroes brought back in "Avengers: Endgame," the fierce Asgardian warrior was alive during the final battle against Thanos — which is why it's extremely odd that she didn't join Thor and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) in their last-ditch effort to eradicate the Mad Titan's forces. Incidentally, this also meant that Spider-Man never got to meet her or witness her abilities on the battlefield.
Realistically, there probably isn't much that Spider-Man and Lady Sif would have to talk about, nor would they really have any solid reason to interact. Nevertheless, it's always a treat to see how a conversation between an Earthling and an Asgardian goes — especially if said conversation involved the jocular Spider-Man and the somewhat serious Lady Sif.
He has not had a quip-off with Loki
If Tom Holland's Peter Parker ever gets to meet Tom Hiddleston's Loki, their encounter would doubtlessly be full of hilarity. Spider-Man's humorous jabs and naive observations would probably amuse (or irk) the trickster god, while Loki's penchant for deception and dishonesty would likely befuddle the webslinger. That's why it's a shame these two characters have never met in an MCU production, especially considering the unique bond they share in the comics.
Despite the fact that Loki has been on Earth multiple times, none of his Midgardian adventures have caused his path to cross with Spider-Man. While Spidey and the rest of the Avengers were busy trying to fend off Thanos in "Avengers: Endgame," a version of Loki that branched out from the timeline of 2012's "The Avengers" ended up having his own adventures (and learning how to become a hero in his own right) in his eponymous Disney+ show.
Interestingly, the comic book version of Loki once had Spider-Man as his effective Earth champion. In 2004's "Amazing Spider-Man" #503, the Asgardian trickster enlisted the aid of the wall-crawler in saving his half-human daughter's life from being fully possessed by a malevolent mystical force. In return, the god owed the hero a favor (and also got to try one of New York's famous hot dogs, courtesy of the webslinger).
He has not had an audience with the Black Panther
If one were to be technical about it, Peter Parker did have at least one significant, albeit brief, moment of collaboration with King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman): At a critical point in "Avengers: Endgame," the teen superhero snags the Infinity Gauntlet from the Wakandan warrior's Vibranium claws with a webline, in an attempt to take it as far away from Thanos as possible. Despite this, however, the Black Panther still belongs on this list, simply because he and Spider-Man have not really had any meaningful and direct interactions, despite being on the same battlefield not once, but twice.
The first opportunity that Spider-Man and the Black Panther could have had for formal introductions took place in "Captain America: Civil War," during the lengthy airport battle scene. However, both superheroes had their hands full trying to subdue their opponents while capturing specific targets — Captain America for Spider-Man, and the Winter Soldier for Black Panther — and didn't really get the opportunity for chit-chat.
Sadly, it's highly unlikely that Peter Parker and the main universe version of T'Challa will ever get to formally meet in an MCU live-action movie, as Marvel Studios has repeatedly confirmed that it would not recast Boseman, who passed away in 2020.
He has not exchanged witticisms with Hawkeye
Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) is one of the MCU's founding Avengers, and also happens to be one of the most oft-underestimated heroes in the cinematic universe due to his lack of fancy abilities. Nevertheless, he has proven countless times that he can hold his own in the company of Earth's mightiest heroes, and has played a crucial role in virtually every major battle to defend the planet from would-be conquerors since the Avengers were founded. He even helped the heroes win the day against Thanos' forces in "Avengers: Endgame." Unfortunately, his part in that grand skirmish did not involve meeting Spider-Man at all.
Among all the MCU's superpowered heroes, Peter Parker is perhaps the most human. Without a doubt, he would find some form of kinship in Clint, who could probably teach him a thing or two about acting more mature and getting over his insecurities in front of the costumed superhero crowd. Such a mentor-mentee pairing may seem odd at first, especially given Hawkeye's rather gruff nature. That said, if Hawkeye's uneasy partnership with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) in the Disney+ "Hawkeye" series is any indication, the Avenging Archer would actually make a better teacher for a young hero like Spider-Man than he'd be willing to admit.
He has not been properly acquainted with the Vision
Spider-Man and the Vision (Paul Bettany) fought side by side in "Captain America: Civil War" under the leadership of Iron Man. However, much like the other pro-Sokovia Accords heroes that joined Team Tony, Spider-Man didn't get the chance to interact with the Infinity Stone-powered synthezoid on the silver screen.
This lack of interaction between Spider-Man and the Vision in MCU movies is a missed opportunity for the young scientist to be able to understand cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence from a radically different point of view. In a world full of gamma-powered monster men and hammer-wielding gods, an artificial being like the Vision still pushes the boundaries of modern technology — and there's little doubt that the science-inclined Spider-Man would be thrilled at the prospect of talking to a lifelike machine.
On the flipside, spending more time with Spider-Man could help the Vision to better understand what it means to be a human being. Hopefully, a future Marvel movie could provide an opportunity for Peter to flex his scientific prowess while helping the Vision in his mission to come to terms with his own humanity.
He has not seen Shang-Chi in action
For the first decade of the MCU's run, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) has been completely absent from silver screen depictions of its world-shaking events. And because the superheroic martial artist only made his debut in 2021's "Shang-Chi," it's not surprising that he hasn't had the chance to meet many of the MCU's heroes, including Spider-Man.
That said, it's worth noting that "Shang-Chi" takes place after the Blip was undone and likely before the events of "Spider-Man: Far From Home." In other words, when Shang-Chi first shows up on everyone's radar, Peter Parker isn't on the run yet as a result of Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) blowing his secret identity wide open.
Realistically, there's plenty of time for Spider-Man and Shang-Chi to meet, with the latter possibly teaching the former some hand-to-hand moves as well. In the comics, that's exactly what Shang-Chi does: To help Peter compensate for the temporary loss of his Spider-Sense, the martial artist helps the arachnid-themed hero master his own unique martial arts style, the Way of the Spider.
He has not defended the Earth with the Eternals
Despite being on Earth for an extremely long time, the Eternals have been conspicuously absent from virtually all of the major battles that kept it safe from alien invaders and would-be conquerors. This explains why the MCU heroes, including Spider-Man, have never crossed paths with them in previous films. However, with the departure of many MCU mainstays following the events of "Avengers: Endgame," there's plenty of room in the sandbox for the Eternals to play — and just as many opportunities for them to get tangled up in Spider-Man's web.
In an interview timed to the release of 2021's "Eternals," the cast were asked which MCU heroes they'd be most excited to work with. Interestingly, two of them name-dropped Spider-Man. According to Ma Dong-seok/Don Lee, he'd love to test his strength against the Hulk or team up with Spider-Man when he reprises his role as Gilgamesh. Meanwhile, for the Eternals' Sprite (Lia McHugh), the answer is a no-brainer: "[O]f course, Spider-Man. Tom Holland, duh. I would absolutely love to be in a movie with him."