Spider-Man’s First Appearance In The Marvel Cinematic Universe Dates Back To ‘Iron Man 2’

With over a dozen films already having been released (and plenty more on the horizon), it can be a little difficult to keep track of the timeline and characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially when you begin to factor in the many television series. This is further complicated by recent films, which tend to feature plenty of characters from other movies (Captain America: Civil War is a prime example of this).

While the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming bucks this trend to an extent (as it only features a handful of recurring characters from the MCU), it seems like Peter Parker’s first appearance actually dates back to 2010’s Iron Man 2, as confirmed by actor Tom Holland, who first appeared as the famous webslinger in Captain America: Civil War.

For those who need a quick refresher, Iron Man 2 saw the Stark Expo come under attack, as weapons developer Justin Hammer’s new line of Hammertech mechs turn rogue after being hacked by Ivan Vanko. As chaos breaks out and the attack wages on, one young boy holds his ground, attempting to blast a nearby mech with the Iron Man costume he’s wearing. In the nick of time, the real Iron Man arrives, saving the courageous kid while simultaneously congratulating him.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Holland confirmed that the young boy in that scene is indeed Peter Parker, who would later go on to take on the mantle of Spider-Man in subsequent MCU films.

It’s worth noting that although Holland and president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige have confirmed Peter Parker’s placement in the timeline, this revelation is most likely a clever way of confirming a long-held fan theory (which speculated that the young boy was actually Peter Parker), as opposed to being planned out from the beginning.

Still, if you’re interested in crunching the numbers, the timeline does check out. Within the MCU, Iron Man 2 takes place in early 2011, while Civil War is set in the middle of 2016, which matches up with the ages of Peter Parker.

For those who can’t wait to see Spider-Man in action, you won’t have to wait much longer. Spider-Man: Homecoming is set to release on July 7.

[Featured Image by Jason Kempin/Getty Images]