Spider-Man: Far From Home Director Didn’t Originally Plan For Tony Stark’s Fate

While working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, filmmakers are forced to collaborate and adapt in a manner unique to any other film franchise. More than twenty movies into a sprawling, interconnected cinematic world, Spider-Man: Far From Home was forced to deal directly with the fallout of Avengers: Endgame. Whereas Spider-Man: Homecoming before it featured Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark as a mentor for Peter Parker, this time around he was a tragic loss propelling the character forward by perpetually having a presence. When working on Spider-Man: Homecoming and planning an arc for his Peter Parker, Far From Home director Jon Watts didn’t know he would go on to inherit a story in which Tony Stark is dead.

When asked by ComicBook.com if he knew Tony’s influence in Far From Home would take the shape it did with Tony having died in Endgame before it, Watts admits: “No, I didn’t.” He had an idea for Peter’s arc through multiple films but worked closely with the creative team at Marvel Studios to incorporate the shared universe’s narrative. “Coming out of Homecoming, I had no idea,” Watts said. “When I found that out, you know, you realize, ‘Oh that’s not something you can just address and then move on. That’s what the movie is going to be about.’ There’s no way around it. If anything, it focuses you on the kind of story that you’re going to be telling.”

Holland can still recall the moment he found out Tony Stark would be dying. “We went to shoot a wedding sequence for Avengers: Endgame,” Holland says in the video above. “And we showed up, and it was not a wedding it was a funeral. For Tony Stark. What a bummer.”

As a result, Tony Stark has essentially become the MCU’s version of Peter’s Uncle Ben. “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,” Watts said. “It’s part of the DNA of what makes Spider-Man, Spider-Man. 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.”

What was your reaction to Tony Stark’s death in Avengers: Endgame? Are you hoping to see some proper tribute to the character in Spider-Man: Far From Home? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram or Twitter!

Spider-Man: Far From Home opens in theaters on July 2.