Tom Holland On Why Tony Stark Doesn’t Want Spider-Man In The Avengers

If you’re a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then there’s one thing you probably want: an Avengers membership. The massive franchise centers itself around the Avengers as the squad continues to assemble and eventually fall apart. Spider-Man is one such candidate wanting to join the team, but Tom Holland thinks Iron Man doesn’t want to recruit the vigilante just yet.

Recently, the Spider-Man star opened up about why he feels Iron Man is against Spider-Man joining the Avengers. Holland did an interview with Collider to hype the impending release of Spider-Man: Homecoming and the star told the site the conflict boils down to fear.

UP NEXT: Spider-Man: Homecoming Spoiler-Free Review

When asked about Peter and Tony’s father-son dynamic, Holland had this to say:

“It’s interesting more so from the point of Tony Stark because he sort of has the responsibility of someone else other than himself. He really has to think about keeping Peter Parker safe, and he does that by telling him to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man rather than this world-saving Spider-Man. He says help the old lady across the street, help get the cat out of the tree, but Spider-Man wants more.”

Continuing, Holland admits Spider-Man “wants to be an Avenger, and I think the reason Tony doesn’t want him to be an Avenger is because he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to him.”

Fans have already gotten a taste of how protective Iron Man is over his heroic protege. Tony Stark was seen flexing his helicopter-parenting skills on Peter after the boy managed to take down Giant-Man in Captain America: Civil War. Spider-Man comes up with a plan to take down Scott Lang after the former convict bulks up, but the attack leaves the teenager winded. When Iron Man rushes to check on Spider-Man, the boy panics and Tony tells the kid to stay down. When Peter complains, Iron Man threatens to tell on him to Aunt May, and the warning manages to shut up Spider-Man’s complaints for good.

In the past, Robert Downey Jr. has explained how he views his buddingmentorship of Spider-Man in the MCU. “Tony’s kind of keeping a real close eye on him and making sure that he is a worthy recruit for the Avengers,” Downey Jr. explained in a recent Spider-Man: Homecoming featurette. “He’s bright and gifted. And a very talented guy.”

Of course, Spider-Man will eventually be tasked with helping the Avengers in the near future. Holland is confirmed to reprise Peter Parker in Avengers: Infinity War, so you can bet the hero will saddle up to Iron Man when Thanos makes himself known. And, when the Mad Titan does show up, fans can bet Tony will try to keep Peter as far from the tyrant as humanly possible.

You can find the official synopsis for Homecoming below, which has a 4.13 out of 5 on ComicBook.com’s anticipation rankings.

A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging superhero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

The cast includes Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, with Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr. It also includes Jon Favreau, Martin Starr, Kenneth Choi, Michael Mando, Selenis Leyva, Isabella Amara, Jorge Lendeborg, Jr., JJ Totah, and Hannibal Buress.

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