Although Tom Holland's Spider-Man first appeared in Captain America: Civil War (2016), he received his first standalone film the following year with Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). Directed by Jon Watts, we explore Peter Parker's life after Tony Stark informs him that he is not yet ready to become an Avenger. So he focuses on his high school life and, simultaneously, his crime-fighting duties as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. With the help of his best friend, Ned, he takes on his first big bad, Adrian Toomes/Vulture (played by Michael Keaton). At this time, Peter Parker is the youngest superhero in the MCU.
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By the time Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) was released, Peter's graduation was looming and his friends were enrolling in college. The outcome of the film saw Peter become a much more mature version of Spider-Man after the series of traumatic events that took place throughout the film's running time. Now, Marvel's Phase 5 hints at a replacement for Peter as the MCU's youngest hero. Here's everything we know so far.
Who will replace Peter Parker as the MCU's youngest superhero?
Recently, Marvel released the trailer for the highly anticipated female-led superhero film coming out later this year: The Marvels. Not only will Brie Larson be back as Carol Danvers, but we will also see Kamala Khan make her big screen debut. A series of events leads Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala's powers to intertwine, causing the trio to randomly switch places. And if you've seen the Disney Plus series Ms. Marvel, it should be obvious who will take Peter's place as the universe's youngest hero.
With her optimistic and enthusiastic personality, it's only natural that Kamala would join the ranks of the MCU's most iconic heroes. Much like Peter Parker, optimistic about becoming a hero, Kamala's reaction upon meeting Nick Fury in the trailer is pure excitement. However, while it will be amazing to see her finally become a hero in her own right, one crucial problem arose when introducing Peter into the MCU. It's about his need to have a mentor every time he appears in a film.
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Will Marvel avoid making this mistake with Kamala Khan?
It's hard to say whether Marvel will avoid repeating this critical mistake with Kamala, since she's also making her big screen debut at the same time as other A-list heroes. Plus, she's more than expressed how much she admires Captain Marvel, just like Peter and Iron Man. From this perspective, it seems obvious that this is the direction things are heading. But considering how Peter struggled to become his own hero and all the mistakes he made along the way, it doesn't make sense for Marvel to go that route again. And to speculate, Carol Danvers' schedule would probably be too busy to serve as Kamala's mentor anyway.
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Will Kamala's replacement of Peter as the MCU's youngest superhero benefit Spider-Man?
In short, Kamala taking Peter's place as the youngest hero will significantly contribute to his development as a hero. If we hope Kamala can become a self-sufficient heroine without relying on anyone else's advice, that's what we hope for Peter too. Although the tragic events that led him to his current position will ultimately help him become a mature hero capable of working independently like many older heroes in the MCU. And with Kamala taking his place, the other heroes will no longer see him as a child but rather as a young adult hero who is finding his place.
TL;DR
- The trailer for the all-female superhero film, The Marvels, was recently released and hints at a replacement for Peter Parker.
- As it stands, he's the youngest superhero in the MCU to wear the mantle of Spider-Man.
- However, Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan will make her big screen debut in The Marvels, replacing Peter as the MCU's youngest superhero.