Today, Sony announced an official release date for Spider-Man: No Way Home on Digital and physical media. It's news that's been welcomed by fans eager to relive his greatest big screen adventure, but if the film proved anything, it's that the MCU's Peter Parker doesn't always make the wisest decisions!
In this feature (which is all in good fun, especially as we're all big Spidey fans here at CBM), we take a look back at five times this iteration of the wall-crawler was the MCU's dumbest superhero.
Peter only just learned that "With Great Power There Must Also Come Great Responsibility," which is evident from his actions over the years in films like Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War. We also touch on one very specific moment in No Way Home!
You can find our ranking of Spidey's biggest MCU blunders by taking a look through the slides below.
5. Joining #TeamIronMan
When rookie superhero Peter Parker found Tony Stark sitting in his living room, no one ccould really blame him for getting caught up in the moment. However, the fact that he was so quick to trust Iron Man and believe that what Captain America and the rest of those heroes were doing was wrong was far from the web-slinger's smartest move.
As someone so protective of his secret identity, Peter signing up with the pro-Sokovia Accords team of Avengers goes against so much of what he stands for as a hero and is downright irresponsible.
Heck, during his fight with Captain America, Spider-Man pretty much admits to not being 100% sure why he's there. With that in mind, we can't forgive the dumb decision Spidey chose to make in Captain America: Civil War when he clearly gave little to no thought about whether he was on the right side.
4. Trusting Mysterio
Quentin Beck came up with a believable backstory in Spider-Man: Far From Home, and with "Nick Fury" clearly trusting of the Multiversal hero, we can understand why Peter would buy into his act so quickly (especially in the wake of his former mentor, Iron Man, tragically dying).
All of that is well and good, but the wall-crawler handing over E.D.I.T.H. to someone he's just met was a crazy decision, and one that didn't reflect overly well on young Peter. Iron Man had entrusted his arsenal to Spider-Man and he threw that all away...to have fun with his friends in Europe? It was a selfish decision on the hero's part and one we know had devastating consequences.
By handing Tony's drones to Mysterio, Spidey put countless lives at risk. Yes, it was an honest mistake, but we'd like to think Spider-Man will be a little smarter than this moving forward in the MCU.
3. Trip Into Outer Space
Spider-Man once again failed to use his head when he clung onto the side of that spaceship hovering above New York City. We'll give the high school student props for trying to do the right thing, but when Iron Man gave him an "out" by sending Peter back to Earth...well, he should have taken it!
Abandoning his Aunt May, MJ, Ned, and, well, the entire planet just to follow Tony into outer space wasn't a smart move and left him in a scenario where he was in way over his head. We loved seeing Spidey swing into action on Titan in Avengers: Infinity War, but this Friendly Neighborhood hero was all too quick to abandon that neighborhood for an adventure that ended badly for him.
Peter was going to be dusted either way, unfortunately, but we do wonder if that battle back on Earth might have ended differently had Captain America and company had help from Spider-Man...
2. Seeking Out Doctor Strange's Help
Mysterio revealing Spider-Man's secret identity to the world ruined Peter's life but, aside from trouble getting into college, his newfound fame wasn't that bad. Yes, it was all very overwhelming, but with time, we're sure the teenager would have been as accepted as every other superhero in the MCU that doesn't have a secret identity...which is pretty much each and every one of them!
Seeking out Doctor Strange's help wasn't a dumb idea in and of itself, but not being more specific with the spell was. It was because of that indecisiveness the Multiverse ended up being thrust into madness and, had Peter used his brain and just spoken with the head of admissions at M.I.T., May Parker would still be alive, the world would remember who Peter is, and he'd likely be in Boston by now.
In fairness, we understand why Spider-Man did what he did in No Way Home, but it was another irrational, irresponsible moment we hope will now put him on a more responsible path from here.
1. The Staten Island Ferry Incident
Despite Iron Man, a bona fide Avenger, telling Peter to go back to protecting his neighbourhood, Spider-Man decides to track down The Vulture and ends up in the middle of an FBI sting.
Had he listened, Adrian Toomes would have been arrested there and then, but it all went wrong, and those innocent people on the Staten Island Ferry nearly lost their lives as a result. Peter would eventually prove himself in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but not before crashing a plane and making a lot of mistakes. He may have also inadvertently created one of his greatest foes in the process.
Mac Gargan was among the injured on that ferry and clearly wants revenge on Spider-Man. We fully anticipate him coming for that in the next trilogy, transforming into Scorpion or potentially even Venom; that's going to cause havoc, but another dumb decision could soon catch up to the hero...