When Marvel Studios brought Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it made perfect sense not to bother revisiting Peter Parker's origin story. However, that means we've never learned any specifics about how - and where - he gained his powers, while Uncle Ben has only been alluded to rather than directly mentioned (the closest we've got were his initials on a suitcase).
That changed in today's episode of What If...?, as Uncle Ben finally got a namedrop in the MCU!
Talking about everyone he's lost over the years, Peter lists, "My mom, dad, Uncle Ben, Mr. Stark." This is also an acknowledgement that the web-slinger's parents died when he was a child, and while this Marvel Zombies adventure wasn't set in the MCU, it was a near-identical world.
The only reason it changed was that Janet Van Dyne returned from the Quantum Realm after falling victim to a zombie virus, so we can assume Spidey's backstory is also the same in live-action.
Whether Spider-Man: No Way Home will acknowledge this remains to be seen, but fans are hoping Uncle Ben will be mentione once Peter crosses paths with his doppelgangers. There's even a popular theory doing the rounds that in the MCU, Ben Parker looked like Tobey Maguire does today (which would make the moment the MCU's Peter sees the original trilogy's Spidey unmasked all the more shocking).
Time will tell on that front, but let us know your thoughts on this What If...? Easter Egg in the comments!