Perhaps the most surprising moment of Avengers: Endgame is that Tony Stark died. For the longest time, I was convinced that it was Steve Rogers AKA Captain America that would kick the bucket in a last ditch heroic act. Tony, I figured would survive simply because of the huge role he played in Spider-Man: Homecoming. In Homecoming, Tony played the role of mentor and father figure to Peter Parker. Who can forget: “If you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it.” I was confident that Kevin Feige and gang would continue to foster the relationship between these characters in the Spider-Man sequel, especially considering the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr and Tom Holland.
And it looks like that’s how Spider-Man: Homecoming/Far From Home director Jon Watts felt as well. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Watts said:
“Coming out of Homecoming, I had no idea. When I found that out, 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.”
However, Watts mentioned that he knew about this particular plot point rather early on in the process. In fact, he was one of the first few people to find out.
“When they knew what they were doing, you know, I knew when my movie was coming out, so I got the talk. I was sat down and pitched all the things that are going to happen, and as things changed a little bit along the way on their end, I’d get updates… one of the chosen few who’ve known for a long time.”
Jon Watts, who’s proven himself to be a helmer who genuinely understands the essence of Spider-Man saw the death of Tony Stark as a great opportunity to explore one of the core themes of the Spidey comics — the loss of loved ones.
“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. 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 Spiderman stories that I think people want to see. I think even if it’s not a direct comp for Uncle Ben, it definitely allows me to explore some of the similar themes.”
Spider-Man: Far From Home synopsis:
Peter Parker goes on a school trip to Europe with his classmates. While abroad, Nick Fury recruits him for a mission that requires him to join forces with Quentin Beck a.k.a. Mysterio, a master of trickery and illusion who claims to be from a parallel Earth in the Multiverse. Together they will battle extradimensional humanoids known as the Elementals.
