Split image of Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark standing in front of an explosion in Iron Man (2008) on the left, Downey Jr's Tony in his Iron Man suit in the finale battle of Avengers Endgame (2019) on the right

Iron Man has been the poster hero of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since his 2008 debut, but the franchise’s latest release has revealed a harsh truth about him. It’s been six years since Robert Downey Jr.’s last appearance as Tony Stark in the MCU, as the character notoriously died sacrificing himself for the universe in Avengers: Endgame. Even with the character gone, Tony’s impact on the MCU can still be felt, especially in projects involving Spider-Man as Tony was a close mentor to Peter Parker.

Marvel’s latest release in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man never mentions Tony directly, but plenty of parallels are inferred between Peter’s relationship with Tony and his new mentorship with Norman Osborne. The series has even gone as far as to recreate Peter and Tony’s initial MCU meeting from Captain America: Civil War, only this time with Norman. After the show has pointed out the similar roles that the two characters play in Peter’s life, it also makes it easier to recognize a harsh difference between them.

Iron Man Didn’t Help The World As Much As He Could Have

Tony Stark revealing he is Iron Man in Iron Man Tony Stark looking defeated in Iron Man tony stark talking in court in iron man 2 (2010) Tony Stark with remote controlled Iron Man suit in Iron Man 3 Tony Stark's Iron Man and War Machine in Germany in Captain America Civil War

Tony Stark started out in the MCU as a self-absorbed billionaire who eventually evolved into a superhero who cared about society, shown by how he literally put his life on the line for the universe. However, one thing that always held Tony back was how he kept his Stark Tech to himself. His fear of his technology landing in the wrong hands was definitely a justified one as he saw first-hand how enemies used it for wrong in Iron Man, but a lot of situations would have looked much different if they had access to technology as advanced as Tony’s.

If only Tony had realized just how much he was holding back, he could’ve made an even bigger impact in the world than he already had.

Tony did use his money and strength as Iron Man to help others, but the reality is that he could’ve done much more to help the world. Keeping the Stark Tech to himself limited humanity’s progression. It is a similar situation to when Wakanda closed its borders off from the rest of the world. It was a justified means of protecting their people, but T’Challa eventually did realize that it was a mistake. If only Tony had realized just how much he was holding back, he could’ve made an even bigger impact in the world than he already had.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Makes An Iconic Marvel Villain Good For Humanity

Norman Osborn in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Episodes 1 & 2

The big twist of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is that Peter’s mentor figure is Norman Osborne instead of Tony, but that’s not the only change they’ve made. In the show’s first two episodes, Norman is made out to be a charitable man who wants to use his resources to do good for humanity. He’s not made out to be a straight-up villain right away. When Peter first visits Oscorp, the lobby plays videos of Norman’s various charitable ventures where he talks about wanting to use his research to help the world.

This twist doesn’t necessarily mean that the version of Norman in Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man is a better person than the MCU’s Tony. However, it is hard to ignore the difference in how the two billionaires have used their resources. Especially after his sacrifice in Avengers: Infinity War, most Marvel fans hold Tony in very high regard. The harsh reality is that he did plenty of good as both Tony Stark and Iron Man, but there was also much more that he could’ve done.