Iron Man 2 has been retconned since Spider-Man‘s introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a new fan theory has shined a darker light on the connection between Peter Parker and the events of the 2010 film.
Tom Holland and Kevin Feige have already confirmed that the boy Iron Man saves at the doomed Stark Expo is indeed Peter Parker, but a new Reddit theory poses that some of his family members weren’t so lucky.
Redditor /u/NavyWlarus posits that the same night Peter is saved by his future mentor, his parents did not make it out alive – dying during the cavalcade of bullet fire at the film’s climax.
It would certainly add another layer to the relationship between Peter Parker and Tony Stark, who mentors him across Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame, and posthumously in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Whether or not the theory has merit is a whole different thing. Thus far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, Peter Parker’s ill-fated parents have not been shown or mentioned. The Amazing Spider-Man films are the only Spider-Man films so far to even really make much of a point out of his parents, with them implied to have been spies revealing a big Oscorp secret.
One could also criticize this theory as brushing over something that would have surely been brought up earlier. Had Peter’s parents died as a result of Iron Man’s villains – one would think it’d be mentioned at some point.
Regardless, it’s a fun new theory and could become popularized in a similar way to Jon Favreau’s son’s cameo in Iron Man 2 being retconned to being Peter Parker.