The death of Captain America at the end of Civil war had a huge effect on the entire Marvel Universe, but no hero was more deeply affected than Spider Man. Peter Parker’s reaction to the loss of Steve Rogers proves that Captain America should be considered Spider-Man’s true mentor, not Iron Man, because Civil war and the MCU suggested instead.
Thanks to the iconic scene of the public unmasking of Spider-Man in the Civil war comic book series and MCU movies such as Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War, the common perception is that the Avenger who acted as Spider-Man’s mentor was primarily Iron Man. However, this is far from the truth. Peter Parker respected and idolized Captain America long before he joined his New Avengers, and after that their relationship only grew stronger. After the tragic death of Steve Rogers, assassinated following Civil warPeter was undoubtedly the most shaken of the heroes, going through denial, anger and depression, proving that he saw Cap as more than a friend or colleague, but also a father figure.
Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America is a limited series that explores the aftermath of Steve’s death by focusing on the reactions of his fellow superheroes. The series is structured into five issues that follow the “five stages of grief” theory. Spider-Man features prominently in two of them. In issue 2, “Anger,by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness, The Thing is having its traditional poker game with members of the New Avengers and Young Avengers, including Wolverine and Spider-Man. When Logan says he just saw Steve’s corpse on a Helicarrier of SHIELD, Peter vehemently denies the truth and even punches Wolverine in the face. In issue #4, “The Depression,” by Jeph Loeb, David Finch and Frank D’Armata, Spider-Man travels to the grave of his Uncle Ben, overwhelmed by the weight of the important people he has lost, including Captain America. Only a timely fight with Rhino and a sincere conversation with Wolverine can help him out.
The fact that Peter places the loss of Cap on par with the other tragic deaths that have defined his life, including Ben, Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn, is proof enough of the importance of his relationship with Steve. To understand why, consider that despite being “old” in terms of publication history, Spider-Man is still portrayed as a young hero who always struggled to fit in with the established superhuman community. . When Cap recruited him into the New Avengers, it was a real turning point for Peter. He felt like the most respected hero in history trusted him. As Spider-Man says in issue 4 of fallen son: “AThat’s when Captain America noticed me, it made it feel like everything I’d done was worth itIt shows how much Peter respected Cap, and that sentiment only blossomed during their time together in the New Avengers, with Steve often showing mutual respect for Spider-Man.
Considering Tony Stark betrayed Peter’s trust after the unmasking, he shouldn’t be considered his mentor at all. In fact, as a result of Tony’s actions, Peter went through the worst time of his life, becoming a fugitive while Aunt May was shot and nearly died. This period of turmoil also put the death of Steve Roger on Peter’s head even more, but the Sentinel of Liberty knew how to inspire Spider Man even from beyond the grave, proving that Captain America should always be considered his true mentor.
