Secret identities are important to superheroes, but sometimes they endanger the lives of the people they are supposed to protect. In the MCU, Peter Parker revealed his secret to the world, but many times he could make life better by simply admitting he was Spider-Man. Being able to credibly tell civilians and the police that he was often an ally of the Avengers could put people at ease and help him investigate crimes. Most importantly, he had to be honest with his friends and family, especially his supportive Aunt May.
Not every superhero has to live with a secret identity, and in the MCU, heroes didn’t put much thought into keeping their identities a secret. Iron Man revealed himself to the world at the end of his first film. Doctor Strange and Captain America are essentially public figures. However, the Spider-Man franchise revolves around his secret and he almost destroyed the world. On Earth, where superheroes are controversial but accepted, many times Peter Parker had to take off his mask and say, “I’m Spider-Man.”
eight Liz found out her father was Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Before MJ, Peter’s big love in the MCU was Liz Toomes, a friendly girl who led his decathlon team. Unbeknownst to Peter or Liz, she was also Vulture’s daughter. Peter left Liz at the dance to stop her father from stealing more of Stark’s technology. Ultimately, Spider-Man won the battle and Liz’s father was sent to prison.
Peter’s excuse to leave the Homecoming Ball was weak. He dodged Liz’s questions and instead expressed sympathy for her. However, Peter could explain that he is Spider-Man and her father needs to be stopped. It would have been a much kinder way for her to learn about Peter and her father than to see Peter’s secret spilled out through all the media years later, or her life suddenly turned upside down when her father was arrested.
7 Mysterio reveals Spider-Man’s identity to the world (Spider-Man: Far From Home)
Peter believed that his problems ended after Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, was killed by his own drones. However, one of Beck’s associates posted a video accusing Peter of killing Beck. In the fabricated video, Beck also revealed Spider-Man’s identity.
Obviously, no one could have known that Mysterio would have a contingency plan. Most villains don’t have the foresight to do this. Moreover, if Peter reveals his identity to the world, it will have consequences that could ruin the life of anyone, especially a teenager. During Civil War comical event, Peter revealed his identity to the world on something like his own terms rather than revealing it to himself, and it still put his loved ones at risk. However, pre-empting this with its own broadcast would obviously help save Peter’s reputation.
6 Ned caught Peter in his costume (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Ned Leeds, Peter’s best friend and classmate, was the first person in Peter’s civilian life to know he was Spider-Man. After sneaking into his apartment and removing his mask, Peter found Ned in his bedroom, his mouth open from an unexpected discovery.
Throughout the three MCU Spider-Man films, Ned Leeds has been Peter’s biggest supporter. As Peter’s “armchair guy”, he shared Peter’s dangers and love for superheroes and nerds. Despite their supposedly strong friendship, Peter didn’t trust Ned enough to tell him before he was caught. Ned bombarded Peter with annoying questions, but that only proved how happy he was to be on the team.
5 Peter could calm the girls in the tent (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
AT Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man pursued Vulture’s cohort through small neighborhoods. In a comedic reference to Ferris Bueller’s day offSpider-Man ran through people’s backyards, falling and landing in front of a couple of little girls camped out in their backyard. His visors failed and frightened the two girls.
Telling them he was Spider-Man might or might not help in the immediate situation. However, once the kids had a chance to calm down and understand that he was a superhero and not some kind of intruder, they may have been less frightened. Unfortunately, Spidey ran off to continue the pursuit.
four The feds interrupted the fight between Spider-Man and the Vulture (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Peter found out about the arms deal involving the Vulture. He told Iron Man, and Stark passed the information on to the FBI, who staged an arrest on the ferry. Tony also told Peter to stay away, which Peter misinterpreted as ignoring his concerns. Ignoring Tony’s orders, Spider-Man was confronted by the Vulture’s gun sales right before the Feds showed up and pointed their guns at everyone.
Under such circumstances, Peter’s silence was excusable. However, it might help if he told the officers that he was an ally of the Avengers, Spider-Man. He could have named Tony Stark as well, since the billionaire apparently led the feds into the Vulture’s arms deal.
3 Aunt May confronted Peter about his strange behavior (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
After numerous disappearances, troubles at school, and missing backpacks, Aunt May is fed up with Peter’s excuses. She confronted Peter about his behavior and demanded to know what was going on. Peter had a chance to tell her the truth, but instead he told her that he had lost his Stark internship.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely a lie. His “internship” and superhero apprenticeship with Iron Man were one and the same. By this point, however, Mei has more than earned the right to know what her adopted son is really up to. Although her accidental discovery was played for laughs, it was a really harsh way to expose such a huge secret.
2 MJ already knew Peter’s secret (Spider-Man: Far From Home)
On the halfway Far from home, Peter finally had time to just talk to MJ. Peter planned to give her a gift and tell her how he felt. As soon as he started talking, MJ interrupted him and said, “You’re Spider-Man.”
Naturally, Peter’s first impulse was to deny this. However, when MJ presented her evidence, denying the truth began to feel cruel. She raised an eyebrow at each of his alternative excuses. Luckily, they uncovered the villains’ plan and Peter broke down and admitted his identity. Peter had to admit that this person he cared about supposedly knew his biggest secret and didn’t treat him differently or reveal it to anyone else.
one Spider-Man could follow Iron Man’s lead in the MCU
Peter Parker’s journey as Spider-Man has been a coming of age story. As a young protégé of Iron Man in the MCU, Peter struggled to live up to the expectations placed on him, especially after living in Stark’s shadow. Spider-Man: Far From Home was about Peter finding a solution to this struggle by coming to terms with Tony’s death.
Peter may not have thought he lived up to Iron Man’s legacy, but his actions proved otherwise. Sure, he made mistakes, but even Tony admitted he wasn’t perfect at it. Homecoming. If Peter really wanted to follow in Tony’s footsteps, he could have made his identity public like Tony did. With Tony’s parting gift and Avengers protection, Peter and his loved ones would be safe.