Avengers: Infinity War didn’t officially launch the Iron Spider suit to boost Spider-Man toy sales. Introduced at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming as Tony Stark’s gift to Peter for officially joining Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the young hero opted to walk away from the opportunity, as well as the suit. Despite that, fans knew that it was only a matter of time before he sported the cool armor. Lo and behold, when the first teaser trailer for Avengers 3 debuted at D23 Expo last year, it was confirmed that the new shiny suit will be Peter’s main costume in the movie.  

Cool as the Iron Spider suit is on screen, some weren’t necessarily thrilled with another costume upgrade for Peter. The Queens-native just got a new armor also care of Tony - complete with his own A.I. named Karen, and multiple operating modes. Critics argued that it seemed too early for him to sport such a high-tech suit. However, over time, people slowly accepted the suit, especially after seeing it in action in Infinity War.

During the audio commentary included in Infinity War’s home entertainment, co-director Joe Russo and co-writer Stephen McFeely explain the need to introduce a brand new suit for Spider-Man in the film despite just getting an upgrade in Homecoming. And apparently, it had nothing to do with wanting to sell new toys:

If Peter needed a special suit for his outer space expedition, Marvel Studios could’ve easily explained that his Homecoming suit has the same capabilities as the Iron Spider costume, but it needed activation from Tony himself to unlock these additional features. Tony intended for Peter to slowly get accustomed to his new armor before giving him full reigns to it, hence why it was initially operating under the training wheels protocol. Considering that Tony has had nightmares about what’s “out there,” it only makes sense that he equipped all his latest creations with the ability to take their wearer in space.

Stephen McFeely: “Everything [happens] for a reason. Peter just doesn’t get a suit because we want him to look cool and sell more toys in this one. He needs a different suit.”

Joe Russo: “He needs to go to space in something different, something that he can breathe in. Something that will let him function in the environment he’s about to encounter.”

After sporting the shiny Iron Spider suit in Infinity War, and maybe even in Avengers 4, Peter appears to be going back to his previous suit as revealed in a brand new video from the set of Spider-Man: Far From Home. It’s certainly an odd thing for a superhero to consciously downgrade his armor but this only makes it more intriguing to know what the state of the universe will be after Thanos’ galactic genocide, given that the sequel will be people’s first look at the MCU after the events of the twin Avengers sequels.

More: Infinity War BTS Photos Show Filming of Spider-Man’s Death

Avengers: Infinity War is available now for digital and streaming, coming to Blu-ray on August 14th.

  • captain marvel Release Date: 2019-03-08 The Avengers 4 Release Date: 2019-04-26 spider-man homecoming 2 Release Date: 2019-07-02