Forget Iron Man & Doctor Strange, There’s 1 Perfect Candidate To Be Spider-Man’s New Mentor In The MCU

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Iron Man and Doctor Strange have both been mentors to Spider-Man in the MCU, but Marvel Studios may have already set up the perfect replacement for them in Destin Daniel Cretton"s upcoming Spider-Man 4. Following the recent update that Spider-Man 4 will be released on July 24, 2026, anticipation has been rising about what story will unfold in Tom Holland"s fourth MCU solo movie. Marvel Studios" Spider-Man 4 will kick-start a new trilogy for Holland"s Peter Parker, and this will likely move into more mature and heavy-hitting territory for the wall-crawler.
Spider-Man 4"s storyline and possible cast have been a huge topic of discussion, with many speculating whether the project will be street-level, as set up at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, or multiversal, fitting into the wider narrative of the Multiverse Saga. The potential villain for Spider-Man 4 has also been theorized, naming the likes of Kingpin, Knull, Venom and Doctor Doom, but it"s also likely Spider-Man will partner up with new heroes. Forgotten after No Way Home, Spider-Man needs all the help he can get, and one hero may be perfectly primed to join him.
Spider-Man Needs A New Mentor After Iron Man & Doctor Strange Spider-Man Has Learned From Some Of The MCU's Most Powerful Heroes Close Throughout his solo movies in the MCU, Tom Holland"s Spider-Man has always been seen alongside an older and more experienced mentor figure. Initially, Tony Stark"s Iron Man filled this role, with Robert Downey Jr."s MCU veteran building a strong bond with Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Stark officially dubbed Parker an Avenger in Infinity War, and kitted Spider-Man out with a plethora of Stark technology and armored suits, but Iron Man"s emotional and shocking death in Avengers: Endgame left a huge void in Spider-Man"s life.

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This huge void was filled by Nick Fury and, for better or worse, Jake Gyllenhaal"s Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but Peter Parker was officially aided by Benedict Cumberbatch"s Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Doctor Strange and Spider-Man fought Thanos together on Titan, forming a tight bond, but Strange and Parker had opposing views in No Way Home. Despite their contrasting opinions, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man eventually joined forces, but now that he"s been forgotten by the universe, Peter Parker will need a new mentor in Spider-Man 4.
Star-Lord & Spider-Man Are More Similar Than Other MCU Heroes Peter Quill's Star-Lord Could Join Peter Parker In Spider-Man 4

It seems that the perfect new mentor figure for Peter Parker in Marvel Studios" Spider-Man 4 could be Chris Pratt"s Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord. Pratt debuted as Peter Quill in 2014"s Guardians of the Galaxy as a founding member of the titular team, but has found himself back on Earth at the end of 2023"s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Surprisingly, there are many similarities between Star-Lord and Peter Parker"s Spider-Man, and this goes far beyond the fact that they"re both named Peter.
Star-Lord MCU Project
Year
Guardians of the Galaxy
2014
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
2017
Avengers: Infinity War
2018
Avengers: Endgame
2019
Thor: Love and Thunder
2022
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
2022
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
2023
Spider-Man fought Thanos alongside Star-Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy in Avengers: Infinity War. While Quill won"t remember Peter Parker, he will have memory of Spider-Man being involved, which could lead to him joining forces with the web-slinger back on Earth. The events of Spider-Man: No Way Home brought Spider-Man"s story much closer to Star-Lord"s, as both have now been forgotten by the ones they love, MJ for Parker and Gamora for Quill. This shared experience could bond Star-Lord and Spider-Man more than any other heroes.
Star-Lord Would Be A Perfect Mentor After Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Star-Lord Has Shown Off The Perfect Mentorship Qualities

When he was first introduced, it seemed very far-fetched that Peter Quill"s Star-Lord would be a good mentor to anyone. Now, however, recent events in the MCU have proven that Peter Quill could be the perfect hero for Peter Parker to team up with in Spider-Man 4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 showed just how strong Star-Lord is, as he fought alongside his love, who doesn"t remember him, and became a true leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy team in the MCU. Now on Earth, Peter Quill will surely want to continue being a hero.
Peter Quill led the Guardians of the Galaxy in battle against the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, hoping to save Rocket.
Partnering with Spider-Man creates the perfect opportunity for this to happen. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also promised that Peter Quill would return as the Legendary Star-Lord, though there has been no sign of this happening just yet. Spider-Man 4 could be the perfect place to bring Star-Lord back into the MCU and develop his more Earth-based story away from the cosmic Guardians of the Galaxy, which could set him up for a huge future in the MCU while better connecting Spider-Man to Marvel"s other heroes.

Spider-Man Homecoming 4 Not Yet Rated SuperheroActionAdventure Spider-Man: Homecoming 4 is the first sequel to the MCU's Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular wall-crawler. After wiping his identity for the public's memory in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker continues his crime-fighting adventures without the aid of Iron Man technology or the support of his former allies.
Release Date July 24, 2026 Cast Tom Holland , Zendaya , Jacob Batalon prequel(s) Spider-Man: Homecoming , Spider-Man: Far From Home , Spider-Man: No Way Home Upcoming MCU Movies