A lot of people that don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history were left wondering who that random dude was that showed up at Tony Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame alongside the overwhelming majority of the franchise’s most famous faces. However, for those in the know, the return of Ty Simpkins’ Harley Keener was a fitting nod to how many lives Tony affected during his time as Iron Man.

If Marvel Studios hadn’t struck the Spider-Man deal with Sony, then there’s every chance that Harley could have ended up becoming Tony’s onscreen protege, and may have even become Marvel’s version of Iron Lad. After all, it seemed strange for something as meticulously planned in advance as the McU to give such a major supporting role to a character like Harley, with virtually all of his scenes happening alongside Robert Downey Jr.,...