Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Spider-Man: Far From Home. The split between Peter Parker and his wall-crawling alter-ego has long been a crucial part of the character’s mythos. The mask doesn’t just protect Peter and his loved ones from super-villain reprisals; it allows him to escape the pressures of his normal life, and vice versa.
Due to the nature of comics and their story lines, Peter is certainly not always successful at keeping his mask on. But many of Spider-Man’s most famous stories revolve around his fear that his friends, foes, and the general public, will discover who he really is. This fear has cropped up in all of Spider-Man’s adaptations, from the '60s and '90s animated TV series, to both Sam Raimi’s movie trilogy and Mark Webb’s duology.
Tom Holland’s MCU incarnation has a somewhat more lax approach to keeping his identity secret. This is likely because, ever since Spider-Man: Far From Home is the fifth movie adventure for Holland’s Spidey, and there were certainly several opportunities for people to learn who the man is beneath the mask. So, to help keep track, here are all the characters that know Spider-Man’s secret identity in the MCU.
Last updated: July 7, 2019
Spider-Man Characters Who Know Peter Parker’s Secret Identity
- Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) - Peter’s best friend discovered what the Stark Internship really consisted of when Spider-Man crept into Peter’s bedroom after an evening of crime-fighting in Avengers: Infinity War as well.
- May Parker (Marisa Tomei) - The most youthful interpretation of Aunt May (thus far) remained concerned and suspicious of Peter’s activities in Homecoming, much like Rosemary Harris and Sally Field’s earlier versions. But, Far From Home trailer, which harks back to her Ultimate comic book counterpart.
- Michelle “MJ” Jones (Zendaya) - Despite the detrimental effect that a secret double life tends to have on relationships, Peter and MJ grow closer and closer in Far From Home, but thanks to her keen observation in Homecoming, she had been able to piece together the truth sometime beforehand. This proved to be a good development for Peter though, since MJ was instrumental in alerting Spidey to Mysterio's plot.
- Adrian Toomes/ the Vulture (Michael Keaton) - Spider-Man’s first major villain in the MCU deduced that the “little bastard in red tights” – who had greatly disrupted his business – was his daughter’s date during Homecoming’s standout sequence. Mac Gargan (Michael Mando) was later seen questioning Toomes about Spidey’s real name during their incarceration yet. Curiously, Toomes denied all knowledge of Spider-Man’s identity.
- Quentin Beck/ Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) - This disgruntled, ex-employee of Stark Industries faked his backstory, and the Multiverse, to become a hero himself. As such, Beck was made aware of Spider-Man's alter-ego when Fury drafted them both to combat Mysterio's fraudulent threat.
- Dimitri Smerdyakov/the Chameleon (?) (Numan Acar) - Even after Far From Home, fans can only guess whether Acar really is Spidey’s face-changing foe, the Chameleon. Nevertheless, he still knows Spidey's secret because he served on Nick Fury's shadowy team, and was seen hijacking Peter's school trip on the super spy's orders.
Marvel & Avengers Characters Who Know Spider-Man’s Secret Identity
- Tony Stark/ Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) - Iron Man was the first person to know Spidey’s identity, and he became a mentor and friend to Peter in his formative MCU installments. Sadly, Stark is now dead after succumbing to the Infinity Gauntlet’s radiation in Avengers: Endgame, though it remains to be seen who he might have told before he ed away (more on that later).
- Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) - Infinity War saw Spider-Man combat the Black Order’s first assault upon Earth, and the wall-crawler attempted to prevent Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) from taking Doctor Strange hostage. When Maw succeeded, Peter stowed away on his spaceship and his subsequent plan (inspired by Aliens) ultimately defeated Thanos’s henchman. Soon after, Spider-Man formally introduced himself to the Sorcerer Supreme. It’s unclear what the future holds for Strange and Spidey in the MCU, though if it’s anything like the comics, they will become firm friends.
- Carol Danvers/ Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) - Beset by Thanos’ goons in the final battle of Endgame, Spider-Man was assisted by Captain Marvel at the last possible minute. Frightened and weary, Peter babbled his name to Carol as he ed her the Infinity Gauntlet, much to her amusement.
- Harold “Happy” Hogan (Jon Favreau) - Happy has known Peter’s identity ever since the tumultuous events of Captain America: Civil War, where he was grudgingly appointed Spider-Man’s handler. Though he grumpily dismissed Spidey at first, Hogan gradually warmed to the precocious teen – especially after Peter prevented the Vulture from stealing a whole plane full of Stark tech.
- William Ginter Riva (Peter Billingsley) and every other member of Mysterio's team - This Iron Man side character ed forces with Beck in protest against Tony Stark's behavior and helped craft his illusions alongside various other technicians and experts. Because Ginter Riva and his associates were present in Mysterio's fake Czech pub, where an unmasked Peter openly discussed super-heroism with Beck. Therefore, its highly likely that they know that Peter and Spidey are one and the same - especially since they toasted him following Beck's acquisition of EDITH.
- Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) - The ex-Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been largely absent from Phase 3, but Far From Home sees Fury tasking the reluctant hero with stopping the Elementals from wreaking havoc across Europe - albeit from afar...
- Talos & Soren (Ben Mendelsohn & Sharon Blynn) - Far From Home's second post-credit scene shockingly reveals that Fury and Maria Hill were never involved in the story. Instead, Captain Marvel's shape-shifting allies had masqueraded as the two ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agents while Fury had enjoyed a vacation aboard a Skrull vessel. This means that the two amiable aliens know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man as well.
Characters Who May Know Spider-Man’s Secret Identity
- Virginia "Pepper" Stark & Morgan Stark (Gwyneth Paltrow & Lexi Rabe) - It’s unclear whether Pepper knew Spider-Man’s real name at the Avengers press conference during Homecoming’s last act. But it seems likely that Tony would have discussed his dusted protégé with his wife and daughter at some point during the five years that followed the Decimation.
- Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) - Hill has become something of Nick Fury’s right hand after the death of Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) in The Avengers. As such it’s a safe bet that, like her boss, she’s known Peter’s secret for a while, but its hard to gauge given that we only see Hill being impersonated by Soren throughout Far From Home.
- Herman Schultz/Shocker (Bokeem Woodbine) - Through the energy signature of the stolen Chitauri power cell, Shocker tracked Spider-Man to his school, and later accosted the wall-crawler when he left the homecoming dance to foil the Vulture’s heist. Shocker will certainly know that Spidey is of high school age, but we can only guess if Toomes actually disclosed Spidey’s alias to his lackey.
- It’s also worth mentioning that most of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Ravagers, Doctor Strange’s sorcerers, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and his Wakandan forces, the remaining Asgardians - and even Howard the Duck - have seen Spider-Man unmasked during the climatic battles of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Some will have also seen him and his Aunt May at Tony Stark’s funeral. It’s unclear if Spider-Man told these heroes his real name, or whether they will be able to deduce who he is from these brief and stressful interactions.
Far From Home's Post-Credits Scene Changes Everything
- Everyone in the MCU now knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man - Far From Home's first post-credit scene reveals that Mysterio had a savage contingency plan ready in case of his own demise. On a live broadcast across New York, J.Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) of The Daily Bugle.net transmits footage that they received from Beck, which implicates Spider-Man as the mastermind of the Elemental threat – and discloses his true name. Will Peter deny or acquiesce to Mysterio claims? This remains to be seen; but for now, it looks as if Spider-Man's greatest secret is gone for good in the MCU.
