The 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Trailer Reveals How Far Tony Stark Has Come In The Past 9 Years Of The MCU

"Just... don't do anything stupid. Alright?"

The second trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming is out, and I'm willing to bet the world wide web is full of Spider-fans right now! The film promises to be everything a Spider-Man movie should be, with fun and humor mixing with dark drama. The scene of the Vulture threatening a defeated Spider-Man? Iconic.

But this trailer is a smart one; in just over two-and-a-half minutes, #Marvel and #SonyPictures have shown just how far the character of Tony Stark has come since 2008.

A Poignant Moment for Tony Stark

The emotional centerpiece of the trailer is the moment when Tony Stark says he wants the costume back. Peter is horrified; he declares that he's nothing without this suit. That's clearly not an answer Tony Stark is willing to accept, as he responds:

"If you're nothing without this suit, then you shouldn't have it."

It's a powerful, emotional line, and it fits perfectly with Tony Stark's character journey through the #MCU. Remember this piece of dialogue?

"Big man in a suit of armour. Take that off, what are you?"

We all know that quote from 2012's The Avengers. And we all remember Stark's quickfire response:

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

The years since Tony Stark outed himself to the world as #IronMan have forced him to take a long, hard look at himself. He's faced his demons, he's fought the monsters he unwittingly created in fear, pride and greed, and he's taken on his closest friends in heartbreaking moments of pain and loss. In The Avengers, he proved that he's a hero; he made the "sacrifice play," willing to guide a nuclear bomb into a wormhole with no guarantee he'd make it out alive.

This explains the oddly contradictory ending of Iron Man 3, where Tony Stark walks away from the rubble of his home, having destroyed his armor in a fireworks display, and yet reflects:

"You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys. One thing you can't take away...I am Iron Man."

He's learned that clothes don't make the man. Take away the suit? He's still Iron Man. Because that's his identity, an expression of his character and genius, not a suit he puts on to become a hero. The minute Peter says he's "nothing without this suit," it's clear Stark realized he'd made a mistake. He'd encouraged this teenager to put his faith in tricks and toys — not in his own character, his own skills, his own intelligence.

Peter Parker Must Stand Alone

Meanwhile, fans will be reassured that this trailer shows the kind of superhero Peter Parker must become. Spider-Man is an iconic hero in his own right. He has the potential to become the new front-runner of the MCU, and he deserves better than to remain in Tony Stark's shadow. With Stark even responsible for giving Peter his costume, fans had understandably grown concerned he's just become Tony Stark's protege.

Now, it seems, Tony Stark himself has recognized the danger, and neutralized it. Tony Stark deliberately puts Peter in a place where he must realize that it isn't the clothes that make the man; it's the heart. He must prove that he is Spider-Man without that flashy suit, returning to his home-spun costume, and demonstrating that age-old lesson: with great power, comes great responsibility. In fact, the trailer even closes with Peter making just the right statement:

"I just gotta do this on my own."

All in all, this single conversation reveals just how much of a character arc Tony Stark has gone through since 2008 — and reveals just what kind of character arc Spider-Man will go through in Homecoming. It's the perfect response to fan fears that Tom Holland's Spider-Man would become nothing more than a sidekick, while simultaneously showing just how much Tony Stark has grown over the course of the MCU. For me, this piece of dialogue is easily the highlight of the trailer.