Iron Man 3’s Harley Keener’s Comic Debut Hints At Bigger MCU Role

Warning! Spoilers for W.E.B. of Spider-Man #1 by Marvel Comics below.

A surprising character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to make their comic book debut, as Iron Man 3’s Harley Keener is set to co-star in the W.E.B. of Spider-Man series. Keener, who was last seen at Tony Stark’s funeral in Avengers: Endgame, will play a role in the upcoming Avengers Campus tie-in comic, hinting at a potentially larger role in the MCU to come.

Keener (played by Ty Simpkins) was an original character in Iron Man 3, who doesn’t have a comic book counterpart. In the film, he assisted Tony Stark in rebuilding his suit after his home is destroyed. The two characters would develop an unlikely friendship, which ended with Tony gifting Harley new tech and equipment after the defeat of Aldrich Killian. Harley could reappear in Avengers: Endgame at Stark’s funeral. While the character hasn’t been seen in the MCU since, Marvel could be setting the stage for bigger things for Harley with his comic debut.

Marvel Comics released a new preview of W.E.B. of Spider-Man #1 by Kevin Shinick, Alberto Alburquerque, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Travis Lanham, (H/T Monkeys Fighting Robots), a tie-in to the recently revealed Avengers Campus. The comic, like the new tourist destination, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with the campus being unveiled, Marvel showcased a first look at the comic. In the book, Peter Parker arrives at the W.E.B. (Worldwide Engineering Brigade) where he leads a group of “smart kids that Tony Stark put together.” Peter’s colleagues at W.E.B. include Lunella Lafayette, Onome, and Harley Keener.

Keener’s identifier shares his origin of Rose Hill, Tennessee, with his point of interest says he’s a “friend of Tony Stark.” While it might not seem like a big deal to include Keener in the group of talented kids, seeing his story continue in a tie-in comic could hint at bigger plans for the character. Keener being in Avengers: Endgame’s funeral scene and now a tie-in comic for Avengers Campus strongly hints Marvel isn’t done with the character. Keener hasn’t appeared in the pages of Marvel Comics before, so he was specifically chosen to be included in this Avengers comic.

Regardless of whether he appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe again, seeing Harley make his comic debut is exciting as it was unclear if he would ever show up outside of his big-screen roles. Considering W.E.B. of Spider-Man is a tie-in book, it wouldn’t be surprising if the comic was laying down the foundation for his next MCU appearance. Wouldn’t it be cool to see Harley Keener in Ironheart or another future project? Web of Spider-Man is in comic book stores next week.

Source: Monkeys Fighting Robots

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Liam McGuire
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Lead writer for Screen Rant’s comic team. [email protected]. Find me on Twitter @LiamRMcGuire for comic news and reporting.

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