why peter would NOT have chosen team cap, even if he were given the choice
this is probably just a lousy attempt at trying to give everyone a new perspective about CA civil war 10 years later, but i’ll say it anyway ‘cause i’m sick of arguing left and right for the past years of my fangirling
the decision tony and steve made all boils down to psychology: steve had a soldier’s mindset where he focused on saving those who can still be saved. tony, on the other hand, dwells on the lives that should’ve been saved, and it’s a perspective he has carried all throughout his life, most probably ever since his parents died.
it just pmo when either side says that, “team __ has beliefs while the other had none,” when steve and tony both had beliefs. both were acceptable depending on perspective, both had a point, and that’s what makes this very complex. where it all blew up was how their mindsets just clashed—they couldn’t fit themselves in each other’s shoes even if they tried. and each person on their team also had different motives as to why they chose the team they chose (t’challa as revenge on bucky, nat as a way for them to stay together, antman and wanda because they personally hated stark, etc).
yada yada, after all that, i saw how many people still believe that spider-man would’ve chosen team cap if tony didn’t recruit him personally. and here’s why that won’t be the case:
in terms of identity, signing the accords would deeply affect peter, but in terms of practise, it wouldn’t affect his daily routine of patrolling in queens because the sokovia accords governs international incidents. so technically, if spider-man keeps his crime-fighting in queens, peter is under the control of the NYPD and not the UN. moreover, peter is legally protected by tony stark as the latter kept him classified under a stark industries internship, where he can reiterate that peter does not operate internationally.
if peter had chosen team cap, filled with known international fugitives, his superhero life would’ve ended before it even started. he would have to be on the run as a fifteen-year-old—dropping out of school and leaving his only family behind, until he gets locked up in that raft. and i don’t get how this aspect is not clear to team iron man antis.
yes, peter was basically blackmailed when he was brought to germany by tony, but it gave him legal protection of his identity under stark industries, a bunch of upgrades that can protect him in future patrols, and someone who sees his potential—which was what he needed, if y’all can see it or not.
steve brought wanda to an international mission that led her to unintentionally bomb a building, and when she got heavy criticism for what happened, his defense was that ‘she was a kid.’ it’s a bit hypocritical when some team cap stans refuse to see that flaw of steve and focus on tony’s when he brought peter to the fight. but tony had explicitly stated his terms—he gave peter an upgraded suit with multiple tools of protection, he stated that peter should keep his distance, and that he was to go home once he’s down. and all was well. he sent peter away after germany with a brand new suit and legal protection of his identity.
and like i’ve said at the opening of this post, it all boils down to psychology. peter’s mindset is way more similar with tony’s than steve’s. as a crime-fighting fifteen-year-old who webs up thieves and gives directions, he would not be able to handle any lives on his guilt and conscience. that’s basically spider-man’s origin story: how he was not able to save his uncle ben from that mugger when he already had his powers—it motivated him to become spider-man to make sure something like that never happened again.
and you all expect this kid to side with a man who can easily move on from lives that couldn’t be saved? it’s not a wrong perspective, no, but it’s definitely not peter’s perspective. you can even see in the ferry incident and in titan that he wouldn’t let anybody fall during a fight—that’s how desperate he is to save everyone. and that’s exactly why he would choose tony every, single time.
if everything was discussed beforehand, peter would choose tony every time—the man who can provide protection, a safety net to fallback on, and resources. he would choose tony logically and emotionally. because like he said to tony, “when you do the things that i can, but you don’t, then the bad things happen—they happen because of you.”
that’s exactly the philosophy that tony has kept in his mind for years, which led him to create ultron, which made him realise he needed boundaries. but these boundaries barely affect peter when he is legally protected by tony and if the ultimate goal is to only keep his city safe.
thanks for listening to my ted talk! :D
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