An upcoming issue of the prequel comic for Disney+'s Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man finally showcased Uncle Ben's first uplifting speech within the MCU.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man was released on Disney+ in January and February 2025, giving fans a fresh look at the web-slinger's early days as a superhero. The featured version of Peter Parker in that series was not the same as Tom Holland's, so it brought never-before-seen encounters with familiar characters.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man has already been renewed for Season 2, but fans have also been treated to a comic series set in the same universe. It acts as a prequel to the Disney+ show, turning back the clock to showcase important events such as when Peter got his powers, when he decided to become a hero, and more.
Uncle Ben's First Official Dialogue in the MCU
Four issues of Marvel's Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man comic series have been released as of writing, with the fifth issue coming out soon. However, a preview of #5 was already revealed (as shared by CBR), giving fans a bit of a teaser before the entire issue premieres.
In the preview, one page from the comic reveals Uncle Ben's (who is already dead in the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man universe) first dialogue in the MCU as he talks to Peter from beyond the grave.
Uncle Ben was technically shown in the Disney+ animated series, but only in a picture, so he never had any dialogue. In Tom Holland's Spider-Man films, Ben was referenced and mentioned, but he never appeared on-screen or spoke at all.
Ben is best known for being inspiring, specifically to Peter. Many attach the "With great power comes great responsibility" line to Uncle Ben, so it wouldn't have been shocking to hear him tell Peter that in the Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man comic.
While he does deliver the best possible speech to Peter in the upcoming fifth issue, he doesn't mutter that iconic quote. Instead, he tells Peter "how proud May and [he] are" of him.
Ben also gives Peter a bit of a pep talk, telling him to "fight for the people he loves" while also "never [giving] up:"
"You know that's not true. She'll be devastated, like when she lost me. When I was dying, what gave me comfort was how proud both May and I are of the man you're becoming. A good person, Peter. Someone who fights for the people he loves and never gives up. Am I right?"
After Peter then tells Ben that he misses him, Ben admits to missing Peter as well, but encourages him by saying "[he'll] always be part of [him]:"
"I miss you too, kiddo. But I'm always with you. I'll always be part of you. Now let's see you prove it."
The full panel from the upcoming comic can be seen below:
Seeing as how Uncle Ben didn't include his iconic "great power" line in that interaction with Peter, it is possible that it will be told to him by Aunt May instead.
The same happened with Tom Holland's version of Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home as she was dying (read about Aunt May's alternate death scene in that movie here), so this version of the web-slinger could go through a similar situation.
As mentioned, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man does not feature the same version of Spider-Man as Tom Holland's. The two are two different characters in different universes, so the Uncle Ben seen in the Disney+ show and now in these comics is not the same as Tom Holland's Spider-Man's Uncle Ben.
How Did Uncle Ben Die in the MCU?
Uncle Ben's death has been rather mysterious in the MCU. Tom Holland's version of the character has talked about Ben, but the way he died has never been revealed.
In Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's universe, Ben is also obviously dead, but how it happened also remains a mystery.
However, the upcoming fifth issue of the prequel comic series does shed a bit of light on what may have happened. While speaking to Peter, Ben used the words "When I was dying" to describe what happened to him at the end of his life.
Based on those words, coupled with the fact that Ben had long enough to know how proud he was of Peter, it sounds like his death was a bit of a long process. That would rule out dying via gunshot, as Ben's deaths in the past have been rather quick when that happens.
It is possible that Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's version of Ben became very sick and passed away from some sort of illness. That would have given him time to look back on his life and reflect on the type of person Peter was growing into.
Since Uncle Ben from Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Ben from Tom Holland's universe seem somewhat similar, it is possible that Holland's Uncle Ben may have suffered the same fate.
It is unclear whether the MCU will further explore what happened to Uncle Ben in either Your Friendly Neighborhood or in Tom Holland's future movies, but at least some clues are being sprinkled into Spider-Man projects that allude to what happened to Uncle Ben.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #5 will be released on Wednesday, April 23, and Season 1 of the Disney+ series is available to stream.
