Jon Favreauis heading back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. No, not as a director, but as an actor. Indeed, Favreau cast himself as Happy Hogan in the first MCU movie ever,Iron Man, which he directed. Of course at the time the entire idea of a Marvel Cinematic Universe was but a far-off notion, with the post-credits scene featuringSamuel L. Jacksonas Nick Fury added during post-production. Now every other superhero franchise is trying to emulate what Marvel started, and stemming back to that casting decision made back in 2007, Favreau is coming back to the Marvel fold.
So where is Happy popping up next?Avengers: Infinity War? Not so fast. PerVariety, Favreau will actually be appearing inSpider-Man: Homecoming, which is a collaboration between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures that sees Sony financing and distributing the film and Marvel taking the creative lead. Favreau’s casting in the film makes sense given that we already know thatRobert Downey Jr.has a co-starring role as Tony Stark/Iron Man, so perhaps Happy will get to cross paths with the webslinger himself.
Indeed, this new Peter Parker’s introduction to the MCU took place inCaptain America: Civil War, withTom Hollandmaking his debut when Tony comes to Queens looking for help in his battle against Captain America. Given that Tony is the one who recruits Spider-Man and gives him his fancy new suit, the two have something of a rapport that I’m mighty eager to see play out inSpider-Man: Homecoming.
Homecomingis currently in production in Atlanta withCop CarhelmerJon Wattsdirecting, and while we don’t know too much about the movie, Marvel has stressed that this is very much a high school story with something of aJohn Hughesvibe.Michael Keatonis playing the film’s villain, Vulture, andMarisa Tomei,Tony Revolori,Zendaya,Hannibal Buress,Bokeem Woodbine,Martin Starr, andDonald Gloverfill out the ensemble.
As a result of his Marvel contract, Favreau has an executive producer credit on allAvengersmovies in the foreseeable future, including the upcomingAvengers: Infinity Warand its untitled sequel. While those two movies begin concurrent production later this year, it’s unclear if Happy will be a part of that massive ensemble or not. Thus far his appearances have been relegated just toIron Manmovies, including the Favreau-helmedIron Man 2and theShane Black-directedIron Man 3, so Happy’s appearance inSpider-Man: Homecomingis something of a first for the MCU. As a filmmaker, Favreau most recently directed the Disney smash hitThe Jungle Bookand isonboard to helm a sequel.
Spider-Man: Homecomingopens in theaters on August 27, 2025.
