SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING - 5 Things Marvel Studios Is Doing Wrong With The Wall-Crawler
The latest trailers for Spider-Man: Homecoming were admittedly amazing, but they also highlighted some major issues with the upcoming reboot. Here's 5 things Marvel is doing wrong with Spidey!
Spider-Man has been my favourite superhero for as long as I can remember, so it goes without saying that I'm looking forward to Spider-Man: Homecoming this July. However, after watching that spectacular new pair of trailers for the reboot, some issues have definitely come to the surface.
I still think the movie is going to be very good and that it will do a great job of bringing Peter Parker into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, somewhere it's fair to say the iconic superhero definitely belongs.
Below, you'll find five reasons why I think Marvel Studios (and Sony Pictures) are dropping the ball with the wall-crawler. From his ties to Tony Stark to various creative decisions being made, I have a bad feeling that the Spider-Man we're getting won't be quite as amazing as we all first hoped...
5. Spider-Man Is Iron Man's B*tch
From a business perspective, you'd have to be an idiot not to realise that having Iron Man appear in Spider-Man: Homecoming is a smart move on Sony and Marvel's part. Not only is both the character and Robert Downey Jr. a huge box office draw, but it's probably also the most effective way to make it clear that Peter Parker is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately, the way their relationship is being handled isn't the best.
It's clear that Peter idolises his new mentor, but Iron Man repays that by treating him the same way he did that kid in Iron Man 3. That's not bad for a few laughs, but Spider-Man deserves more respect than that. He'll hopefully earn that by the end of the movie, but having his costume confiscated and a number of its abilities made off limits is far from the best way to handle the character's reintroduction in this movie and him reporting to Iron Man hopefully ends sooner rather than later.
4. Peter Parker's Fancy New Costume
While it's understandable that Marvel Studios wanted to shake up Spider-Man's status quo following five movies of pretty much the exact same thing, Peter Parker's fancy new costume just doesn't sit right with me. There's no doubt going to be plenty of laughs to be had as we see the youngster interacting with the A.I. that Tony Stark has built into the costume, while his gadgets look undeniably cool.
However, somewhere along the way, Marvel appears to have forgotten the essence of what makes Spidey great. That is the fact he comes up with his own solutions and inventions, and while I know it would be impossible these days for a high school student to develop cutting edge tech, this just feels like a lazy storytelling decision. It could be redeemed once Peter puts on the homemade costume, but not if he's back in Stark's suit by the time the credits roll.
3. Spider-Man Is A Loser
Peter Parker has always been a bit of a loser, but that's what makes him so endearing. When he puts the Spider-Man costume on, however, things change and he becomes a cockier, brash hero who will do anything to save the day. Sure, he doesn't always get it right and makes mistakes, but Spider-Man: Homecoming appears to be portraying the wall-crawler as a joke.
Before I go any further, I do think that will change by the time the credits roll, but seeing him treated like a numbskull by Tony Stark and helping old ladies cross the street and stopping bicycle thieves may not be quite as funny as Marvel thinks. Hell, the trailer makes it clear that he can't even put an end to a bank robbery without screwing up pretty much an entire neighbourhood, and while him tackling street level crime is a smart move, it just doesn't seem like the young - and dumb - hero can even get that right.
2. A Shared, But Non-Shared, Spider-Man Universe
This isn't necessarily Marvel's fault (more Sony's), but it's still worth a mention. The news that Tom Hardy will be suiting up as Venom is massively exciting, but it's disappointing that his Eddie Brock will more than likely never get to cross paths with Tom Holland's Peter Parker. Marvel can't stop Sony from launching a series of Spider-Man Universe spinoffs because they want to make money, but you'd think Kevin Feige would have sat down with Amy Pascal and figured out how to make the paths of these characters cross.
Couldn't Spider-Man come across the alien suit during the events of Avengers: Infinity War and have it somehow come into the possession of Eddie Brock? Sure, it wouldn't be exactly like the comic books, but if Sony realised that they needed to join the MCU to make Spidey succeed, can they not see that Venom should at least share Peter's world?
1. One Too Many Ties To The Avengers
While I'll give Marvel credit for finding a way to tie The Vulture's plan to The Avengers and Tony Stark, there's really no need for that and it makes Spidey feel like something of an afterthought as he basically cleans up a mess Earth's Mightiest Heroes are too important or busy to deal with. It's going to be interesting seeing if future villains end up also making use of salvaged tech upgraded by The Tinkerer because if that is the case, we can probably expect this franchise to remain firmly tied to Iron Man and company for the foreseeable.
Do you agree with these points about Spider-Man: Homecoming or should we wait and see? Do you have any ideas of your own in regards to what Marvel is doing wrong? Sound off below.