SPOILERS: SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING - 10 Amazing Easter Eggs You May Have Missed
Spider-Man: Homecoming is crammed full of references to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe and the comic books in general, and we've found the ten most spectacular Easter Eggs hidden in the Marvel reboot!
The fact that Spider-Man: Homecoming is a collaboration between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures may very well make it the most unique superhero movie ever made. Two studios teaming up like that is pretty much unprecedented but with Kevin Feige and company in charge, the wall-crawler has finally been restored to greatness after three disappointing outings which let fans down in a variety of ways.
With this being a Marvel movie, it goes without saying that it's crammed full of Easter Eggs and references to both the comic books and wider Marvel Cinematic Universe in general. What you'll find here then is a look at the reboot's ten most spectacular nods to those and more, many of which it's easy to miss. From cameos to homages and more, this is your must-see guide to the best Easter Eggs.
It goes withouts saying that potentially major spoilers follow from here, so read on at your own risk!
10. Amazing Spider-Man #33 Cover Homage
Spider-Man doesn't seem to really have his Spider-Sense in the movie, something which probably explains why The Vulture is able to fool him and bring an entire warehouse crashing down over his head. Buried beneath the rubble, Peter looks just about ready to give up before pulling himself together and using all his might to push his way to freedom.
This is clearly a homage to Amazing Spider-Man #33, a comic book which similarly saw the wall-crawler buried beneath debris only to fight his way out in order to get a much-needed cure back to his Aunt May in time. In this case, he has to escape to stop Adrian Toomes from getting his hands on Tony Stark's most dangerous tech, but it's a memorable sequence and one which director Jon Watts has clearly lifted straight from the source material.
9. Thor's "Magic Belt"
Much of Spider-Man: Homecoming revolves around The Vulture attempting to get his hands on Tony Stark's weaponry as he makes the move from Avengers Tower to the New Avengers facility first introduced in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Happy Hogan runs down a list of items being transported and they make for very interesting reading.
There's the Hulkbuster armour, a new shield for Captain America (presumably the one first spotted in Iron Man 2) and a "magic belt" for Thor that Happy Hogan struggles to pronounce. That's more than likely Megingjörð, a belt which does actually enhance the God of Thunder's strength which could very well come in handy when he takes on Thanos, especially as Mjolnir will be destroyed in Thor: Ragnarok. Why does Tony have that in the first place? Hopefully, we'll find out in the very near future.
8. Prowler's Famous Nephew
Donald Glover has only a very brief role in Spider-Man: Homecoming but makes quite the impact as Aaron Davis. A good-natured crook in the comic books who later becomes one of Peter's closest allies as The Prowler, he also just so happens to be the uncle of Miles Morales in the Ultimate Universe, a character many fans hoped would suit up as Spider-Man in this reboot.
Miles will instead take centre stage in an animated movie set to be released next year, but the fact Aaron mentions his nephew here pretty much confirms that Miles also exists in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Whether or not he'll make an actual appearance remains to be seen, but the stage has definitely been set for the other Spider-Man to show up down the line and that's definitely an exciting prospect. With Aaron looking to buy some tech, you have to believe we'll see him suit up at some point in this world too.
7. A Howling Commando
When Kenneth Choi was cast as Peter Parker's principal in Spider-Man: Homecoming, there was a lot of confusion. Had Sony chosen him without realising that he'd played one of the Howling Commandos in Captain America: The First Avenger or was Marvel up to something? Well, it turns out that it's the latter as Choi is playing Principal Morita, a descendant of Jim Morita. We don't spend a whole lot of time with him here but look closely in his office and you'll notice that he has a photo of his grandfather alongside some framed military medals.
Martin Starr, meanwhile, plays the academic decathlon coach and after having a very small role as an unnamed computer technician in The Incredible Hulk, it's entirely possible that he's the same guy and that this is one of Marvel's most obscure and hard to spot cameos to date.
6. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
After Ned blurts out during gym class that Peter knows Spider-Man, Flash Thompson demands that he bring the wall-crawler to Liz's party. Agonising over whether or not appearing that's the right thing to do (probably because the last time he showed off, his Uncle Ben died), Peter ends up seeing an explosion in the distance and is forced to run and web-swing through the neighbourhood's gardens to get there in time. After all, there are no skyscrapers around!
However, as Peter races to get to the weapons in time, the young hero comically crashes through a variety of different gardens, smashing through sheds, vaulting over fences, scaring kids, freaking out a man doing a barbeque and plenty of other mischief. This is a very clear nod to a famous and near identical scene from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a movie director Jon Watts admits to being inspired by for Spider-Man: Homecoming.
5. The Alien Tech
Much of the weaponry repurposed by Adrian Toomes and his gang in Spider-Man: Homecoming appears to be Chitauri tech the gang stole from the cleanup after The Avengers. The Vulture's suit is clearly made up of equipment salvaged from the alien's air-bikes and the Shocker's gauntlets were obviously created with the same tech Crossbones had for his gauntlets in Captain America: Civil War (could he have bought them from Toomes?).
Throughout the rest of the movie, we see a gun created from a left over Ultron drone and black hole grenades which were part of the arsenal of the Dark Elves in Thor: The Dark World. This all clearly comes from tech salvaged by Damage Control, a group led by Tyne Daly's Anne Marie Hoag. She's wearing green just like her comic book counterpart and looks the spitting image of that character.
4. Suit Lady
Peter Parker having an A.I. inside his costume is obviously a dramatic departure from the comic books, but one which actually works really well especially when it's being used for comedic effect. Initially referred to as "Suit Lady" by the wall-crawler before he names her "Karen," the A.I. is actually voiced by Jennifer Connelly. She has a history with superhero movies after playing Betty Ross in 2003's Hulk but that's not what makes this such an interesting Easter Egg.
Connelly is the wife of Paul Bettany, and as you'll no doubt already know, he played Iron Man's A.I. J.A.R.V.I.S. for many years before becoming The Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Will Karen one day become Jocasta or another robotic character from the comics? That remains to be seen, but as cameos go, this is definitely a pretty memorable one.
3. Scorpion
Spider-Man: Homecoming features a lot of villains from the comic books, including The Tinkerer and two different versions of The Shocker. The most memorable, however, may very well be Mac Gargan, a character played by Michael Mando who first appears while attempting to make an arms deal with Adrian Toomes during the Staten Island Ferry scene. He's quickly despatched during Spidey's brawl with The Vulture but reappears during the mid-credits scene to try and make an ally of the now imprisoned Toomes.
He fails but between the Scorpion tattoo on his neck and the fact his body is heavily scarred and damaged, chances are we'll definitely see him suit up as the Scorpion in the sequel. After all, he's keen on learning Spidey's secret identity and alludes to having powerful friends on the outside, but that could just as easily be setting up Silver & Black, a movie Scorpion is rumoured to appear in.
2. The Classic Spider-Man Theme
The new Marvel Studios fanfare is very cool but is replaced here by something a little more...spectacular. Michael Giacchino's score is excellent throughout and director Jon Watts chooses some great pieces of music to accompany the action but it arguably never gets better than the composer's take on Spidey's classic theme song from his original TV series.
Playing over the Marvel Studios logo, it's a truly amazing version of a very familiar piece of music and one both Sam Raimi and Marc Webb failed to take full advantage of in their films. You can actually hear traces of it throughout the main score as well so hopefully, it's going to be a permanent fixture for what feels like the definitive take on Spider-Man! It certainly feels like a fitting way to kick off the hero's first Marvel Cinematic Universe adventure, regardless.
1. Captain America's Last-Minute Cameo
Once the credits have finally finished rolling, Captain America appears on screen - just as he has done throughout in videos shown in Peter's high school - and lectures those left in the cinema on patience and the fact it doesn't always pay off. It's a pretty hilarious moment and one which you just know fans will ultimately appreciate despite the tease! Would it have been nice to get something Avengers: Infinity War related? Of course, but this still manages to stand out as one of Marvel's best efforts!
Which of these was your favourite Spider-Man: Homecoming Easter Egg? Have we missed any others? As always, share your thoughts in the comments section.