As is common on nearly any given day of my adult life, I recently spent 6 hours or so thinking about Spider-Man’s upcoming debut in the Marvel cinematic universe (MCU) in the upcoming film, Captain America: Civil War. I’m sure most everyone with an appreciation for the cultural resonance the masked wallcrawler has had on comics, film and society are also pumped - though maybe not to the point of spending a quarter of their day thinking about it. No need to worry: I have done enough thinking for us both. Read below for my stray thoughts about Spider-Man in the MCU
Crap, crap, crap! I want pictures of Spider-Man!
Missing in action: Spider-Man
The first full trailer to Captain America: Civil War debuted Nov. 24, 2015 on Jimmy Kimmel Live. We were treated to a lot of new info in this trailer such as the first images of Black Panther, glimpses of who is on which team (Wanda siding with Cap shouldn’t be surprising), the reappearance of William Hurt as Gen. “Thunderbolt” Ross, the basic premise of the conflict (Cap is such a great friend he refuses to turn over Bucky for a likely federal-government-sponsored execution) and the amazing fight between Cap and Iron Man. All great things but... where is Spider-Man?
It seems Spider-Man was intentionally left out of this trailer. I can only surmise that the reason he was left out was to keep Spider-Man as an ace in the hole to be shown only in the weeks ahead of the actual release of the movie. The purpose behind this decision is likely strategic to build hype and anticipation for the movie because Captain America: Civil War will be going head-to-head with Batman vs. Superman at the box office.
Warner Brothers Studios and DC seem to be operating a similar strategy as their recent trailer did not feature other Justice League Heroes we know to be included in the movie such as the Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman. While the outcome of the Civil War / Batman vs. Superman conflict remains to be seen, I am confident the battle of hype between trailers debuting Spider-Man and the remainder of the Justice League will be a no-contest win for Marvel unless more is included to tip the scale toward DC. I mean, Spider-Man footage up against footage of a Michael Jackson-looking Flash and a Rob Zombie Aquaman? Shut the front door!
Will Spidey be an MVP or will he be picked last for kickball, like Peter?
Another possibility for Spider-Man’s non-appearance in the trailer or set photos as of now is the possibility that showing him now would reveal plot points too soon. Does Spider-Man side with Cap or Iron Man? How are we introduced to Spider-Man? How big of a role does Spider-Man actually have? Who knows. These questions may, however, be why we haven’t seen him yet.
Bad Romance
Women should dig Spider-Man. Pete? Not so much.
It is this writer’s humble opinion that a common flaw through all of the Spider-Man movies to date (both Raimi and Webb) was the fact that the movies were mostly romance movies and Spider-Man and supervillains happen to be in them. I understand the big Hollywood formula requires a love interest and romance plot point in the movies. That’s fine - I get that. However, the writers and filmmakers have went overboard by making the entire plot focus more weight on Peter Parker’s love life than Peter Parker’s conflict of interest between his personal life and his clandestine heroism.
Peter Parker from the comics is one of the more conflicted and torn people ever to see print. He has a life-changing event in the death of his uncle Ben due to his own irresponsibility which drives him to embrace his powers for the betterment of the lives of others. He has to place priorities in his life and, in nearly all cases, he chooses to be Spider-Man to save people rather than focus on his personal life. Peter’s grades go to hell, he's often dead broke, he is seen as flaky and unreliable by friends and family, he works for (and directly assists) a man bent on publicly lynching his costumed alter-ego and he can’t get a date to save his life.
This one aspect of his personal problems (his inability to kindle a real romantic relationship) has historically been flipped on it’s head immediately where Peter seems to have very little trouble getting the girl. He gets Mary Jane (MJ) in the Raimi movies despite being a nerd and she being way out of his league and even passes on the opportunity to form a real relationship with her. Peter did this to protect her from becoming a future target of his enemies or a casualty thereof, so this does pay respect to the idea of Peter’s prioritization of his important role as Spider-Man over his personal desires. However, the next movie Peter goes back to pining over MJ and decides to give up his responsibility to be Spider-Man in order to, among other things, pursue his relationship with MJ.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm captures perfectly Peter Parker's conflict.
This concept is perfectly fine and a great point of drama for Peter so I support it. It actually reminds me a lot of the scene in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm where Bruce falls in love with Andrea Beaumont and desperately wants to give up his budding quest for personal vengeance for his murdered parents - hanging up the vigilante path before he ever donned the cape and cowl. Bruce is so conflicted between using his life to help save the lives of others who may be victims to criminality and his own personal desires to marry his love and settle down. He passionately shouts at the graves of Thomas and Martha Wayne, pleading for their permission to move on from their deaths. Bruce cites “it just doesn’t hurt as much anymore” as a reason for them to please allow him to move past their deaths. I am getting shivers just remembering it as I write this. It’s an incredible scene and well worth the time watching the movie just to see.
This idea is touched upon in Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 but done so in a way that isn’t as fulfilling. It’s okay for Peter to have a little selfishness drive him. He’s just as deserving of happiness as anyone else and he’s certainly sacrificed plenty to have earned said happiness. Sure, he wants romance but the complexity of Peter Parker: Spider-Man is, at some level, as much as he wants to be able to live a normal life and engage in a romantic relationship, the words of uncle Ben still have the first place in his heart.
Gotta do what ya gotta do.
MJ and Gwen Stacy or any of the other women in Spider-Man’s life certainly have a place in the MCU tale of Spider-Man, but I believe they should be a side-plot not the main plot. A recurring joke in the new movie series can be how at some point in each movie Peter either misses or has to cancel a date he was really looking forward to because he is off punching some kind of mutant monster or bank robbers. Peter shouldn’t go into a depression spiral like the Webb movies. He should be disappointed but shrug his shoulders and move on because at the core of his being, Peter is a hormonal teenager but also just a teenager. Being a superhero is fun! Which brings me to my next point.
Responsibly Irresponsible
I know this sounds like a conflict with what I just wrote - because it is. Spider-Man should value his responsibility to help others above all personal ambition but he should also, at some level - possibly the main level - enjoy being Spider-Man; personal sacrifice be damned. One of Spider-Man’s most notable trademarks (right after his signature red and blue costume) is his witty banter. Someone who laughs and jokes around while fighting flesh-eating symbiotic aliens can’t be seen as taking seriously or giving the respect that flesh-eating symbiotic aliens truly deserve.
Stick around. Hanging out? Stuck in the office? Which one do you prefer, JJ?
It’s incredibly irresponsible to take the time and effort to develop and hurl punchlines at typically mass homicidal and unappreciative opponents... particularly when they are usually the only audience but that’s who Peter Parker is at his core. He is an irresponsible teen having fun with being a superhero. He’s an introverted nerdy bookworm in reality but when he puts on the suit he is slick, funny and charming in addition to being a superpowered hero. Spider-Man is a side of Peter Parker which gives him confidence to be the person he wants to be in his personal life but can't quite muster as Parker yet.
I really hope this aspect of Spider-Man makes it to the big screen because that’s a part of the self-contradiction of Peter Parker. At times he hates being Spider-Man because of the sacrifices he must make but he also LOVES being Spider-Man. This kind of complexity makes for great characters and character development as he matures over the years.
There can be only one
Marvel reportedly has very strict policies about casting. As an example, there is a rule that no actor or actress can play more than one character in the MCU. There may be an exception for Vin Diesel who voiced Groot, Laura Haddock who played a Cap fan in the 40s and later played Ms. Quill in Guardians of the Galaxy was given a pass and Paul Bettany was also given a pass at the request of Joss Whedon (technically, he is still playing J.A.R.V.I.S. but in a bio-organic android body) but other than that, there doesn’t seem to be much wiggle room.
Having said that, I have yet to meet even one person who did not absolutely LOVE J.K. Simmons’ portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson in the Raimi films and I think Simmons was born to play this role for as long as he is willing to do so. Marvel execs may be nervous about casting him as JJ again because they believe some fans might accidentally believe the new Spider-Man movies are related to the Raimi movies. The execs should also be aware of how beloved his portrayal of JJ is and how many people argued Simmons’ character stole the show in many ways.
Truly an infectious laugh
I truly hope Marvel allows Simmons to resume the role of Jameson. Marvel, a creative brand which understands and appreciates the concept of multiple alternate universes, can understand that in every possible universe J.K. Simmons is J. Jonah Jameson. I’m sure the fans would support this casting and some would show up to the movies just for this alone!
What do you all think? What are you most excited about for the Spider-Man movies? What makes you the most nervous or uncertain about the Marvel/Sony Spider-Man partnership? Am I full of crap? Leave a comment below.