After 14 years on the big screen, Spider-Man is being rebooted for the third time this May in Captain America: Civil War. The difference this time around is that he now lives in a world filled with other Marvel heroes, a.k.a. back at home where he belongs. After months of wondering when Marvel would provide a first look at him, yesterday’s Captain America: Civil War trailer finally unveiled Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to the masses. In the final seconds of the preview, Tony Stark calls out, "Underoos!" A web then snags Captain America’s shield, and flipping onto a vehicle, he greets both the other superheroes and the fans who’ve been waiting to see him.
Now anticipation is at an all-time high for what the MCU’s Spider-Man will bring to the movie, but how did we get to this point?
Back when the Amazing Spider-Man series was still a thing, Sony planned on building their own cinematic universe with the main movies and spinoffs, like Sinister Six and Venom. However, following The Amazing Spider-Man 2 underperforming at the box office in May 2014, the Sony email hack revealed that the studio had discussions with Marvel about bringing the Web-Slinger into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and by February 2015, it was made official.
Not long after that, it was announced that Captain America: Civil War would be his first MCU appearance, and last June, In the Heart of the Sea’s Tom Holland was cast as Peter Parker. In addition to being a rising star, Holland has also posted videos online of him pulling off jumps and flips, proving that his athleticism is a great fit for the agile superhero.
Now that we know the when and who, what can we expect from the MCU’s Spider-Man, who, contrary to early reports, will have a decent-sized role in Captain America: Civil War? For one, there’s going to be more of an emphasis on him being in high school. Although this element was touched upon in previous movies, it wasn’t a focus, and it didn’t help that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were in their twenties while playing the Wall-Crawler. Tom Holland was 19 when he was cast, and just like the Wall-Crawler’s earliest stories, moviegoers will watch him struggle through high school as a social outcast when he’s not fighting crime in a mask.
Fortunately, it isn’t going to be all insecurity and geometry tests. Peter Parker will still have his trademark humor as Spider-Man, and it’s been said that he and Ant-Man will be Captain America: Civil War’s comic relief. You know, to provide some light moments in between the arguments, injuries and friendships being ruined.
The Costume
Costume-wise, Spider-Man's suit is certainly faithful to his comic book look (specifically from the ‘60s era), but is also more advanced than what his predecessors wore, mainly with how the mask’s eyes can adjust. Still, as smart as Peter is, it’s hard to believe he built something like that with the money he scrounged up from his allowance and possible part-time jobs. It was rumored last year that there would be two Spider-Man costumes in the movie, with one of them being something more homemade. The most common assumption is this suit shown in the trailer is the one that will be given to Peter by Tony, since Tony has the resources to create something so high-tech.
His Abilities
As far as Spider-Man’s abilities go, they’ll be the same as the previous movies. Super strength, enhanced reflexes, wall-crawling, spider-sense, basically doing whatever a spider can. Just like the Amazing Spider-Man series, Peter’s webs will be created via mechanical shooters rather than organically, and it’s rumored that Tony Stark will supply these devices, as well.
It hasn’t been revealed yet how Peter, the only teenager participating in the conflict, is brought in, although one report claimed that Tony personally recruits him, and Peter accepts the offer because he grew up seeing Iron Man on TV and is starstruck. That would also line up with news footage from one of the Ant-Man extras that revealed Stark Industries is providing scholarships for promising students from urban city schools. Considering how gifted he is in the sciences, Peter certainly qualifies as "promising," but that still doesn’t explain how Tony learns his secret. Maybe his facial-recognition technology is just that good?
His Allegiance
With a lot still being kept under wraps concerning Spider-Man’s presence, all we know for certain is that he’ll be fighting alongside Iron Man, War Machine, Black Widow, Vision and Black Panther against Captain America, Falcon, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Ant-Man. However, those who have read the original Civil War story know that Peter switches his allegiance midway through, so perhaps the same thing could happen in the MCU. It’s also worth noting that even though Peter is the youngest superhero in Captain America: Civil War, he’s already had a fair amount of time to build a reputation as Spider-Man. He didn’t just get bitten by that radioactive/genetically-altered Spider-Man a month before, so no need to worry about him not being able to handle himself. I mean, he takes care of Cap (Chris Evans) with ease.
His Odds Of Survival
Whatever goes down in Captain America: Civil War, fans don’t need to worry about Spider-Man biting the dust. Next year, he’ll lead his own movie, which costars Marisa Tomei as Aunt May and Zendaya as Michelle. Tom Holland also signed a three-picture deal that doesn’t include Captain America: Civil War, so we’re guaranteed at least two more appearances from the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man post-2017. As for Captain America: Civil War, while Spidey obviously isn’t the focus of the movie, everything we’ve heard so far makes it sound like he’ll leave a memorable impression.
Moviegoers will see Spider-Man in action for the first time in the MCU when Captain America: Civil War hits theaters on May 6. In the meantime, let us know what you’re looking forward to most about his appearance in the comments below.
