After two self-contained movie series, Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, was finally added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe earlier this year in Captain America: Civil War. Played by Tom Holland, this movie delivered one of the most faithful versions of the Wall-Crawler we've ever seen outside of the comics, harkening back to those early teenager years when Stan Lee and Steve Ditko were working on him. The movie did a fine job moving past the much-told origin story and setting the hero up in the MCU before he battles The Vulture, Tinkerer, Shocker and a number of other criminals in Spider-Man: Homecoming next year.
Despite his short amount of screen time compared to the rest of the superheroes, Spider-Man had plenty of moments to shine in Captain America: Civil War. Now that the Captain America movie is available on Digital HD and is arriving next week on Blu-ray/DVD, let's go over the main things we learned about Spider-Man in this action-packed flick.
He's Socially Awkward
When meeting new people or even around many of his classmates, Peter's is socially awkward. He stumbles with his words, sometimes even finding himself at a loss for them, and he tends to uncomfortably shift around. We all know he's a cool person and someone we'd love to hang out with once we got to know him, but this awkwardness definitely won't help with winning any popularity awards at high school (fortunately, those don't hold any true prestige years later).
He Lives With His Aunt May
Peter's parents died when he was very young, so he was raised by his Uncle Ben and his "unusually attractive" Aunt May (played by Marisa Tomei). They are, for all intents and purposes, his parents, too. Unfortunately, Ben was tragically killed, leaving Peter and Aunt May to fend for themselves. Luckily, May is very supportive and loving of Peter, so he's fortunate to have her in his life.
He's Very Inventive
That spider bite didn't boost Peter's intelligence, he's just always been extremely smart. He and his aunt May don't have a lot of money, but the teen's been able to tinker around with "retro tech" (as Tony Stark calls it) laying around his neighborhood that others have tossed away. His biggest creative achievement, however, are his trademark web-shooters. Not only did he design the mechanisms, but he also created the adhesive fluid that forms the webbing for all kinds of purposes. That's pretty good for a kid who has to worry about homework.
He's Living In An Apartment Queens
Like Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America, Peter Parker is a New York boy, though in his case, he hails from good ol' Queens. Unlike the comics, Peter and Aunt May don't live in a house in the suburbs, but in an apartment building. This is a much better reflection of the current times and economic struggles middle and lower America is facing, but it does look like there's a strong sense of community in Peter's neck of the woods. Plus, it gives Peter plenty of room to show off his "talents."
Guilt Is Driving Him To Be Spider-Man
Captain America: Civil War didn't spell out Spider-Man's origin story, but by now we all know what happened. He was bitten by the enhanced spider, and eventually, his Uncle Ben was killed by a criminal. The latter was what pushed Peter to use his powers to help others, and we learn just how much guilt is driving him when he's chatting with Tony Stark. In Peter's mind, if he has these powers and does nothing with them, then he's ultimately responsible for the bad things that happen. That's what happened with Ben, but Peter will do his best to make up for that as Spider-Man.
He's Just Getting Started In The Superhero Game
When Tony Stark shows up in Peter Parker's home, the teenager has only been Spider-Man for six months. In that time, he's put together a makeshift costume and has been swinging around Queens preventing accidents and battling crime. Of course, this is a Spidey who's operating in the 21st century, so his displays of power have been captured on video and uploaded to YouTube, making him an internet star. Nevertheless, he's still learning the ropes of being a superhero, but the events of Captain America: Civil War help get him to the next level.
His Senses Are So Sharp, He's Gotta Wear Goggles
When that spider bit Peter Parker, he gained abilities like super strength, wall-crawling and enhanced agility. However, along with also gaining that special Spider-sense, MCU's Spider-Man's senses were boosted to incredible levels. They're functioning so efficiently that when he's out crimefighting, Peter has to wear special goggles out in the field so that he can filter things out. Sometimes too much of something isn't a good thing.
Tony Stark Is His Idol
Tony Stark has been Iron Man for eight years, if not a little longer. Before that, he was already famous as one of the world's smartest people and an industry titan. Peter Parker basically grew up watching and hearing about this guy's exploits, so to suddenly see him in his living room on a seemingly regular day is understandably shocking. This man was already Peter's idol, but now that he knows Tony personally, he'll be a mentor to him as well.
He's A Pro-Registration Hero
Tony Stark didn't find Peter Parker simply to commend him on his scientific prowess. He wanted him to join his pro-Sokovia Accords registration forces, mainly to help capture Captain America and his allies. It took some convincing, but once Peter presumably worked out his school and Aunt May situations, he went with Iron Man to Germany and fought alongside War Machine, Black Widow, Vision and Black Panther wearing his new Spidey gear. Thanks to his web-slinging skills, Team Iron Man was able to make a lot more headway in the movie's climactic battle.
He Fights With Reckless Abandon
As mentioned earlier, Peter Parker is socially awkward when he's a regular teenager, but when he's Spider-Man, that's when he can truly cut loose...within reason. He gets to show off the full range of his powers and he gets to drop all the jokes and one-liners he wants. He was also quite calm and collected during the battle with the other characters. Maybe that's because the "Civil War" wasn't as personal a conflict for him as it was for the other heroes, but this light attitude helps separate him from the other superheroes out there. That said, he'll obviously get serious if things get bad enough.
He Has New Technology At The End Of The Movie
Aside from some cuts and bruises, Peter Parker left the "Civil War" unscathed and is back at home in Queens. As a reward for his good work, Tony Stark secretly installed some special technology of his own design into Peter's web shooter, as seen in Captain America: Civil War's post-credits scene. So far all we've seen of the upgrades is a cool-looking "Spider-signal," but judging by those icons circling the Spidey face, Peter's web shooters (and likely his costume, by extension) are now capable of so much more. We'll have to wait until Spider-Man: Homecoming to see what Peter's new tech can do, but at least now he's better equipped to tackle crime in the New York area.
