The new Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer revealed tons of new information (maybe too much) about the upcoming blockbuster, offering glimpses at Spider-Man's new gadgets, some menacing shots of Vulture, and even a cameo or two. Being a comic book movie, there are bound to be more than a few references throughout the movie, but we saw one shot that we think is a direct reference to a comic book team that fans have been waiting to appear in the MCU: Damage Control.
Our nerd brains didn't stop there, though. We think Damage Control is far more important to Homecoming than this shot would have you believe.
The blink-and-you-miss-it shot can be seen above and features a TV news report covering Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. The report reads "Breaking News: Damage Control," with a picture of the New Avengers base in upstate New York. At first glance, this appears to be a reference to Captain America: Civil War and the fallout between the Avengers; hence, Stark is doing damage control on the Avenger's image. But recent information about The Vulture (Michael Keaton's Big Bad) puts a different spin on this and it may, in fact, be a literal reference to the Damage Control team. (UPDATE: Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts confirms this to Fandango.)
In a recent story in USA Today, Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture has some light shed on his backstory. In Homecoming, he will be a guy who "runs a New York salvaging company," that cleans up after large-scale disasters -- the kind that's a given after any Marvel movie. However, a "new government organization" founded by Tony Stark comes in and takes over, leading Toomes to a life of crime scavenging alien weaponry and selling it to criminals. A government organization that cleans up after superhero battles? That is the definition of Damage Control.
Damage Control is a comic book team of mostly regular people, who clean up the wreckage caused by superhero battles. The book is mostly focused on humor as Damage Control has to figure out things like how to move a giant collapsed robot. The team has its fans, but it has yet to appear in the MCU. A while back, it was rumored that ABC was developing a Damage Control TV show set in the MCU, but there have been very little updates on that particular project. It looks like Damage Control's true entrance will be in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
It makes total sense that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) would be the one to start it, given that he's typically the most guilt-ridden and resourceful Avenger. Tying it into Vulture's new backstory and serving as his reason for hating Stark is also a great way to fit everything together.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is directed by Jon Watts and is expected to hit theaters on July 7. For everything else on Spider-Man: Homecoming, here's our What We Know So Far.
