Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
Starring Tom Holland (Peter Parker / Spider-Man), Michael Keaton (Adrian Toomes / The Vulture), Robert Downey Jr (Tony Stark / Iron Man), Jon Favreau (Happy Hogan), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Potts), Zendaya (Michelle Jones), Jacob Batalon (Ned), and Marisa Tomei (Aunt May) with a special appearance by Stan Lee and an additional appearance by Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
Directed by Jon Watts
Produced by Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal
Written by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Jon Watts, Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers
Music By Michael Giacchino
Distributed by Sony Pictures
Run Time: 2 hours and 13 minutes
World Premier: June 28, 2017, in Hollywood, California
Opening Weekend Box Office: $117 million (North America)
Worldwide Box Office: $880 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Memorable Spider-Man: Homecoming Quotes
“Maybe Spider-Man, in ten years’ time. The reboot of the reboot, if they do that.” – a 17-year-old Tom Holland responding to a question from a reporter as to whether or not he’d ever be interested in playing a superhero.
“[Bringing Spider-Man into the MCU] was about bringing a youthful side to the character. And making sure that this character was a kid, and a superhero that younger people could relate to on a different level, which was also really important to Marvel [Studios] and Sony.” – Tom Holland discussing his vision for a MCU Spider-Man.
“If you’re around 8-years old when the events of The Avengers happened, you’d think it was pretty cool. Whereas the adults would think it’s scary. We thought that would definitely set-up some fun juxtaposition of worldviews.” – Eric Hauserman Carroll explaining why the MCU’s Peter Parker is so obsessed with superheroes and how that factored into the character’s narrative.
“I just started reading the comics from the very, very first appearance. Reading those, you realize why [Spider-Man] was so successful right away. He’s a kid. He didn’t ask for this to happen. He’s very stressed out and nerdy. And it’s just immediately about him having regular-kid problems. He doesn’t have money. He can’t talk to girls. He has to hide this from his aunt. Those very realistic problems and complications are where the fun of Spider-Man comes from. That’s what makes him so unique. He’s not immediately trying to be a superhero. Everything you need is in the first five issues. The first person that he fought was The Vulture. So much of what we ended up using to build the story are just from those very, very early comics.” – Jon Watts on his approach to crafting Spider-Man: Homecoming.
“I tip my hat to Kevin Feige – that man can do anything. He wasn’t afraid to make a superhero movie about high school. He’s happy to go outside the box because he knows that’s what works.” – Tom Holland
“From day one, I just wanted to make sure that Jon [Watts] used me in the most efficient way possible, and I already had a gymnastics background. So, the big conversation with Jon was me sending him videos of tricks, moves, and fight scenes that my brothers and I were doing in the garden. Then I’d come to set, and they’d built a fight scene around my back-garden video, which was a really cool and unique thing for someone in my position to be able to do – to influence a movie that’s made for hundreds of millions of dollars. So that was pretty awesome.” – Tom Holland on his unique contributions to Spider-Man: Homecoming.
“[In previous Spider-Man films] We have never been able to know Peter Parker inside the Spider-Man suit. It’s like Peter Parker disappears into a CG character, and then you don’t care. Knowing how a character is feeling is everything.” – Amy Pascal on the importance of making the eyes of the mask worn by the MCU’s Spider-Man move.”
‘[In previous Spider-Man films], We’ve always had to believe that Peter Parker invented this suit on a Singer sewing machine, and we just kinda went with it. Now, we don’t have to do that anymore.” – Amy Pascal on the benefit of having Tony Stark mentor the MCU’s Peter Parker / Spider-Man.
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Fun Spider-Man: No Way Home Facts
On February 9, 2015, Marvel Studios announced that a groundbreaking deal had been arranged with Sony Pictures that would bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The deal would allow Spider-Man to appear in Captain America: Civil War and the two-part Avengers: Infinity War films while Marvel Studios would produce two Spider-Man solo films for Sony Pictures that would be set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The first Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures solo Spider-Man film would be titled Spider-Man: Homecoming and would take the July 28, 2017, Marvel Studios release date that was previously slotted to Thor: Ragnarok, which would move to November 2, 2017.
The film rights to Spider-Man and his supporting characters had been held by Sony Pictures for close to two-decades. The first big-budget live-action Spider-Man film was produced by Sony in association with Marvel Studios (in its previous incarnation) on May 3, 2002. That film starred Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst and amassed $821 million worldwide (a Marvel record at that time). Spider-Man 2 starring Maguire and Dunst was released two-years later on June 30, 2004, to the tune of $789 million. Spider-Man 3 starring Maguire and Dunst was released three-years later on May 4, 2007, pulling in $894 million worldwide (a new Marvel record at that time, and one that was not broken until the release of The Avengers in 2012). Marvel Studios began producing films based on Marvel characters independently after the release of Spider-Man 3. The first independent Marvel Studios film was 2008’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. Sony continued to develop Spider-Man films under the leadership of Marvel Studios co-founder Avi Arad, who left Marvel Studios shortly after the Studios’ independent movie making journey commenced. Sony’s next Spider-Man film was released On July 3, 2012, and was a reboot of the character titled The Amazing Spider-Man. That film was released the same year as Marvel Studios’ The Avengers, generating $758 million at the worldwide box office and starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Two years later, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was produced and released by Sony on May 2, 2014, to the tune of $709 million. That film also starred Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Sony Pictures came out of 2014 with a Spider-Man franchise that had amassed just shy of $4 billion over five films at the worldwide box office, but The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was a critical failure for Sony in a year where films based on Marvel Characters were critical darlings with Marvel Studios’ Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, and 20th Century Fox’s X-Men: Days of Future Past scoring big with critics and fans alike. Desperate, Sony Pictures’ Amy Pascal reached out to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige (the architect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe) for suggestions and Feige gave a simple solution: allow Marvel Studios to bring Spider-Man into the MCU where he belongs! Pascal scoffed at the notion initially, but cooler heads eventually prevailed, and a formal deal was made, which was announced as official on February 9.
It was agreed upon by both Sony and Marvel Studios that a new Spider-Man would be cast to portray the character within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with both Sony and Marvel Studios having a hand in the casting process and decision.
On June 23. 2015, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures announced both the hiring of Jon Watts as Director of Spider-Man: Homecoming and the casting of 19-year-old English actor Tom Holland to portray Peter Parker / Spider-Man within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
On August 31, 2015, The Walt Disney Company announced that henceforth, Marvel Studios would move out from under Marvel Entertainment in the infrastructure of Disney and would fall directly under the jurisdiction of Walt Disney Pictures with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige now answering directly to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn instead of Marvel Entertainment CEO Ike Perlmutter. This change allowed Kevin Feige more creative freedom than he had ever had.
In January of 2016, Sony Pictures moved the release date of Spider-Man: Homecoming up to July 7, 2017.
During the development of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel Studios made a conscious decision to mostly avoid including or referencing characters that had appeared in previous Spider-Man films, outside of must-haves such as Peter Parker, his Aunt May, and Flash Thompson. Notable omissions included J. Jonah Jameson and his Daily Bugle, Gwen Stacy, Harry Osborn, and surprisingly, even Peter’s Uncle Ben. The Uncle Ben omission was part of Marvel Studios’ decision to decide against retelling the origin of Spider-Man for what would have been a third time in 15-years on film. Meanwhile, Spider-Man’s most traditional love interest Mary Jane Watson was included in the film in a very roundabout sort of way with Peter’s friend Michelle Jones revealing her nickname to be “MJ” (her full name would be revealed as Michelle Jones-Watson in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home). Also, Marvel Studios decided against using previous Spider-Man villains that had appeared in Sony’s five Spider-Man films. This meant no Green Goblin, no Doctor Octopus, no Sandman, no Venom, no Lizard, no Rhino, and no Electro. Spider-Man: Homecoming would instead feature a re-imagined Vulture, portrayed by Michael Keaton.
On April 21, 2016, Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures announced that Robert Downey Jr had signed yet another contract extension that would allow him to reprise his role as Tony Stark / Iron Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Tom Holland actually screen-tested with both RDJ and Chris Evans while seeking the part of the MCU’s Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Homecoming marked Downey’s eighth MCU appearance following Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Captain America: Civil War. Chris Evans also made a cameo appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming, while Jon Favreau and Gwyneth Paltrow would ultimately join the cast. Spider-Man: Homecoming marked the first MCU scene that RDJ, Jon Favreau, and Gwyneth Paltrow appeared together in since Iron Man 2.
In developing Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel Studios made a conscious decision to allow for a diverse cast so that students at Midtown High School of Science and Technology would resemble actual students at any real-world New York school. This included several changes in the ethnicity of even prominent characters such as Ned (Jacob Batalon), Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori), Liz (Laura Harrier), and “MJ” (Zendaya).
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Some characters in Spider-Man: Homecoming were de-aged by comparison to their traditional comic book counterparts in the 616-Universe, who boast elderly appearances including Aunt May (portrayed by 51-year-old Marissa Tomei) and Phineas Mason (portrayed by 39-year-old Michael Chernus). Also, despite being 65-years old at the time of filming, Michael Keaton appears to be much younger in Spider-Man: Homecoming than the traditional comic book version of Adrian Toomes / The Vulture.
Spider-Man: Homecoming took a great deal of inspiration from John Hughes films and Director Jon Watts even went so far as to instruct the cast to watch a marathon of John Hughes movies to prepare for the film. A clip from John Hughes’ 1986 film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off appears in Spider-Man: Homecoming during Peter Parker’s clumsy scramble through several backyards.
On June 20, 2016, Spider-Man: Homecoming commenced filming. The joint Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures production’s shoot started just four days after Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Two wrapped filming and physical production for Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok would coincide with much of the Homecoming shoot. Spider-Man: Homecoming shot in Atlanta, Georgia and New York City and wrapped filming in September of 2016.
During the Marvel Studios logo montage at the beginning of Spider-Man: Homecoming, the usual music was replaced with an orchestral version of the classic Spider-Man television theme song (which debuted in 1967). This version of the iconic tune was adapted by composer Michael Giacchino.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, at Midtown School of Science and Technology, photographs of several prominent Marvel Cinematic Universe characters can be seen including Howard Stark (in the likeness of John Slattery), Abraham Erskine (in the likeness of Stanley Tucci), and Doctor Bruce Banner (in the likeness of Mark Ruffalo).
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Spider-Man: Homecoming marked a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for actor Kenneth Choi, who portrayed Jim Morita in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Homecoming, Choi portrays “Principal Morita”, and as evident by the picture of The Howling Commandos in his office, he is the grandson of Jim Morita.
Spider-Man: Homecoming marked a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe of actor Martin Starr, who portrayed a character credited only as “Computer Nerd” in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk. In Homecoming, Starr portrays Midtown High Science Teacher and Head of the Academic Decathlon Team Roger Harrington. It can be reasoned that this is not a contradiction nor a case of miscasting, as Harrington could have easily been a student at Culver University during the time that the events of The Incredible Hulk took place, going on to graduate with a teaching degree in science and finding work at Midtown High.
Spider-Man: Homecoming features the debut of Cindy Moon (portrayed by actress Tiffany Espensen) as a member of the Midtown High School of Technology Decathlon Team. In the Marvel Comics, Cindy is bitten by the same radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker and she becomes the Spider-Hero Silk (created by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos).
Spider-Man: Homecoming marks the MCU debut for Betty Brant (portrayed by Angourie Rice) as one of Peter Parker’s classmates at Midtown High. In the Marvel Comics 616-Universe, Betty – who worked as a secretary for J. Jonah Jameson’s Daily Bugle – was Peter Parker’s first love.
Peter Parker’s best friend Ned in Spider-Man: Homecoming is an amalgamation of the Ned Leeds (616 Comics Universe) and Ganke Lee (Ultimate Comics Universe) characters in the Marvel Comics. Ganke is a chubby Chinese schoolboy with exceptional computer skills who is pals with Miles Morales and knows Miles’ secret identity as Spider-Man. Ganke is also an avid LEGOS collector in the comics. Ned Leeds is meanwhile a Daily Bugle reporter in the comics that married Betty Brant and briefly took on the villainous mantle of The Hobgoblin.
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Spider-Man: Homecoming marks Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee’s 16th MCU cameo appearance. Lee can be seen chastising Spider-Man after he mistakes one of Lee’s neighbors for a car thief.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, actress Jennifer Connelly voices the A.I. Program that Tom Holland’s Peter Parker names KAREN. Connelly is the wife of actor Paul Bettany who voiced Tony Stark’s JARVIS program within the MCU en route to becoming The VISION.
Spider-Man: Homecoming was the first Spider-Man live-action film to feature Spider-Man’s iconic web wings from the Marvel comics.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, the man that Peter Parker struggles with interrogating is Aaron Davis. During the scene, the character mentions that he has a nephew. In Marvel Comics’ Ultimate Universe, Davis becomes the villainous Prowler, and his nephew is a young man named Miles Morales, who goes on to himself become Spider-Man.
At the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, the new suit that Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark offers to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is based on the Iron Spider suit that Tony Stark made for Peter Parker leading up to Marvel Comics’ Civil War Event Series. Peter would not don this suit until Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War.
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Peter Parker/ Spider-Man’s “Spider-Sense” is never mentioned nor referenced in any way during Spider-Man: Homecoming and there is nothing in the film that suggests he even has the ability at all. It wasn’t until Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War that this ability was confirmed.
Aunt May’s discovery that her nephew Peter Parker is in fact Spider-Man was a moment that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had longed to adapt to film for several years. In the 616-Universe comics, Aunt May discovered Peter’s secret in 2001’s The Amazing Spider-Man # 35 written by J Michael Straczynski.
Despite being two of the most prominent characters in the film, Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark / Iron Man and Michael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes / The Vulture never share a single scene together.
Amongst the many MCU Easter-eggs in Spider-Man: Homecoming are the appearance of an ULTRON drone head in the Damage Control trailer, the Sokovia Accords being discussed by a teacher during class, and the fact that The Shocker’s gauntlet was built out of parts confiscated from Damage Control via the terrorist Crossbones from the tragic event in Lagos, Nigeria as seen in Captain America: Civil War. Spider-Man: Homecoming also references the iconic upside-down kiss in 2002’s Spider-Man between Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson when KAREN encourages Peter to kiss Liz following the elevator rescue at the Washington Monument.
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Following the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel Studios confirmed a popular fan theory that suggested that the little boy dressed up in Iron Man gear that Tony Stark / Iron Man rescued from a Hammer Drone in Iron Man 2 was in fact a young Peter Parker (approximately 8-years old at that time). This ret-con of canon laid a neat foundation for the relationship between Peter Parker and Tony Stark in the years to come and plays into Peter’s fascination with Iron Man and his quest to become a superhero.
Spider-Man: Homecoming features a very controversial “8 years later” tag after showing the cleanup from the Battle of New York. This sent MCU fans into a frenzy at the time, as everyone began to debate the accuracy of the MCU (Sacred) Timeline as it was understood. It had been long accepted that the MCU takes place in real-time, meaning Iron Man took place in 2008, The Avengers took place in 2012, Captain America: Civil War takes place in 2016, etc. However, the “8 years later” tag in Spider-Man: Homecoming had people theorizing that perhaps The Avengers took place in 2010, or that Spider-Man: Homecoming takes place in 2018, etc. All of the fuss was finally settled when Marvel Studios came out and admitted that the “8 years later” tag was a mistake that slipped through the production process. It had in fact been about “8-years” since Tony Stark came out as Iron Man, but only 4-years or so since the Battle of New York, which took place 4-years or so after Tony came out as Iron Man. Spider-Man: Homecoming takes place shortly after Civil War, which we know takes place in 2016, due to The VISION’s line in that film: “In the eight years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man …” All of this was forever cleared up with the release of the 2023 book Marvel Studios – The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, which was endorsed by Marvel Studios. The book reiterated that Civil War takes place in the Spring of 2016 and that No Way Home takes place in the Fall of 2016, with the events of 2018’s Black Panther and 2021’s Black Widow occurring in-between Civil War and Homecoming. Doctor Strange’s journey to Kamar-Taj occurs after Tony Stark offers Peter Parker the chance to become an Avenger, while Strange’s debilitating car crash took place just prior to the Lagos incident in Civil War.
Spider-Man: Homecoming was the sixth highest-grossing film of 2017, and one of three Marvel Studios films to rank within the Top-10. This marked the first time that Marvel Studios had ever boasted three films within the Top-10, as Spider-Man: Homecoming made the cut along with Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Two and Thor: Ragnarok. It should be noted however that under the conditions of the Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures deal, it was Sony Pictures who reaped the rewards of the $880 million that the film generated (the second highest-grossing Spider-Man film of all-time, behind only 2007’s Spider-Man 3). Marvel Studios would continue to benefit from the deal however with Spider-Man’s high-profile inclusion in Avengers: Infinity War.
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The Legacy of Spider-Man
Spider-Man is traditionally Marvel’s most popular and most successful character. Many consider Spider-Man to in fact be the late Stan Lee’s greatest creation. Spider-Man burst upon the scene in 1962 in the pages of Amazing Fantasy # 15. Five-years later, the first Spider-Man cartoon premiered on ABC. This is the series that gave us the renowned theme song that has now been associated with the character for more than 50-years:
“Spider-Man, Spider-Man,
Does whatever a spider can
Spins a web, any size,
Catches thieves just like flies
Look out!
Here Comes the Spider-Man!”
That first Spider-Man cartoon aired for three-years. Spider-Man returned to television in 1981 with a second self-titled animated series that aired in syndication, and another more popular series titled Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends that aired on NBC which featured Bobby Drake / Iceman (an original member of the X-Men) and new character Angelica Jones / Firestar, created for the series. That series ran for three seasons. In 1994, Spider-Man: The Animated Series debuted on Fox Kids. This series was critically acclaimed and ran for five-seasons. In 1999, Spider-Man: Unlimited debuted on Fox Kids. It lasted just one season. In 2008, The Spectacular Spider-Man debuted on The CW Network. It ran for two-seasons. Ultimate Spider-Man premiered on Disney XD in 2012. It lasted 4 seasons and was the first Spider-Man series to be produced by Marvel under the Walt Disney Company banner.
Spider-Man’s live-action legacy is just as rich. In 1974, Spider-Man began appearing on The Electric Company, which was produced by PBS. His segments were titled Spidey Super Stories and Danny Seagren wore the costume though he never actually said an audible word. Spider-Man instead spoke via word balloons. There were ultimately 29 Spidery Super Stories segments aired by PBS.
In 1978, the live-action The Amazing Spider-Man series starring Nicholas Hammond began airing on CBS. The series lasted two seasons. 1978 also saw a Spider-Man series made for and released in Japan by the Toei Company in Tokyo. This Japanese series marked the end of Spider-Man’s live-action exploits on television, but the character lived on as a popular culture icon, appearing as a featured part of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, beginning in 1987 through 1998, followed by a return in 2009. Furthermore, on June 5, 1987, during a Major League Baseball game between The New York Mets and The Pittsburgh Pirates, Spider-Man married Mary Jane Watson in a ceremony that was officiated by none other than Stan Lee! Spider-Man made more headlines in 1999 when Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida opened their The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man 3D attraction in their Islands of Adventure theme park. This corner of the theme park also featured an in-costume actor as Spider-Man, along with other Marvel Heroes that to this day provide photo ops and meet-and-greets for guests of the theme park. In 2004, Universal opened a similar attraction in Japan.
It wasn’t until 2001 that Spider-Man received the Hollywood Blockbuster treatment with Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man commencing filming on January 8, 2001. As noted earlier, this led to 12-years’ worth of Spider-Man films from Sony Pictures. I loved the majority of what Sony Pictures did with their live-action Spider-Man films. Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn, Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius, and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy standout as highlights for me, and that 2002 Spider-Man film was a very big deal. Spider-Man 2 is widely considered as one of the greatest comic book movies of all-time, and I personally enjoyed the hell out of Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012.
Be it through newspapers, television, film, toys, parades, theme parks, clothing, school supplies, or video games, Spider-Man has been a part of the popular culture landscape for years, but it all started of course, in the comics.
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In the Comics
Spider-Man is Marvel’s best-selling character. He has been the subject of several Marvel Comics series. The most noteworthy is The Amazing Spider-Man series that first launched in 1963 and continues to this day, boasting over 1,000 issues. It is within these pages that Peter Parker’s primary story has been told, with spin-off series’ including but not limited to The Spectacular Spider-Man, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, simply Spider-Man, Spider-Man Unlimited, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, The Sensational Spider-Man, Spider-Man’s Tangled Web, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Spider-Man / Deadpool. Peter Parker has also been a member of The Avengers and The Fantastic Four and has been a part of several Marvel Event Series’ and Alternate Universe Tales, most notably within the Ultimate Comics Universe.
Peter Parker has been married, he has died, he has been resurrected, he has won, he has lost – boy, has ever lost – and readers have been able to follow his journey through high school, college, and young adulthood. Through it all, Peter Parker has remained one of Marvel’s most inspirational and relatable characters, as well as one of its most influential.
In discussing my Spider-Man fandom, I have to start with the classics. First up is Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man origin story. Nerdy high school student Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider from which he receives superhuman abilities and learns through the tragic death of his Uncle Ben (which he could have prevented) that with great power must also come great responsibility. So, Peter Parker becomes the Amazing Spider-Man! This is a now classic origin story that was adapted to film in 2002’s Spider-Man and 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man by Sony Pictures, and Amazing Fantasy # 15 which told the origin story of Spider-Man was named the 10th greatest story in Marvel History in 2013 as part of Marvel’s 75th Anniversary.
Another classic is the If This Be My Destiny … ! storyline told in Amazing Spider-Man #31-33 from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. This was the first sort of “Spidey Event Series” ever published by Marvel Comics. It was in these issues that Peter Parker met Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn and, in this story, Aunt May suffers a mysterious life-threatening illness as part of a ploy by Doctor Octopus. Driven by the need to save Aunt May by any means necessary, Peter pulls himself out of an impossible situation through sheer will after being buried underneath pounds and pounds of rubble. From there, Peter successfully delivers the serum that can cure Aunt May’s condition, saving his beloved Aunt. The image of a buried Peter Parker struggling to survive against all odds is one of the most iconic in the history of Spider-Man and was adapted in all its glory by Marvel Studios in Spider-Man: Homecoming. This story was named the 35th greatest story in Marvel History in 2013 as part of Marvel’s 75th Anniversary celebration.
Next up is Spider-Man: No More published in The Amazing Spider-Man # 50-52. This story was written by Stan Lee with art from John Romita and features the now iconic image of a dejected Peter Parker walking away from a trash can in which he has discarded his Spider-Man suit. This story sees Peter let J. Jonah Jameson’s non-stop public onslaught get the best of him and also features the debut of The Kingpin. Why is Peter Parker a hero in a world that constantly rejects him? This story explains it all! This storyline was loosely adapted in the excellent Spider-Man 2 film from Sony Pictures. Amazing Spider-Man # 50 was named the 43rd greatest story in Marvel History in 2013 as part of Marvel’s 75th Anniversary celebration.
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Now we come to The Night Gwen Stacy Died in Amazing Spider-Man #121-122. This is a must-read! Gerry Conway and Gil Kane brought this shocking story to life, which was just unheard of at the time in comics. Gwen Stacy was the love of Peter Parker’s life up to that point in time and her death stunned readers for not only its unpredictability, but for the impact it had on Peter Parker’s life and his career as Spider-Man. Gwen’s death is something that to this day, Peter Parker has never gotten over, and it has been revisited because of this in several modern stories by various authors and artists. The true horror of Gwen’s death is that by all indications, Peter Parker / Spider-Man indirectly caused it. The Green Goblin tossed Gwen off a bridge and Peter attempted to save her by shooting a web to catch her, but the ricochet of the web caused her neck to snap, killing her. To be fair, Gwen would have been killed when her body crashed into the water anyway, so it’s really The Goblin that was at fault, but knowing that her demise came at his hand and the guilt and all of the what if’s associated with it (even if it was on a technicality) stayed with Peter Parker forever and fundamentally changed him. Gwen’s death was (loosely) adapted in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 from Sony Pictures and The Night That Gwen Stacy Died was named the # 1 greatest story in Marvel History in 2013 as part of Marvel’s 75th Anniversary celebration.
We now jump forward to 1984 and The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man written by Roger Stern with art by Ron Frenz. This is my favorite single-issue Spider-Man story, found in The Amazing Spider-Man # 248. This story revolves around a young boy named Timothy Harrison, who professes to be Spider-Man’s biggest fan. Hearing of Tim’s exceptional adoration, Peter Parker decides to pay Tim a visit, and quickly bonds with the young boy while discovering that Tim is every bit the super-fan he professed to be. This prompts Spider-Man to remove his mask and reveal his true identity as Peter Parker to Tim, along with the haunting story of his Uncle Ben’s death. From there, we learn that Tim is in a cancer clinic and has only weeks to live. His dying wish was to meet his hero: Spider-Man. The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man was named the 17th greatest story of all-time in 2013 during Marvel’s 75th Anniversary celebration.
The debut of Venom in 1988 is my next Spider-Man recommendation. Venom debuted in Amazing Spider-Man # 299-300 written by David Michelinie with artist Todd McFarlane. This story stretched back to 1984’s Secret Wars Event Series which saw Spider-Man begin wearing a black costume after coming into contact with a bizarre extraterrestrial substance that turned out to be a symbiotic life-form that ultimately manifested itself as Venom. Spider-Man’s initial war with Venom was a huge moment in the character’s history, and Venom has gone on to become one of Marvel’s most popular characters as an anti-hero. Spider-Man’s first interaction with Venom was loosely adapted in 2007’s Spider-Man 3.
In 2001, J Michael Straczynski took over Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man series. Despite some flaws, this is overall my favorite Spider-Man run of all-time. This was the first Spider-Man series that I collected every issue of. There were several amazing moments during this run from the outstanding 9 /11 Tribute issue (Amazing Spider-Man # 36) to The Conversation (Amazing Spider-Man # 38), and on to Civil War which saw Peter Parker publicly reveal his secret identity as Spider-Man to the world. That reveal led to the controversial One More Day storyline, which coincided with the departure of JMS after six-years on the title. That development (championed by Joe Quesada) nullified Peter’s marriage to Mary Jane Watson and significantly reset Peter’s status quo.
As the dust settled, Dan Slott began writing The Amazing Spider-Man and he took the character to several new places. This really kicked-off in the Brand New Day storyline written by Slott with art from Steve McNiven. This would be the beginning of a run that spanned more than 200-issues. Slott killed-off Peter Parker and (in very controversial fashion) passed the Spider-Man mantle on to Otto Octavius before resurrecting Parker. Amazing Spider-Man # 700 which featured the (supposed) death of Peter Parker was named the 46th greatest story in Marvel History in 2013 during Marvel’s 75th Anniversary celebration. Dan Slott’s run also included the Spider-Verse Event Series which went a long way toward changing the Spider-Man mythos forever, serving as inspiration for Sony’s 2018 animated film Into the Spider-Verse and its 2023 sequel Across the Spider-Verse.
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I also have to mention 2002’s Spider-Man: Blue; another of my favorite Marvel Comics stories. This tale was written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale and it is one of the most moving Spider-Man stories that I have ever read (right up there with The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man). This tearjerker is essentially Peter Parker’s love letter to the late Gwen Stacy, and it is beautiful and sad and well worth the read. Spider-Man: Blue was named the 28th greatest story in Marvel History in 2013 as part of Marvel’s 75th Anniversary celebration.
Any list of my favorite Spider-Man stories would not be complete without a mention of Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mark Bagley, Stuart Immonen, and David Lafuente. This series was launched in the year 2000 and served as the launching point of Marvel Comics’ Ultimate Universe. This was an effort by Marvel to update their characters in a modern setting, and what they did with Spider-Man’s story was incredible! We got a younger Aunt May, a Mary Jane that quickly discovered Peter’s secret, a much more monstrous Green Goblin, a lot of cool interactions with an African American Nick Fury, and the introduction of Miles Morales. I absolutely loved this incarnation of Spider-Man and cherish this epic comic book run. It comes highly recommended by yours truly.
Last but not least, I want to mention a couple of Spider-Man stories that are very different but also very good. The first is Spider-Man: Life Story by Chip Zdarsky. This excellent tale sees Peter Parker’s story told as if it happened in real time, meaning Parker and his supporting cast ages throughout it. Each of the six issues that make up this story are dedicated to a decade, beginning in the 1960’s and ending in the 2010’s. Spider-Man’s comic book history is honored in some very cool ways as the story evolves and one of the best things about this tale for potential new readers, is that it’s a self-contained, standalone story. I highly recommend this. Now, if you want a really twisted Spider-Man story … Check out Spider-Man: House of M by Mark Waid! This story takes place in an Alternate Universe created by The Scarlet Witch in which mutants are the dominant species. On the surface, Peter Parker has everything he could want in this new world. Uncle Ben is alive, Peter is married to a still living Gwen Stacy, they have a son together, J. Jonah Jameson works for Peter, and Spider-Man is both famous and wealthy! Peter’s life is built on a foundation of lies however, as he is pretending to be a mutant. This sets Spider-Man up for a huge crash and burn as amidst haunting dreams and visions of his other life, Peter begins to slip into madness, and there are some crazy reveals that I won’t spoil here. This is a weird and heavy story that ends in the worst way possible for Peter Parker / Spider-Man, with Mark Waid taking Parker to probably the darkest place he’d ever been up to that point. Check it out!
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
My Spider-Man: Homecoming Review
Spider-Man: Homecoming was Marvel Studios’ 16th feature MCU film and their first MCU collaboration with Sony Pictures. As the title suggests, it was a literal Homecoming for a character that Marvel Studios had no control over from its new independence in 2005 through its moviemaking magic up to the year 2015. The announcement that Sony Pictures was allowing Spider-Man to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe was incredibly exciting for me as a fan, and I could not wait to see the web-slinger team-up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and share the screen with characters such as Iron Man and Captain America, as he’d done so many times in the comics!
I lean toward villainous and mystical characters in terms of fandom, but if we’re talking straight-up good guy superheroes, Spider-Man is one of my favorites and he is one of Marvel’s best! Spider-Man is a superhero that constantly puts everyone else above himself and even those most important to him. As Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 brilliantly addressed, Peter Parker is more often than not an empty seat at the proverbial table. Parker doesn’t necessarily struggle with leading a double life, and that’s because his duties as Spider-Man come first to him above all other responsibilities and obligations. Peter Parker simply can’t say no to cries for help, and in his New York City, there are almost always cries for help. This nobility and need to do good are rooted in both his pure heart and in the immense amount of guilt he carries around, specifically for his Uncle Ben. There is a ghost of Uncle Ben that exists only in Peter’s mind, and that forever restless ghost serves as Peter’s conscience, and it is something that can never be turned off nor ignored.
Tom Holland’s Peter Parker / Spider-Man was one of my favorite parts of Captain America: Civil War and from the moment he appeared on-screen and interacted with Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark, I was all-in on the casting. Tom Holland was the living embodiment of the Peter Parker character. He was nerdy and sincere and funny, and impassioned, and all of those things carried over into Holland’s first Spider-Man solo film!
Spider-Man: Homecoming starts with a flashback to Civil War through the lens of Peter’s video diary. This was really fun stuff, and completely captured the spirit of how a high school kid in the modern world would react to this monumental battle between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. This was heavy stuff! The Avengers were being torn apart by government legislation and their own personal convictions, but for Peter Parker, this was all just too cool to not get caught-up in! He was in the same place at the same time suited up in a costume that was made for him by his hero Tony Stark mingling with Captain America, Hawkeye, The Black Widow, War Machine, The Falcon, The VISION, and The Scarlet Witch! This was pretty much the greatest day of Peter Parker’s life, and Tom Holland made sure that his performance illustrated that.
Spider-Man: Homecoming carried on with that spirit. This film wasn’t about the lingering animosity between Iron Man and Captain America, nor about the political ramifications of the Sokovia Accords, or about how some of the world’s greatest heroes had been dubbed fugitives and were either on the run or relegated to house arrest. No, this was about a teenager going back home after living his dream and being unable to settle back in to a quiet, normal life. After the Airport Fight, Peter Parker’s life seems trivial and even boring. He doesn’t want to study, or go to school, or build LEGOS with his best friend. He wants to be an Avenger. He got a small taste of that, and he wants more.
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Nonetheless, Spider-Man: Homecoming is centered around Peter’s trivial and boring life as a “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.” It’s about bicycle thieves, would-be car hijackers, and even hot dogs. It’s about patrolling a neighborhood that generally doesn’t want his assistance. Spider-Man is more often than not seen as a nuisance; and this is a tough pill to swallow for a young man that believes he is capable of being so much more.
Early on, I felt the scenes with Peter at Midtown High with his friends were a lot of fun. Jacob Batalon was awkward and funny and entertaining as Ned and Zendaya was awkward and funny and entertaining as Michelle. I also thought Tony Revolori was awesome as Flash Thompson; a very different kind of bully, but a bully nonetheless, and I loved that Marvel Studios gave Flash that proud adoration for Spider-Man along with his constant harassing of Peter Parker. That made for some really great moments as the film progressed!
Tom Holland boasted great chemistry with all of his classmates, and I thought Marvel Studios captured the spirit of high school very well. Peter’s crush on Liz and how he does and doesn’t deal with that was also handled very well. That bashful nervousness that goes into trying to express romantic feelings for another person at that stage in one’s life is something that most everyone can relate to, and Tom Holland was just as brilliant in his pursuit of Liz as Zendaya was in her quiet but obvious affection for Peter.
While longing for Liz, Peter also has to be Spider-Man though, for that is what is most important to him, and the “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” bites off a little more than he can chew when he involves himself in a bank robbery. Peter learns really quick that he is in over his head when the robbers begin wielding some very powerful alien weapons that were confiscated during the cleanup after the Battle of New York. From there, Ned discovers Peter’s identity as Spider-Man, and this was a nice creative decision that led to some more humorous moments as Ned tried to figure out exactly what having spider-powers truly meant while struggling to contain his excitement. Peter being Spider-Man was just as cool for Ned as mingling with The Avengers had been for Peter, and that made for a fun dynamic between the two close friends.
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
All of this led into the party at Liz’s house where Ned has convinced Peter to make an appearance as Spider-Man and openly endorse Ned and Peter amidst hopes that it will dramatically increase their “cool factor.” Peter begrudgingly agrees to this, but he can’t help himself from ignoring a distant blast. Peter suits up as Spider-Man but does not return to Liz’s party. He instead gets himself involved once again with some of the men he’d encountered at the bank. Again, Peter is over his head here, as he soon discovers when The Vulture makes an appearance and casually dominates Spider-Man. An ensuing conversation with Tony Stark, who sent an Iron Man drone to fish him out of the water and save him from drowning, leaves Peter feeling extremely dejected.
Peter has however, come to possess one of the Chitauri weapons that The Vulture’s men had been wielding. He and Ned study the device and Peter convinces Ned to remove the “training wheel” protocols within his Spider-Man suit that had been installed by Iron Man. Peter and Ned then go to Washington for the Decathlon tournament, but Peter’s true motive is to continue pursuing The Vulture and his thugs.
In Washington, Peter ignores the chance to mingle with Liz in favor of seeking-out The Vulture’s men. There is some really great stuff here as Peter struggles to master the numerous technologies within his suit that Ned unlocked, but all the fun quickly turns to chaos when Peter again encounters The Vulture. Peter is knocked-out cold by The Vulture and then trapped inside a flatbed trailer. Peter awakens locked inside a Damage Control facility with no way out. To make matters worse, Peter’s suit A.I. (KAREN) reveals the true danger of the Chitauri weapon, which happens to be in the possession of Ned.
A frantic Peter then has to rush to the Washington Monument to warn his best friend and his classmates, arriving dressed as Spider-Man at the moment the device detonates, leaving his friends trapped inside a dangling elevator. In one of the most spectacular action sequences that Marvel Studios has ever produced, Spider-Man scales the Washington Monument and back-flips over a helicopter en route to crashing through a small window and reaching his friends. Flash is lost in his hero worship as Spidey rescues everyone that was trapped before free-falling through the elevator shaft after his webbing breaks (in the process missing his big chance to kiss Liz).
Back in New York, Peter has become obsessed with The Vulture and his thugs while being fed-up with Tony Stark and Happy Hogan ignoring him, and Spider-Man decides to involve himself in a major arms deal taking place at the Staten Island Ferry that involves The Vulture and Mac Gargan.
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
This is yet another incredible action scene and things go south for Spider-Man when after seeing The Vulture’s face, another dangerous Chitauri weapon fires off violently during the ensuing confrontation, ripping the Ferry in-half. Peter does everything in his power to hold the Ferry together through his strength and webbing, but it takes an assist from Iron Man to resolve the near-tragic situation. With The Vulture having escaped and Peter having interfered in a FBI sting operation that was arranged after a tip from Stark, Peter lashes-out at Iron Man, who has zero patience for the young hero. Stark chastises Peter for so recklessly endangering so many lives, including his own, and Tony orders Peter to return his Spider-Man suit. This is when we get the great “If you’re nothing without that suit, then you shouldn’t have it” line from Downey’s Stark, and for the time being, this is enough to provoke Peter to abandon his obsessive duties as Spider-Man and make his civilian life a priority once again.
After coming clean with his Aunt May as best he could and just barely avoiding suspension for his abandonment of the Decathlon Team in Washington, Peter turns his attention to the upcoming prom, as even through all of his missteps, he has still managed to secure Liz as his date. In fact, Peter even makes the time to build LEGOS with his best friend Ned!
When prom night arrives, Aunt May helps get Peter ready in a fun little sequence and then she drops Peter off at Liz’s house. Peter approaches the door, corsage in-hand and the door is answered by … The Vulture!?!
The Vulture is Adrian Toomes … Liz’s dad!
This leads into my favorite sequence in Spider-Man: Homecoming as Peter fumbles through introductions and pictures and The Vulture volunteers to drive Peter and Liz to the prom. This car ride is one of the most intense, uncomfortable, and well-acted scenes in the history of the MCU! Piece-by-piece, Toomes slowly puts together that Peter Parker is his meddling nemesis Spider-Man, and my goodness, is this epic. Michael Keaton is incredible as Toomes here as he warmly drops Liz off at the prom and encourages Peter to hang tight for a bit so they can have a talk. With gun in hand, Toomes then threatens Peter and everyone in Peter’s life that he loves before offering Peter the chance for a truce if he simply goes inside, shows his daughter a good time, and forgets that anything between them had ever happened and to in the future stay out of his business.
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Of course, Peter Parker can’t do this.
Peter abandons Liz and suits up in the homemade suit that made him a YouTube sensation in his days before Tony Stark, and Spider-Man takes the fight to The Vulture yet again. Toomes is one step ahead of Peter though, managing to bury him in a pile of rubble and leave Peter for dead before heading out to execute one final heist: the robbery of an airplane that is transporting belongings of The Avengers from the now former Avengers Tower to their new Avengers Compound in Upstate New York.
Watching Tom Holland struggle to get himself up and out of the rubble is a wonderful and inspiring moment and once he’s out it’s Spider-Man vs The Vulture one more time! Peter finally manages to best Toomes and crashes the plane onto a beach near Coney Island. Both Peter and Toomes are injured, but Toomes can’t allow himself to leave without something of value, but his wings are malfunctioning. Toomes ignores Peter’s warnings, but Peter manages to save The Vulture’s life after the suit explodes and Peter webs The Vulture up for the authorities to find.
Spider-Man had not only won his little war against The Vulture, but he’d earned the respect of both Tony Stark and Happy Hogan. Tony invites Peter to Upstate New York where he gives Peter the thing that Peter has been so desperate for: an invitation to join The Avengers! With a prearranged press conference ready to commence during which Iron Man would formally introduce Spider-Man as an Avenger, Peter finds himself deeply honored, yet hesitant. After all he’d been through, Peter now realizes that he really isn’t ready for that kind of responsibility, and he is more than happy to return to New York to be with his Aunt May and his friends. A proud yet stunned Tony commends Peter for his noble decision.
At the end of the film, Aunt May discovers Peter’s secret and during the credits, Adrian Toomes refuses to admit that he knows the true identity of Spider-Man when approached by Mac Gargan in prison.
I loved Spider-Man: Homecoming and it was so cool to finally have Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Spider-Man was the first superhero that my little boy fell in love with. He’s dressed as Spidey twice for Halloween and his 3rd birthday party was Spider-Man themed, complete with a visit from Spider-Man himself (thanks to one of his Great Uncle’s). We’ve had some wonderful times as a family at Universal Studios in Florida on the Spider-Man attraction and mingling with the in-costume Spider-Man cast members. Spider-Man is a big deal at our house and both of my kids went to see Spider-Man: Homecoming in the theater with my wife and I, and we had such a blast with this movie, and I was thrilled for its success!
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Highlights of Spider-Man: Homecoming:
Tom Holland is Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes / The Vulture
The Vulture’s Intense Interrogation of Peter Parker in the Car on the way to the Dance
Robert Downey Jr is Tony Stark / Iron Man
Washington Monument Scene
Staten Island Ferry Scene
Peter’s interactions with KAREN
Zendaya as MJ
Jacob Batalon as Ned
Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson
After Being Left for Dead by Toomes, Peter Finds the Strength to Go On
Marissa Tomei as Aunt May
Aunt May discovers that Peter is Spider-Man
Marvel Studios / Sony Pictures
Notable MCU Concepts and Characters Introduced:
Adrian Toomes / The Vulture. Damage Control. Michelle Jones (MJ). Aaron Davis (Uncle to Miles Morales). Liz. Ned. Flash Thompson. Betty Brant. Cindy Moon.
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