Come on, how could I not write about this!? I've loved Spider-Man since I was three! Some of my first action figures were of Spidey (and I broke almost all of them), the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies were some of the first movies I ever saw, and the first time I ever cried during a movie was the scene where Peter Parker throws away his costume in Spider-Man 2. I remember as a kid drawing stick-figure pictures of him, labeled "Spiber-Man" because I couldn't write 'd's' properly. True, I never really followed Spider-Man comics aside from the very first Amazing Spider-Man comics published in 1963 (I started getting them in the mail and to this day I still don't know why). But he's one of my personal heroes, one of my favorite fictional characters, and I like to think that I understand the character quite well. So, when the Homecoming trailer came out, I was over the moon!

Watching the trailer for Homecoming, I had two different reactions. As a die-hard Spidey fan who gets excited at the mere mention of his name, it was like a dream come true. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, I think, has put out some great movies, and I'm glad to see Peter Parker join it. Instead of having Spider-Man movies overshadowed by the latest Avengers film, Spidey has literally joined the Avengers and his movies will be a part of that universe. As a fan, that knowledge is pretty satisfying.

And as for the trailer itself...well, it's just exciting to see Spider-Man back in action! Seeing him climb up walls and jump around evoked a lot of pent-up nostalgia, and of course the humor was classic Spidey, just like in Captain America: Civil War. Just watching him back in action was a joy to behold, and when they showed this particular scene...

I was instantly reminded of the legendary Spider-Man 2 train scene...and that made me really, really happy, to say the least.

But from a more critical perspective, I do have some concerns about this movie, namely in the most important aspect: the character of Spider-Man.

Honestly, I like the whole high-school angle that the movie is taking. Peter Parker navigating school (specifically, his love life) has been a pretty big part of his character, and I'm always a sucker for high school comedy. But I'm worried the movie might be a little too light-hearted with its portrayal of Peter. Peter Parker has always been a character whose failures define him more than his successes, and that's why he's such a unique and resonant character. He doesn't just peddle the same 'be a good person, try your best' message that most superheroes have behind them. His story is fraught with tragedy from the very beginning, with the death of his uncle Ben. One of the most powerful messages behind Spider-Man is that (here I go with the preachy crap) with great power comes great responsibility. That's a lesson Peter learns when his actions cause his uncle's death.

The Spider-Man movies have downplayed Peter's role in this tragedy, undermining the message. In the Tobey Maguire movies, he lets the robber that kills his uncle go because he got ripped off; the guy at the wrestling match didn't pay him what he was promised. In Andrew Garfield's movies, he lets the robber go because the convenience store cashier doesn't let him buy a thing of milk. In both cases, the story tries to make it out to seem that the world is against Peter, that he was driven to do something so callous because he was a victim.

In Spidey's original origin story, however, he isn't a victim, not really. His teachers like him, his aunt and uncle dote on him, and the only real bullying the kinds at school do is not invite him to parties, call him names, and don't go on dates with him. He's not being horribly abused. In fact, when he gets his powers, the first thing he does is use them to get on TV and become famous doing tricks for an audience. He lets the robber go because he's decided that, as long as he, aunt May, and uncle Ben are happy, the rest of the world can go hang. He doesn't care, and that results in the tragedy that will shape the course of his entire life. That's how he learns to use his powers responsibly, how he learns that with his newfound strength comes an obligation to help those in need. It's how he learns to pick himself back up when he falls down.

So, in short, I'm quite excited for Homecoming, I really am. I just hope that, as well as being a nice lighthearted portrait of Peter's high-school drama, it also highlights the mature and complex aspects of his character, and captures the message behind what, in my eyes, makes Spider-Man such a powerful and revolutionary hero.