There are a lot of film adaptations on comic book heroes out today. Just this year we had "Logan," "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," "Wonder Woman," and now "Spider-Man: Homecoming." All four of these films have been met with critical praise and financial success. We still have two more comic book films later this year in the form of "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Justice League."
There are plenty of unique heroes in theaters to quench your comic book thirst. However, after leaving "Spider-Man: Homecoming", something hit me about the entire superhero genre. There was one aspect about Spider-Man in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" that made him stand out from 95% of modern superheroes; Spider-Man never kills anyone in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
I thought about that aspect shortly after the film ended and then I realized how rare that aspect is in most superhero films. That's not to say that all superheroes should not kill. There are many heroes that I can accept their ability to kill.
Captain America is a trained soldier who fought in a war. Thor and Wonder Woman are both warriors from a warrior culture. The Guardians of the Galaxy are a bunch of thieves, assassins, bounty hunters, and barbarians who happen to fight for good. That having been said, there are several heroes that just don't work well as killers and I tend to be disappointed when they are portrayed as killers in a film or comic book. A few of those heroes include Batman, Superman, and of course Spider-Man.
I remember watching "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" for the first time and being upset that they depicted Batman as, not just a killer, but a killer who kills using guns. He also violently brands criminals with a bat-brand. This, along with the violent Superman that they set up, added to the displeasure I was already experiencing from the overly convoluted plot and joyless tone.
I really have a problem with Batman using a gun to kill criminals. Bruce Wayne's parents were killed by a man with a gun and since then he has had a "no kill" rule throughout most of his superhero career. The "no kill" part of his character is baked into his origin when you take that away from you just turn him into the Punisher with a bat gimmick. The same can be said for Spider-Man.
Spider-Man, like Batman, is a hero who has the "no kill" rule baked into his origin. Uncle Ben was killed by a man with a gun. He was also killed by a man that Peter failed to stop due to his own selfishness. Peter Parker is a good person, who would not wish to cause the same heartbreak that he went through when Uncle Ben dies. The criminal that killed Uncle Ben only dies when he accidentally falls out of a window trying to flee from Peter.
The only time I could accept Spider-Man killing someone was in "Spider-Man 3" when he attempted to kill Sandman for the supposed murder of Uncle Ben and the only reason I accept that was that he was under the influence of the alien black suit that was morally corrupting him. Many superheroes that didn't kill are turned into killers these days, which is why I found "Spider-Man: Homecoming" so refreshing in that aspect.
Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is depicted as a good kid who upholds his morals, to the point where (spoilers) he actually saves the main villain, the Vulture (Michael Keaton), from dying at the end of the film. What I also love about this act was that Peter was actually rewarded for it.
When the Vulture is in prison one of the criminals who fought Spider-Man earlier in the film approaches him because he heard a rumor that Vulture knows Spider-Man's real identity. Vulture, however, claims the rumors are false and walks away (end of spoilers). I love these scenes because it shows the value of saving a human life. A hero like Peter tries to save everyone and does not kill. I love how not killing and caring about others is rewarded in this film and, surprisingly, also in "Baby Driver". This is an especially good message to give to a kid superhero like Spider-Man, so he can inspire people from a really young age to value life and try to protect it at all costs.
