The Potential Of Tom Holland's 'Spider-Man'
As the old Marvel guard exits, in comes the next generation led by everyone''s friendly neighborhood... you know the rest.
After the release of Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 3" and "The Amazing Spider-Man" franchise, many of the "Spider-Man" films had started to become formulaic; focusing on love interests, overblown supervillains, and funerals instead of the major draw of the character.
Peter Parker was the first teenage superhero in comics that was not a sidekick. In this world of gods and super soldiers in comes this kid who wants to prove himself among the big boys. Most of the fans that hated on "Spider-Man: Homecoming" were baffled by how Spider-Man was not swinging from tall buildings in Times Square or having mastery over his spider-sense (as showcased in previous films), but that was the appeal of the film.
Spider-Man in the original Stan Lee / Steve Ditko comic run was not a bonafide superhero; he was still learning the ropes of this superhero world as he went along.
We have seen Peter Parker as a full-fledged adult seasoned hero for many films, but we have never seen a truly inexperienced teenage Spider-Man for more than one film. It always seemed odd how, in the films, Spider-Man just immediately learns how to do somersaults in the air and swing gracefully through New York. The Washington Monument scene in "Homecoming" showcased this perfectly, just because Peter can do amazing things does not mean he knows how to, yet.
Even the villains of these new "Spider-Man" films reflect the younger age of Marvel Cinematic Universe Peter Parker with more small scale, non-powered threats like Vulture and Mysterio, as opposed to the larger world ending antagonist. Just like his career in the films, Parker will build up to the big leagues fighting the Sinister Six, but for right now, he's a small-time hero.
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has said from the beginning that the studio wants this iteration of Spider-Man to be similar to "Harry Potter", a series that took its title character and had the audience follow him as he grew and matured along with the world around him. Now, Tom Holland is not a child as Daniel Radcliffe was when the "Harry Potter" series started, but he is still a young actor at 22 years old, especially compared to the MCU's other heavy hitters of "Iron Man", "Captain America", and "Hulk."
Keeping Spidey in high school for at least a trilogy is the best move for the universe as well as the box office. Spider-Man gives the younger superhero audiences a hero they can actually relate to and follow for years on end. Holland's film contract with Marvel and Sony is currently only for five films ( "Civil War", "Homecoming", "Infinity War", "Endgame", "Far From Home"), but that will almost certainly get renewed sometime before or following the release of "Far From Home".
Comic book readers have seen Peter Parker go from a high school student, a photographer for The Daily Bugle, a college student, a science teacher, and a businessman all throughout the years. As opposed to other heroes in Marvel or even other comic companies, the story of Spider-Man is a coming-of-age tale. It's important for the audience to see where Peter starts and where he ultimately ends up over the years.
Spider-Man is not like Batman and Superman where he always makes the right choices and knows how to control a situation. He messes up as every man does. Tom Holland is that "every man" for the MCU right now and hopefully for years to come.
