Buckle in, everyone, because we're about to go on another Spider-Man adventure with a brand new Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming. 15 years after the release of Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man (aka, the movie that put superhero movies on the map in the new millennium), the teenage hero is back for yet another round. But, just because this will be the third Peter Parker in 15 years doesn't mean that it won't be great. In fact, I can think of seven reasons Homecoming will be the best Spider-Man movie yet.
After being introduced in Captain America: Civil War, the new Spider-Man got rave reviews from fans. People looking for a cheerier, sassier Spider-Man found it in Tom Holland's new character. And his budding mentorship/bromance with Tony Stark only helped endear him to Marvel Cinematic Universe junkies. Still, the fact remains that Homecoming will be the fifth Spider-Man film released in 15 years — the third in the last five years. Simply put: it's going to be hard to show audiences a Peter Parker story they haven't seen, let alone one they won't immediately compare to the past four films. It's lucky, then, that Homecoming has seven key things other Spider-Man movies didn't have, and that's why Spider-Man: Homecoming will be the best Spider-Man movie yet.
1. A Younger Peter Parker
No offense to Maguire or Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man), but the stakes of having a teenage superhero are immediately raised in Homecoming by the fact that Holland was a teenager when he shot the film (he just turned 20). A younger Peter Parker makes the story more authentic, and that's an edge the other films never had.
2. No Origin Story
By the time we meet Peter Parker in Homecoming, he's already been bitten by the radioactive spider, and he's even had some crime-fighting experience (see: Civil War). This time around, hopefully we won't have a 30 minute montage of Peter Parker learning about his powers — he'll already know what he can do.
3. No Uncle Ben
It looks like when we meet Peter, Uncle Ben has already died. It's not that I'm happy about Uncle Ben's death (who would be?), but I like the idea of not having to watch the exact same scenario on screen for the third time.
4. Most Diverse Cast Ever
Yes, Peter Parker is still white, but all his friends are not, which is pretty cool and unique for any movie, let alone one set in the MCU. It's a small step towards actually having a diverse franchise, but it's a step nonetheless. (Bonus points for Zendaya and Donald Glover.)
5. More Than One Girl
This is huge, guys: a movie about a teenage boy superhero with more than one girl in it. Moreover, based on the trailer, it looks like both Michelle (Zendaya) and Liz (Laura Harrier) play significant parts. It's almost like two women can exist in a movie about a man without the world exploding.
6. No Green Goblin
Green Goblin has been the main villain in two Spider-Man movies thus far, but it doesn't look like he's going to get another run at the superhero in this year's Marvel film. The villain in Homecoming, known as the Vulture and played by Michael Keaton, is brand new to the big screen and a huge get for fans, who have been teased appearances by the Vulture in three previous films.
7. Iron Man
Obviously, Spider-Man's previously established connection to the Avengers and the MCU will be a huge advantage in Homecoming. It looks like most of that connection will be in the form of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, who appears to have a supporting role in the film. It's a pretty well known Marvel fact that a MCU film can never have too much RDJ, and it looks like Homecoming is following that rule to the letter.
Homecoming looks so good, you guys.
