Spider-Man: Homecoming — Reflections from a Spidey-Fan

“What, another Spider-Man movie!? What was wrong with the last guy….” This has been the tired, unanimous response I’ve received from most people when we start talking about the latest reboot of the Spider-Man film franchise. Even to a comic book person who is used to seeing their favorite characters undergo profound transformations and reiterations, 3 systemically different Spider-Men/Peter Parkers within the last fifteen years (give or take) is a bit much. Yet, the Sony Marvel Studios tag team musters up something of a John Hughes super-teen, action-drama that gives audiences a youthful and fresh take on the friendly web-head and his neighborhood, a take that I as a life-long Spider-Man deeply appreciate.

Places and the people who inhabit them seem to be the focus of Spider-Man: Homecoming more so than cinematic universe building or intergalactic threats to our galaxy. Captain America: Civil War may have stopped to consider the

collateral damage caused by the Avengers’ heroics, but Homecoming explores the long term affects these events have on blue collar construction workers like Adrian Toomes and his family. This humanizes him and problematizes perceiving him as just another myopic, MCU villain.

We also get to spend more time in Peter’s school and city, allowing us to appreciate his web of relationships and NYC’s geography in ways not presented to us in previous films. The cornerstone to all of this world building and character development, though, is the youthfulness of the titular character, Spider-Man/Peter Parker.

In the previous franchises, Peter hardly looks like teenage and grows up physically and psychologically very fast, requiring us to leave the intense social ecosystem of high school and transition prematurely into the more isolated sphere of career development. In Homecoming, we don't even make it through a quarter of Midtown High’s school system. Despite having fought alongside iconic avengers like Ironman and Black Panther in other parts of the world, Peter is still a hyper, wide-eyed fifteen-year old from Queens and remains that fifteen-year-old throughout the film.

Having a young Peter Parker gave Sony and Marvel a chance to make a different kind of superhero adaptation than what we’ve seen before. Instead of a typical hero’s journey through tragedy and adventure, we get a coming of age story (with camera movement and music to match it) where Peter learns that he can’t expedite growing up without causing his friends and himself harm. We get new and intriguing characters dynamics like the comical mentor-mentee relationship between Tony and Peter and the diverse, Breakfast Club-esque group of friends that surround Peter at school. The teenage world of Peter permeates entertainingly into his ventures as Spidey like when he has to suit-up and check out a crime while at a house party in the suburbs of the City.

But to be fair to the other franchises, it’s hard to tell this kind of Spider-Man story when Peter’s the only superhero in New York. However, in a world of upper-tier heroes like Black Widow and Captain America, it’s easier to have a more grounded and younger version of the character that’s like the loquacious, blunder-prone teenage superhero from the early Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comics and the more recent Michael Bendis comics.

And with the groundedness come opportunities to tell stories which reflect everyday human experiences, as mentioned above. It’s not always easy to relate to the struggles of a multibillionaire playboy, philanthropist (Ironman) or a Norse god from another galaxy (Thor), but many of us can relate to Adrian Toomes who struggles against an economic system that continuously disadvantages him and his family; we can relate to Peter/Spider-Man as he fumbles his way through ever-day responsibilities frustrated that he’s not living into his full potential. This film brings out the neighborhood in “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.” Indeed, neighborhood life isn’t always glamorous and its problems aren’t always newsworthy, yet they are the stuff of life – that’s why I’ve always loved Spider-Man stories. They grapple with life’s tough experiences, like losing a family member or a local business, and highlight life’s small but beautiful joys like a high school romance or having loved ones believe in you. Without revisiting the “Great Power-Great Responsibility” trope, Spider-Man: Homecoming portrays a very familiar Spider-Man in a fresh and relevant way. So I welcome the franchise reboot, because in my opinion Spidey is finally home.

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