Spider-Man: Threat or Disappointment?

Spider-man. 

The spectacular, amazing, Web-Slinging, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. One of the most popular superheroes of all time, Spider-man has been and continues to be a glowing beacon in popular culture. The brainchild of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Peter Parker made his debut in the 1960s in “Amazing Fantasy #15”, then again on the big screen in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. Occasionally shy and nerdy, often incredibly moody, Peter Parker has always captured the youthful spirit that made him so special in the first place. Originally this was going to be an exploration of the Ultimate Universe’s Peter Parker from his debut to his death, but I’ve decided to touch on something a little trendier. Forgive me, I know I’m sacrificing my artistic integrity for clicks but, gotta get clicks.  

The MCU’s 3rd installment into their trilogy just came out, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and I am …conflicted. Growing up on the Raimi movies, I always loved Spider-Man. I remember sitting on the green basement couch with my dad growing up and watching Spider-Man 3, too scared of Topher Grace’s Venom to watch the whole thing. So, when Spider-Man was finally allowed to join the MCU my 5thgrade mind went INSANE, I was ecstatic. I remember watching Captain America: Civil War in theaters and when QUEENS in big bold letters flashed across the screen, I looked over at my friend Anish as we just exchanged glances like this was the coolest thing our pre-pubescent minds had ever seen. 

  But now, I’m a senior, and my tastes have changed. And after 5 movies with the MCU’s Spider-Man, I feel conflicted on whether I like them or not. MCU’s Spider-Man has one glaring issue to me, something that I honestly think never really sunk in, despite the best efforts of Jon Watts and the team, the absence of Uncle Ben. I know it’s a tiring take but it’s valid, and it’s not just Uncle Ben. Spider-Man over the course of his massive history has racked up quite a large rogues gallery. Rhino, Scorpion, Electro, Vulture (wow a lot of animal themes), Kraven the Hunter, Mysterio, Shocker, Carnage, Venom, Doc Ock, and Green Goblin. But, aside from Vulture, are any of these characters even present in the MCU? Doc Ock, Green Goblin, and Sandman are pulled from other iterations of Spider-Man, as well Electro and Lizard. Vulture and Mysterio both are underwhelming villains and only have connections to Peter Parker through Tony Stark, who as much as a father figure the MCU wants to pretend he is to Peter, never replaces the single tragedy that turned him into Spider-Man in the first place. Peter Parker’s characterization as well was problematic, gone is the moody teen who screamed at Nick Fury and lived to tell the tale, and replaced with a “yes sir” to every adult in his life.  

The hard part is that Jon Watts and Tom Holland never really got to do what they wanted with the character. Between the corporate politics and the strange deals, the MCU’s Spider-Man has always been stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to their stories. Pressure from Sony to not mention Uncle Ben or other key Spider-Man characters pushed Kevin Fiege into a hard place, and I’m sympathetic to that. But Spider-Man doesn’t really feel like Spider-Man. The lack of characters like Norman Osborne, Harry Osborne, Uncle Ben, Gwen Stacy, and really a normal version of Flash Thompson cement the idea of an MCU Spider-Man that doesn’t live up to his namesake.