Tag: Iron Spider

  • In Defense of MCU Spider-Man

    In Defense of MCU Spider-Man

    No disrespect to Tobey, I grew up with those Sam Raimi films. In fact, the first Spider-Man movie is the reason I love Marvel today, the reason Face Front exists! But I have to say I agree with the common consensus: Tobey is a great Peter Parker and a love letter to the Stan and Steve era of comics. Andrew was a great Spider-Man and more in line with the Ultimate comics. Tom Holland, however, is an excellent balance of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, merging the best of the 616 and 1610 universes. But the problem I often come across is people believing that since Tobey is their favorite, Tom’s version of Spider-Man doesn’t count. Or, as some put it, “Not my Spider-Man”.

    I’ve been quiet on this matter for a while, but I think I finally have to address the hate Tom’s Spidey gets. I feel it’s completely baseless and unwarranted. People who complain usually flock to the same argument; they say he’s the ‘Iron-Boy’ and doesn’t do anything independently for himself. That Tony holds his hand and it takes away from him being Spider-Man. Well news flash: Tony’s dead. And whoever still holds this mindset clearly wasn’t paying attention to Spider-Man: Far From Home.

    Let me pitch this at you: You’re a 10-year-old science nerd, and everyone makes fun of you for it. You don’t fit in with the other kids, and it gets kind of lonely. To cheer you up, your Uncle Ben tells you about Tony Stark, the most successful man on the planet, because he’s a science nerd, like you. Then, in 2008, that rich and successful science nerd you looked up to as your idol becomes a superhero. So wouldn’t your first instinct if you suddenly became a superhero as well be to become the man you’ve idolized for years? Hence the line in Spider-Man: Homecoming “I just wanted to be like you.”

    Were any of the Tom-haters actually watching the Tobey Maguire movies? Remember when Peter introduced himself to Norman Osborn? He spoke admiringly of his research in the now heavily parodied “Something of a scientist myself” scene. So imagine if Norman hadn’t become the Green Goblin, but figured out Peter was Spider-Man. Don’t you think we’d have the same situation on our hands? Norman using Oscorp resources to help Peter be the best Spider-Man he can be? If Norman was good guy, then Spider-Man probably would have ended up looking more like this:

    What about Spider-Man 2? Peter stated that Octavius was an idol of his, a scientific genius he looked up to. So let’s say Otto didn’t become Doc Ock, and he figured out Peter was Spider-Man. Don’t you think he would have helped Peter become… wait for it… a Superior Spider-Man? Like in the Marvel’s Spider-Man PS4 game? Octavius would have taken Peter under his wing, then Spider-Man would probably have looked something like this:

    Even in The Amazing Spider-Man. Peter admired Dr. Connors, he read his book, he helped him with the cross-species genetics. So, let’s pretend Curt didn’t become the Lizard. Don’t you think the Tony/Peter relationship would play out with Connors and Peter? Then how would Spider-Man look? You guessed it, like this:

    So the only difference between Tony and Norman, Otto, and Curt is that he didn’t become a super villain! So, Peter’s science genius idol in the MCU who figured out he was Spider-Man hooked him up with his best gear to help him become the best Spider-Man he can be. So what did he look like? Like this:

    But now, with Tony gone, Peter is forced into the situation he was in the previous movies. Now he’s on his own, and you can tell even from his physicality alone in Far From Home that he’s already grown into a fully functional and independent superhero. So what if he used Stark tech to make his suit? He used Oscorp tech to make his web-shooters in Amazing Spider-Man. And so what if he gets help from some Avengers from time to time? Did he not go to Harry in Spider-Man 3 to get help fighting Mega-Sandman and Venom? Spider-Man in the MCU is just as much Spider-Man as the other two franchises. The thing is he now lives in a world where the Avengers exist, so those circumstances alone are bound to change the fundamentals of his heroics. But at the end of the day, it’s indisputable that whether you like Tobey, Tom, or Andrew, they all have one thing in common. They are all Spider-Man.

  • Spider-Man Homecoming Easter Eggs

    Alright, Spider-Man: Homecoming is out, and you’d better bring an Easter basket because the Easter Bunny was hopping all up through this movie! So, strap up, and let’s jump in! Oh yeah, and SPOILER ALERT!!!

    Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

    Wealth and fame, he’s ignored, action is his reward. Look out! Here comes the Spider-Man! Not only did we get an awesome Michael Giacchino orchestreal version of the classic theme in the beginning, but Spider-Man left notes on the criminals he caught just like a good Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man would!

    The Scorpion

    Mac Gargan, aka the Scorpion, played a small role in this movie, but I think he’s more there as a token for what’s to come. I like the fact that for those who didn’t catch the name Mac Gargan, they basically telegraphed it by giving him a scorpion tattoo on his neck (and the scarring on his face more reminiscent of Ultimate Scorpion). Even with his small amount of screen time, Gargan came across as menacing and a bit scary (talking about slitting poor Spider-Man’s throat!) I’m excited to finally see Scorpion on the big screen, and I’m ready to meet his ‘friends on the outside’. *Cough, Sinister Six, cough*.

    Jim Morita

    Midtown High’s principal is Mr. Morita (I heard it in a voicemail  from Michelle in the Spider-Man Homecoming app… I have no life). We know that Captain America had an old war buddy named Jim Morita, a member of the Howling Commandos! Jim Morita and Principal Morita are both played by the same actor. Which probably explains the black and white photo and war medals for old Jimmy posted up in Principal Morita’s office. It’s quick, so make sure you catch it!

    Women of Spider-Man

    We had Betty Brant reporting the news Daily Bugle style, although she looked a lot like Gwen Stacy. We had Liz Allen, with a surprising twist, although she married Harry Osborn at one point in the comics, so having a villain as a father isn’t a far stretch. And we also had Michelle come out as MJ. Not Mary Jane, but MJ. I don’t know, we’ll see what they do with her, but I really do want the classic Spider-Man and Mary Jane relationship. So maybe, now that she has friends, MJ will come out of her shell a bit more and grow into the party girl we all know and love! Oh, and the Asian girl on the Decathlon team is listed as ‘Cindy’. Hm… *Cough, Silk, cough!*

    Ned Leeds

    Another one of Peter’s friends that had the unfortunate disposition of becoming a Goblin, and paying the price. Well, let’s hope that never happens, because Ned is a great guy in the chair!

    Forehead of Security

    This isn’t really an Easter egg more so than a callback, but in the car when Tony and Happy are dropping Peter off at home, Tony states that Happy used to be the Forehead of Security, which was the joke he made in Iron Man 3 when Happy, not knowing how to work an iPad, was holding the camera up to his forehead.

    Homemade Suit

    This suit just screams Ben Reilly. We’re all thinking it! Might as well just say it!

    Iron Spider

    It looked a lot different, but the suit Tony presents Peter with in the end of the movie, along with an offer to become an Avenger, is indeed the Iron Spider. I have a feeling Peter will be donning that suit when Infinity War rolls around, but until then, he’s gonna just go ahead and be a Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

    Uncle Aaron/ The Prowler

    I’m going to write an entire article on Donald Glover and his relation to Miles Morales, but it’s good to see that they cast him as Mile’s Uncle Aaron Davis, who is also the villain known as the Prowler in the Ultimate comics. I’m also glad he mentioned his nephew, more or less confirming Miles’s existance in the MCU!

    Spidey Tracers

    When Shocker comes to Midtown looking for the Chitauri power source Spidey swiped, Peter narrowly avoids them, and tags Shultz with a tiny little mechanic spider that allows him to track them to Maryland. These are classic Spidey Tracers, used often in the comics and 90’s series but never in the movies… until now!

    Damage Control

    Dwayne McDuffie, a minority comic creator and huge inspiration to me, created Damage Control, the guys who clean up the messes superheroes tend to make. It’s good to see it get some love in an MCU movie since the TV show is apparently MIA. There was a passing mention of it in Iron Man 1, but here it is in full force! All they’re missing is the bulldog logo!

    MCU Here and There

    Just a bunch of little sprinkled MCU bits cementing Spider-Man into the Universe, here’s a few of them:

    • Avengers Tower (duh)
    • Road sign in DC warning about ‘Triskelion cleanup’
    • Pictures of Howard Stark and Bruce Banner at Midtown, and hey, I even hear ‘ol Dr. Erskine is up there!
    • History lesson on the Sokovia Accords
    • A gun assembled from ‘Sub-Ultron’ parts
    • Cap being a war criminal (sad face emoji)
    • Speaking of Cap, notice he’s in his Avengers (2012) uniform, so I guess these were filmed right after he was thawed out
    • The first 15 minutes of the film, right after the Battle of New York and during Civil War

    Now, there’s a big one, right at the end where where Spider-Man is trapped under the rubble, but I can’t tell you yhat because it would spoil the trivia question for my Spider-Man Homecoming Podcast, so… I guess we’ll end here! Were there any I missed? Let me know in the comments below, and stay tuned for more from Spider-Man Homecoming!