‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’: Spider-Man Caused $300,000 Worth of Damage in 1 Scene
The main plot of superhero movies and shows, except for The Boys, is to save humanity by defeating the Big Bad. These individuals with otherworldly capabilities dedicate themselves to saving the world at any cost.
While there’s no questioning their competence, on occasions, these superheroes end up causing more collateral damage. An insurance lawyer recently estimated that Spider-Man caused over $300,000 worth of damage in just one scene in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Spider-Man and the Criminal Avengers in ‘Homecoming’
In Homecoming, Peter Parker has yet to master his abilities and still struggles to fight crime. Eager to prove himself to Tony Stark, Peter tries to prevent a local ATM robbery. But the robbery isn’t any simple grab-and-go as the thieves happen to have some incredibly high-tech machinery with them.
Peter walks in and tries to approach the situation using sarcasm. But as expected, the robbers retaliate by unleashing the Anti-Gravity Gun and Chitauri Blowtorch on him. A fight ensues, and Spider-Man eventually wins, but not after he causes total damage to the ATM and even burns down the bodega owned by Mr. Delmar.
The military-grade equipment levels the bank. The lasers go through the deli, setting it on fire and destroying the road. Peter is understandably upset and worried about the damage. But at least he prevented the robbers from making away with the money in the ATM.
An insurance lawyer breaks down one ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ scene
When you watch superhero movies, chances are you’re not paying attention to the damaged buildings, destroyed roads, and trails of bodies the superheroes leave behind in their quest to prevent one man or a few men from taking over the world. Superhero movies are a beloved genre because of the cinematic experience they provide.
However, after all is said and done, who picks up what’s left and who is responsible for determining the extent of damage and repairing it? In real life, superhero movies would put insurance companies out of business due to the excessive amount of collateral damage.
Vanity Fair brought in an insurance expert to estimate the damage caused by these supernatural beings. The lawyer Stacey Giulianti broke down several movies. For Homecoming, he clarified that the case is different. That’s because in the robbery scene, Spider-Man isn’t saving lives, but property, meaning his actions aren’t justifiable whatsoever.
According to Giulianti, if Spider-Man saved someone’s life during the robbery, he wouldn’t be liable for the damage caused. “By getting involved and not letting them take the money and leaving, he causes additional damage to that bank area as well as to the building that it’s in and the deli,” Giulianti said.
The lawyer said that in Spider-Man’s case, the insurance company would pay out the money needed to make repairs to the destroyed building but would seek reimbursement from Peter in what’s called subrogation. Giulianti reiterated that in that scene alone, Peter is liable for any damage since his actions directly result in the destruction of property.
Spider-Man caused over $300,000 worth of damage in that scene
Giulianti gave a rough estimate of how much Spider-Man/ Peter would have had to pay if he were held accountable by insurers. According to him, the window, glass, and metal framing that Spider-Man throws the robbers against costs roughly $30,000.
Ceiling damage caused when the thieves throw the friendly neighborhood superhero against the ceiling roughly costs $50,000, while another $50,000 would go to repairs of the building’s façade. Across the street, the damage caused on the deli would come to about $300,000. By his calculations, Giulianti estimated that Spider-Man would be liable for about $440,000 in damage.
