Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Was Better in ‘Homecoming’ Battling Vulture Without His Suit
To many people, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man is the peak live-action take on the character that they’ve seen.
With his boyish charm combined with the movies’ John Hughes aesthetic, Holland balances Peter Parker and Spider-Man with grace and charisma. To some fans of Spider-Man, however, some things do not fit.
They took to Reddit to voice what rubs them the wrong way about Holland’s version of the character.
Spider-Man’s film journey
Although Spider-Man was historically one of the most popular superheroes well before his big-screen outings, the characters’ movies are often among the biggest and most anticipated in the genre. Starting with Tobey Maguire’s first take on the role in 2001, fans have seen three actors play the character in live-action adaptations.
All of the actors and filmmakers put a unique spin on Spider-Man’s powers. For example, while Spider-Man’s abilities were more about his senses and ability to stick to walls, director Sam Raimi’s take on him included organic web slingers, which drove fans of the comics crazy.
However, many appreciated Maguire’s boyish charm in the first movies. By the third outing, however, the series had run its course.
Maguire and Raimi’s departure led to a new series called The Amazing Spider-Man. This film tried to emulate the MCU’s success by establishing a different take on Peter Parker while reexploring details that audiences already saw in the previous films.
Andrew Garfield took on the role, but despite some success at the box office, the movie never hit with casual fans and hardcore ones.
Desperate to reinvigorate one of Marvel’s most popular heroes, Marvel made a deal with Sony to bring the web-slinger to the already-popular MCU. This would prove to be the definitive take in the eyes of many fans.
Spider-Man gets his due
Despite going back nearly 60 years, one could argue that Spider-Man is bigger than he’s ever been. Not only has Holland appeared as the character in several Marvel movies, but Sony’s animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse was a massive hit with fans and critics alike.
Furthermore, the video game Spider-Man lets players take on the character in ways they never had before.
Holland is, to many fans, the current definitive take on Parker, however. Director and writer Jon Watts’s takes on the Spider-Man universe provided the types of childlike sentiments seen in 1980s movies with a fresh take on the Superhero genre, too.
Although the films bypassed the origin story by jumping in with Parker’s powers already set in stone, fans got to see his growth from a small-time high school vigilante to an Avenger.
Spider-Man: Homecoming and Far From Home, fans watched as Parker took on Vulture, the father of his love interest, to save a shipment of vital goods from being overtaken by an evil conglomerate. In Infinity War, fans watched in horror as Parker disappeared into nothing only to be brought back in Endgame and his solo sequel.
Spider-Man fans are a loyal, passionate bunch. Because of this, some expect perfection, and when it comes to Spider-Man’s suit, some of the ways that Watt, Holland, and company have used it leaves a lot to be desired.
What was wrong with Peter’s suit?
Fans on Reddit discussed their feelings on Holland’s Spider-Man. While most agreed that his acting was what the role needed, some didn’t like the execution of Spider-Man himself. Rather than rely on his own physical gifts, many thought that Holland’s Spider-Man relied on tech in ways that were not true to the characters’ roots.
User u/TheWaylandCycle first brought up the issue.
“I think his connections with other MCU characters are fine in principle, but the fact that his suit does practically everything for him and has whatever powers the plot requires is tremendously annoying. It’s why I find the final battle with Vulture more satisfying: he was a little more of an underdog, which always makes a victory feel more earned.”
Fellow Spider-fan u/Spideyweb58 saw this issue as a purposeful one, however.
“Firstly, I think the purpose of Homecoming was to show that he doesn’t need the suit, that’s why the Stark Spider-Man suit was so OP. I do think FFH fixed the suit’s OPness al ot, I really enjoy that final battle. I do think FFH, did a pretty decent job in teaching Peter to see Tony as an flawed individual with a lot baggage, but I do wish Spidey’s villains came from his actions.”
The post started a good debate about what makes a good Spider-Man movie. While it is true that Peter uses the technology, some believe the real journey is learning how to work without it.
However, whether this is against the original character or in favor of it, posts like this highlight just how diverse the fan opinions can be.
