There has been no larger story for Marvel Studios the past year than the acquisition of the Spider-Man character for use in the Marvel cinematic universe. For months since the announcement, the public waited in anticipation for Marvel and Sony to find the next iconic actor to wear the blue and red tights on the big-screen. The search concluded last week when Marvel announced that they had found the Peter Parker for the next generation in actor Tom Holland.
Spider-Man’s Awe of the Avengers
Now that the casting search is complete, the focus has shifted towards how the third incarnation of Spider-Man on the big-screen will differentiate itself from the previous films. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige explained to Zap2It, the difference and the approach to Spider-Man in their upcoming films.
“The biggest thing … is that it takes place in this universe. It’s the first time that you’ll be able to see Spider-Man like he was in the comics, as a very different type of hero when compared to the other heroes in the universe…Up until this point in the other Spidey films — some of which are some of the best superhero movies ever made — he was the only hero, and now he’s not. Now he’s a kid in Queens with these powers and has other [superheroes] to look to.”
It has been stated previously by Feige that Parker is in high school and has already been swinging around the MCU without being noticed by the public. We also know that he will be making his first true appearance in Captain America: Civil War in a small role. However, this is the first time that the web-slinger will be interacting with other comic book heroes that have already been established in the movies, namely the Avengers. It has recently been assumed that a small part of what helped Holland land the role is his height. Holland is listed at 5″6, he will literally look up to his future co-stars and look like a boy among men, which will add a visual confirmation to the thrust of his character. It should also be noted that many are expecting a significant role for Spidey in Captain America: Civil War, however it is more likely that he will get a few introductory scenes and a key action moment, in an effort to whet fan’s appetite for his further adventures.
The New Tone & Direction
Marvel’s Spider-Man won’t only look like a teenager, his movies and stories will explore high school in a way that hasn’t been attempted yet in the comic book movie genre. In a recent interview with BirthMoviesDeath, Feige explained the specific tone and challenges that they are looking to create for Peter Parker and his alter ego.
“Just as we hadn’t seen a heist movie in a long time, or a shrinking movie in a long time, we haven’t seen a John Hughes movie in a long time. Not that we can make a John Hughes movie – only John Hughes could – but we’re inspired by him, and merging that with the superhero genre in a way we haven’t done before excites us…What we wanted was a movie where the stakes could be as high as ‘This bad person is going to do this bad thing and a lot of people could die’ OR ‘You don’t get home in time and your aunt is going to figure this out, and your whole life is going to change.’ Particularly at that age, in high school, everything feels like life or death. The tests feel like life or death. Coming home from being out with your friends seemed like life or death.”
John Hughes films in the 1980’s helped to define a generation of high-schoolers. His movies such as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Sixteen Candles, are classic romps of the time. Few films in recent memory have come close to having the same energy, tone, and cultural influence. Taking this approach will undeniably set a new precedent for audience’s expectations of Spider-Man stories and will minimize comparisons to the previous movies. Again Marvel is being proactive and forward-thinking with how they package their characters and sub-genres for their movies.
The Soul of Spidey
While audiences are familiar with the story of Peter Parker and Spider-Man, due to his story being fleshed out over the course of five films. Many would argue that there has not been a definitive version. Marvel Studios has established an uncanny ability to adapt the soul of their comic book characters and stories onto the big-screen, while keeping their respective authenticity. Which arguably has never been done with Spider-Man on-screen, despite all of his box-office success. Feige explains what their initial approach will be with Spidey’s introduction in Captain America: Civil War:
“Does he want to be like these other characters? Does he want nothing to do with these other characters? How does that impact his experience, being this grounded but super powerful hero? Those are all the things that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko played with in the first 10 years of his comics, and that now we can play with for the first time in a movie.”
In the previous films, Spider-Man was the only superhero that existed in his world. Much like when he was introduced in Marvel Comics in the 1960’s, there is a larger universe of superheroes that have already been on patrol. Spider-Man really stood out and became the most popular Marvel character because the writers constantly reminded audiences, that there is a real human under that mask that gets scared, overwhelmed, and has fun, in the bizarre universe that he discovers. There won’t be a clearly laid out origin story this time around. So Spider-Man’s character will be defined by his actions and interactions with those around him. Which will be another way that Holland’s Spider-Man could be a refreshing new way to look at the character many have grown up with.
With Ant-Man being released in less than three weeks and Captain America: Civil War currently filming, we should be hearing much about everybody’s favorite wall crawler very shortly. Captain America: Civil War opens on May 6th, 2016. The Spider-Man reboot will be released on July 27, 2017.
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Source: Zap2it, Comicbook