All The Reasons Spider-Man Homecoming Could Be Great And Terrible

At the time of this writing, Spider-Man Homecoming is a very short week away. Knowing that I can’t help but think and wonder whether or not it will be worth the wait. Will it live up to the hype that the world is giving it? 

In short, I don’t know.

I’d like to think it will, not only for the sake of Spider-Man but for the sake of Marvel who has decided to put a fledgling franchise on their back in an effort to bring it back to relevance. Let’s not kid ourselves, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2 were terrible. Granted, 1 wasn’t as bad but neither were on the level of Sam Raimi’s first or second films. How could they be? The second one is widely considered a near masterpiece.

But what about Homecoming? Will it be a good outing for Marvel or another forced attempt at putting Spider-Man back atop his pedestal?

Tom Holland

First, it has Tom Holland who was by a long shot the show stealer from Civil War. Even though his scenes were brief, he proved to be capable of standing tall with the heavy hitters in the Marvel Universe. His jokes were perfectly timed and the way he carried himself screamed Spider-Man. Without giving too much praise, he might be the best version of the hero that we have seen thus far. Even better than Toby Maguire in Spider-Man 2.

Iron Man

The movie trailers have made it very clear that Iron Man will be a part of it. History (and money) has shown that Robert Downey Junior is completely capable of carrying an entire movie with his wit, charm, and flawless delivery of Tony Stark. This, of course, works to the advantage of Spider-Man Homecoming. Even if the movie is terrible, which is highly unlikely, fans won’t be able to walk out of the theater thinking that every part of it was bad. At least not if Iron Man plays a big enough role.

Picture perfect

It is intriguing to wonder exactly how Homecoming will fit into the much larger MCU picture. We know that Peter will still be in high school and that the movie will appear to take place months after Civil War. We also know that Marvel is “bending the rules” they have set forth in their timeline. But that’s all we know. Do the higher-ups at Marvel have a master plan for Spidey? They know something that we don’t and I for one am excited.

But it isn’t all picture perfect, is it? Surely, Homecoming has some flaws that might just make it terrible, right?

Of course, it does.

Just another reboot

The biggest fear is that Spider-Man Homecoming will become just another Spider-Man movie. After 2 franchise attempts, 5 movies, and 1 reboot, has Spider-Man finally run out of gas? Will the fans of the character finally be turned off from seeing him on the big screen? If not, will it translate into only one outing to the theater?

I suppose only time will tell but knowing that the world is about to have another Spider-Man adaptation unleashed on it does raise some concern.

Who is the Vulture? 

Thus far we have watched as Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Sandman, Venom, Lesser Green Goblin, Lizard, Electro, and Rhino have graced the screen beside Spidey. Now, the world is set to be introduced to Vulture and the Shocker. Before you get any idea in your head about the Shocker character, no, it isn’t what you’re thinking. 

The Vulture is the longest standing Spider-Man villain, next to Green Goblin. He first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #2 way back in May of 1963 and has been a staple since. Sadly, most newbies to the comic world don’t know who he is. He just doesn’t carry the prestige that a Venom or Green Goblin carries. In a cruel twist of fate, this could be the downfall of Spider-Man Homecoming. The MCU has done a fantastic job at introducing new characters to the world (just look at Guardians of the Galaxy) but it’ll be interesting to see how the world reacts to the Vulture. 

I’m not convinced that the world will take to the Vulture like it did to talking tree.

Another Iron Man movie

Contrary to the above statement, could the inclusion of Iron Man actually hinder Homecoming? Tony Stark is the center of attention each time he is on the screen. He is usually the most memorable aspect of every movie that he is in, for better or worse and by being in Spider-Man Homecoming, will this trend continue? If it does, will Tom Holland/Peter Parker/Spider-Man even have a chance to shine?

Personally, I’m hoping that like what happened in Civil War, he is able to hold his own and overcome the Tony Stark problem. 

Trying to fit into a larger picture

Marvel had it all planned out. They spent years writing, planning, and setting the stage for how their MCU would play out. It was perfect and nothing could knock it off track. Then…they acquired the rights to Spider-Man from Sony and everything had to be changed. With one long strand of web, everything that they had worked for was thrown off track and things had to be rewritten, replanned, and restaged. 

The question is, will it all work out for the better or will this finally be the mistake that the DCEU has been clamoring for?

Batman? 

Michael Keaton = Batman 1989

Michael Keaton = Vulture 2017

In my mind, he will forever be known as Bruce Wayne and not Adrian Toomes. Am I the only one?

Cheers,

Joel