It really seems like there’s just no pleasing fans. While it’s definitely frustrating, it’s also the disappointing reality. No matter how amazing of a movie you make or how fantastic of a story you tell, there will always be those who are so entitled that they will voice their displeasure in such a way that could be viewed as harassment.
We’re seeing exactly this as it pertains to MCU Spider-Man. Marvel has done exactly what they should have when it comes to their version of the web-slinger. They made this Spider-Man different from the previous two adaptations of the character, and now they’re facing backlash.
Did everybody want the exact same stories that have already been told on film? Did people not want a new, refreshing take on the character?
Fandoms have become extremely toxic, when they should be the backbone of these characters and stories. Fandoms should be the support system that makes these films successful, instead they’ve become nothing more than cults that band together to complain when things don’t go the way they want and attack others who have a different opinion.
This needs to stop.
Let’s just take a step back and realize one thing….superhero films are the most popular form of cinema today and that’s something that should be celebrated at all times. We could live in a world where these kinds of movies never existed.
Just some food for thought the next time you feel like complaining or attacking someone because you didn’t like the way they handled something in a movie.
While I respect everyone’s OPINION, I do not respect petty complaints. I do not respect fans that act like they’re owed something or think they know best how a character or story should’ve been handled. Your opinion is your opinion; everyone’s got one and everyone’s entitled to one, but some of the complaints I’ve seen about MCU Spider-Man are just too much.
DISCLAIMER: Everything I’m about to say is my OPINION and should be treated as such.
MCU Spider-Man is Too Young & Inexperienced?
Tom Holland is by far the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man we have seen yet, and I’m extremely confident in saying that Marvel could not have chosen a better actor for this role. His youthful energy brings a whole new aspect to Parker. Holland is completely believable as a high-school aged teenager; this is the youngest, most inexperienced, and realistic take on Peter Parker yet.
When I say realistic, what I mean is that any kid that age would be scared of these new abilities and these new responsibilities. No teenager would jump right into the superhero gig without going through growing pains or being afraid. So far, every time we’ve seen Parker in the MCU, whether it be in his own solo films or as part of an ensemble like The Avengers, the writers really emphasize that Parker is still just a kid.
This comes across extremely powerfully when he’s around other older and more experienced heroes. The maturity differences are extremely evident and why wouldn’t they be? Sure, they’re all heroes but there’s significant age differences between Parker and the rest of the Avengers. The ensemble films really aim to make sure the audience doesn’t forget how much younger Parker is.
Fans have voiced issues with the youthfulness and inexperience Parker has displayed thus far, but why? It’s a completely new and refreshing take on the character than what we have seen from the Raimi and TASM versions.
We are literally getting to grow with this Spider-Man as he goes through challenges and learns how to become a hero, which includes learning how to fully master his powers. Becoming a hero is a process, a full grown adult would go through trials and tribulations, Parker is a teenager…
Spider-Man or Iron Man, Jr.?
This might be the most ridiculous complaint of all. Was Tony Stark very prominent in Peter Parker’s life in the comics? No. Did Peter get all his tech from Stark in the comics? No. Do superhero movies have to follow the comics to a “T”? NO.
Making Stark a mentor not only makes perfect sense narratively in the MCU, but it also adds a lot of depth and emotion to Parker’s story. Parker was flying under the radar, doing small deeds with his new powers, and staying close to the ground. He didn’t seek out the “Avenger life”, that life sought him. Stark kick-started Peter’s superhero career and thus made him protective of Parker in the process.
While Stark didn’t give Peter his powers, he did bring him into “big leagues” of superhero’ing. At first, Stark just felt responsible for Peter because he knew if anything happened to him, he would have some responsibility in that. As time progressed, that feeling of responsibility gradually evolved into feelings of love for Peter. Stark genuinely cared for Parker and that relationship provided a lot of the emotional weight in the MCU.
As far as Parker being “Iron Man, Jr.” because of the suit and tech he’s received from Stark, again it makes perfect sense narratively. In the previous films, it’s never explained just how Parker was able to create such high concept, and highly detailed suits all on his own. Honestly, it’s not very believable that he’d be able to make a suit like that by himself. Not that he wouldn’t be capable, he is a genius after all, but where would he obtain the resources to create the suit?
Civil War showed us that he was running around in pajamas with makeshift goggles before being recruited by Stark. That makes sense. It also makes sense that Stark, a technological genius, would upgrade his new recruits suit. Far From Home then showed us that Parker is smart enough to be able to utilize the Stark tech on his own to create new suits for himself.
Stark being a mentor/father figure to Parker in the MCU was never meant to force Spider-Man to become the next Iron Man. It’s a brilliant way to connect Spider-Man to the MCU at large, and using Stark as the way to bring Spider-Man into the MCU was a stroke of genius. Having a strong/close relationship with Stark and being so prominent in each other’s lives, it’s only natural that Stark would continue to play a role in his life even after his death.
Yes, both villains in the MCU Spider-Man movies were connected to Stark in someway. Vulture was mad at Stark for creating Damage Control and putting his salvage company out of business, but he didn’t really know Stark personally. Beck knew Stark personally and was much more connected to him. Both villains however, grew to hate Spider-Man throughout the course of their respective films.
Each started off with a beef against Stark, leaving Peter to deal with them, and both became true Spider-Man villains in the process. There’s nothing wrong with Spidey cleaning up Starks messes, it doesn’t tie Parker’s identity to Stark, it only serves as a way to further connect everything in this universe and continue to build on the importance of the Parker/Stark relationship.
Missing: Ben Parker
Another hot topic for complaint, I mean debate, is the lack of presence of Uncle Ben.
He’s been referenced in Homecoming when Peter begs Ned not to tell May that he’s Spider-Man stating that he can’t do that to her right now, not after all she’s been through. Now, we don’t know how long ago Ben passed prior to Homecoming but it obviously hasn’t been too long if he’s still concerned with her emotional state. Ben was then again present in Far From Home in the form of initials on Peter’s suitcase.
Have we actually seen Ben? No, but we do know that he exists, or existed in this universe. The thing is though, we all know the story, we’ve seen it adapted not once, but TWICE, in film already. Rehashing that story would’ve been redundant. In fact, by not showing it again, Marvel guaranteed that their version would be different from the previous two. Telling the whole origin again would’ve risked Spider-Man fatigue with audiences.
Could Ben’s influence have been better presented? Sure, but the writers and producers felt it more necessary to focus on connecting this Spider-Man to the MCU and the characters that already existed first.
There’s no reason Ben can’t still show up in future films, the groundwork has already been laid to make Ben more prominent down the road, whether it be through flashbacks or the characters simply having a conversation about him.
On the same side of that coin, another common complaint is that Stark replaced Ben. The main reason people think that is because it was Tony’s death that inspired Peter to become a true hero when in the comics it was Ben’s. Again, the MCU does not have to follow the comics to a “T”, and narratively it makes sense for Stark’s death to have a significant emotional impact on Peter. Stark did not replace Uncle Ben, he filled a void in Peter’s life, a void left by Ben.
This is Still Spider-Man
Stark came into Peter’s life and immediately changed it by recruiting him into the Avengers and making the world Parker lives in exponentially bigger. He tried to guide Parker and help him become his own hero. He wanted Peter to be better than he was, he didn’t want Peter to become the next Iron Man, but rather he wanted him to become his own hero.
Despite certain aspects of Peter’s story being changed to fit into the MCU, this is still very much the Peter Parker people know and love. Everything that makes him Spider-Man is still present, right down to the core characteristics and values. I understand people’s disappointment at the lack of Uncle Ben and the lack of “with great power comes great responsibility”, but we’re only two Spider-Man movies in, there’s plenty of time to circle back to that.
Marvel is handling this version of the web-head beautifully and more importantly they’re handling it in a way that doesn’t feel repetitive to the prior adaptations. With two recent adaptations of Spider-Man, Marvel had a tall and daunting task of not only bringing Parker into the MCU in a way that made sense, but also telling a completely new story about the character. They have done both of those things brilliantly.
The MCU is telling it’s own story, it’s time that people accept that.
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