I love MCU Spider-Man, but I have mixed feelings on him as…
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I love MCU Spider-Man, but I have mixed feelings on him as well.
Growing up, I was never really a big Spider-Man or superhero person, but one thing I did love as a kid was Spectacular Spider-Man, which is still my favorite adaptation of the character to this day. However, it wasn't until the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home came out in 2019 that I started reading Spider-Man comics. Fast forward a few years, and Peter Benjamin Parker is now one of my favorite characters ever and I have read over 600 issues of Spider-Man. (And I really wish I never got into the comics these days, but that's a different can of worms to open). In short there is a lot that I owe MCU Spider-Man, especially as Homecoming was my first MCU film. That being said, hindsight is 20/20.
I will start by saying that while I enjoy most of the films, I don't believe there has ever been a truly excellent live action Spider-Man adaptation. All three actors are good, and all of them (and their films) have different strengths and weaknesses, while drawing on different parts of the mythos. Tom's version is probably my favorite, but it also frustrates me at times. And characterization wise, I think the main problem is the way it sands out the character's edges.
Tom is fairly close to who Peter was as a teenager in the comics. He's a good-hearted and mild-mannered selfless kid doing his best. He's not always mature. He can make mistakes. He struggles to fit in. He's somtimes confused and struggles to find his place in the world. However, that's not all that Ditko/Lee Peter was.
Now, Canon Peter wasn't the raging asshole some people describe him as: he was still a good-hearted, well-mannered kid who did what was right when the chips are down. He was the kind of guy to help people he didn't like such as Flash Thomospn or J. Jonah Jameson. He often did the right thing without a thought of reward or even when it was completely thankless. However, he was not just a meek, sweet kid who rolled with the punches. He had a temper and a sharp tongue he wasn't afraid to use. He snapped back verbally at his bullies all the time. He could get cocky sometimes, and didn't always make the best choices. And unlike the MCU version, He was actually rather scary to your average thug like Aaron Davis.
MCU Peter is just a bit too....santizied. He reminds me more of Kurt Busiek's take in the \*Untold Tales of Spider-Man\* run, which I actually love dearly. Busiek kinda toned down Peter's flaws a bit, and focused on his best parts (like him helping an abused bully with his homework), while fleshing out his school life and classmates. However, even that Peter had a dash of spunk and snark that MCU Peter just lacks. It doesn't help that the writers forgot to have him quip as Spider-Man after Homecoming.
One thing I also don't like is the neglect of the classical elements, or their reinvention into something unrecognizable. I don't mind Michelle Jones because I think she's a solid character and them making her an OC shows respect to Mary Jane Watson. But then they don't do the same for Flash and we get a version that, while not terrible in isolation, just....isn't Flash. I don't mind the exclusion of Harry and Gwen from the Home trilogy since canon Peter met them in College, but Aunt May is also not the best take. However, one element that really rubs me the wrong way is the exclusion of Uncle Ben and the way he's reduced into easter eggs.
Recently, the Russos said that MCU Peter isn't responsible for Uncle Ben's death - which checks given how painfully sweet Tom's Peter is - and I really dislike that change. I like that the MCU skipped the origins, but I'm not okay with them altering (one of) the most powerful origin stories that way. Uncle Ben is just too integral to Peter's story. He and May shaped Peter into the hero he became, and gave him his best qualities. Peter's origin is so powerful because it's a redemption story about a boy who made a momentary selfish choice because he was bitter at the world, and then had to learn the lessons of empathy and responsibility in the hardest and deepest of manners. I have yet to see a deviation from Amazing Fantasy #15 that didn't make the origin weaker, and as much as I like No Way Home, its attempt at replacing Ben with May just doesn't hit the same. Removing Uncle Ben is like removing the Kents or the Waynes. It just doesn't work.
I like the Home trilogy. In fact, they're my favorite Spidey films. I think they're fun, have great takes on the villains, and have a lot of good moments and solid character work. But they lack some of the secret sauce and depth of the comics version. I'm beyond excited for Brand New Day and I love seeing Marvel's lynchpin interact with the other Marvel heroes on the big screen. But I feel like it came at the cost of losing his legendary supporting cast.
#movies #video
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Growing up, I was never really a big Spider-Man or superhero person, but one thing I did love as a kid was Spectacular Spider-Man, which is still my favorite adaptation of the character to this day. However, it wasn't until the trailer for Spider-Man: Far From Home came out in 2019 that I started reading Spider-Man comics. Fast forward a few years, and Peter Benjamin Parker is now one of my favorite characters ever and I have read over 600 issues of Spider-Man. (And I really wish I never got into the comics these days, but that's a different can of worms to open). In short there is a lot that I owe MCU Spider-Man, especially as Homecoming was my first MCU film. That being said, hindsight is 20/20.
I will start by saying that while I enjoy most of the films, I don't believe there has ever been a truly excellent live action Spider-Man adaptation. All three actors are good, and all of them (and their films) have different strengths and weaknesses, while drawing on different parts of the mythos. Tom's version is probably my favorite, but it also frustrates me at times. And characterization wise, I think the main problem is the way it sands out the character's edges.
Tom is fairly close to who Peter was as a teenager in the comics. He's a good-hearted and mild-mannered selfless kid doing his best. He's not always mature. He can make mistakes. He struggles to fit in. He's somtimes confused and struggles to find his place in the world. However, that's not all that Ditko/Lee Peter was.
Now, Canon Peter wasn't the raging asshole some people describe him as: he was still a good-hearted, well-mannered kid who did what was right when the chips are down. He was the kind of guy to help people he didn't like such as Flash Thomospn or J. Jonah Jameson. He often did the right thing without a thought of reward or even when it was completely thankless. However, he was not just a meek, sweet kid who rolled with the punches. He had a temper and a sharp tongue he wasn't afraid to use. He snapped back verbally at his bullies all the time. He could get cocky sometimes, and didn't always make the best choices. And unlike the MCU version, He was actually rather scary to your average thug like Aaron Davis.
MCU Peter is just a bit too....santizied. He reminds me more of Kurt Busiek's take in the \*Untold Tales of Spider-Man\* run, which I actually love dearly. Busiek kinda toned down Peter's flaws a bit, and focused on his best parts (like him helping an abused bully with his homework), while fleshing out his school life and classmates. However, even that Peter had a dash of spunk and snark that MCU Peter just lacks. It doesn't help that the writers forgot to have him quip as Spider-Man after Homecoming.
One thing I also don't like is the neglect of the classical elements, or their reinvention into something unrecognizable. I don't mind Michelle Jones because I think she's a solid character and them making her an OC shows respect to Mary Jane Watson. But then they don't do the same for Flash and we get a version that, while not terrible in isolation, just....isn't Flash. I don't mind the exclusion of Harry and Gwen from the Home trilogy since canon Peter met them in College, but Aunt May is also not the best take. However, one element that really rubs me the wrong way is the exclusion of Uncle Ben and the way he's reduced into easter eggs.
Recently, the Russos said that MCU Peter isn't responsible for Uncle Ben's death - which checks given how painfully sweet Tom's Peter is - and I really dislike that change. I like that the MCU skipped the origins, but I'm not okay with them altering (one of) the most powerful origin stories that way. Uncle Ben is just too integral to Peter's story. He and May shaped Peter into the hero he became, and gave him his best qualities. Peter's origin is so powerful because it's a redemption story about a boy who made a momentary selfish choice because he was bitter at the world, and then had to learn the lessons of empathy and responsibility in the hardest and deepest of manners. I have yet to see a deviation from Amazing Fantasy #15 that didn't make the origin weaker, and as much as I like No Way Home, its attempt at replacing Ben with May just doesn't hit the same. Removing Uncle Ben is like removing the Kents or the Waynes. It just doesn't work.
I like the Home trilogy. In fact, they're my favorite Spidey films. I think they're fun, have great takes on the villains, and have a lot of good moments and solid character work. But they lack some of the secret sauce and depth of the comics version. I'm beyond excited for Brand New Day and I love seeing Marvel's lynchpin interact with the other Marvel heroes on the big screen. But I feel like it came at the cost of losing his legendary supporting cast.
#movies #video
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