Marvel Finally Explains Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Biggest Mistake

The source of the timeline debacle in Spider-Man: Homecoming stems from an opening flashback. Adrian Toomes and his crew are seen salvaging alien technology from the Battle of New York, an event in 2012 during the first Avengers film, released that same year. A time card with “8 Years Later” appears on the screen, indicating that the present day is in the year 2020.

However, Spider-Man: Homecoming is set in the fall of 2016, leaving fans confused by the inconsistency. The same continuity error is made with a line of dialogue from Toomes later in the film, who says, “Eight years, not a word from the Feds,” meaning that his criminal activities at The Vulture have flown under the radar since 2012, placing the present day story in 2020.

With an assist from Loki‘s Miss Minutes, the timeline encyclopedia corrects both mistakes with a creative explanation. From a small text box on page 173, Miss Minutes says, “Redline alert! Hi again! Adrien Toomes says the Battle of New York was eight years ago, but that event was only four years prior. This one’s a real head-scratcher for us – I reckon an analyst misplaced the case file.”

This correction rewrites the timeline, aligning Spider-Man: Homecoming with the broader MCU continuity, which has always been a priority for the franchise. The book also corrects an inconsistency with Thor, who said that he only recently visited Earth for the first time, a reference to the events in Thor that occurred before The Avengers.

In Eternals, there is a scene where Kingo says that a young Thor accompanied him on Earth. Miss Minutes provides an explanation, attributing the inconsistency to “Thor simply sayin’ it was the first time coming to Earth in his current adventures. Not worth putting Analysts on this one!” Miss Minutes is the anthropomorphic clock mascot of the TVA that supervises operations alongside He Who Remains.

Despite the mistake in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the film was praised for its light-hearted and coming-of-age approach to the superhero genre, capturing the essence of a young Peter Parker’s journey to becoming a full-fledged superhero. The movie, starring Tom Holland as the titular hero, served as the second reboot of the Spider-Man film series and was directed by Jon Watts.

Spider-Man: Homecoming focuses on Peter Parker, who is navigating the challenges of high school while secretly fighting crime as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Following his introduction in Captain America: Civil War in 2016, Peter returns to his everyday life in Queens under the watchful eye of his mentor, Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.).

The film’s success paved the way for the sequel, Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019 and Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021. Holland’s Spider-Man continued to be a significant part of the MCU’s Phase Three and beyond. Spider-Man: Homecoming also marked a successful collaboration between Sony Pictures, which holds the film rights to the web-slinger, and Marvel Studios, enabling the character to be integrated into the larger MCU.