Tom Holland Spider-Man Movies Are The Best For One Big Reason
Marvel and DC Studios have been pummeling us with superhero movies for the better part of two decades, and given their overall popularity, this trend will probably continue for the next couple of decades to come. Though Marvel Studios has had some pretty notable flops in recent months (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania), there is one trilogy that stands on the top of the MCU mountain.
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of watching Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies, then you owe it to yourself because this iteration of Spider-Man wastes no time on exposition and gets right into the action.
Spider-Man: Homecoming Jumps Right Into Things
You may be thinking that exposition is an important component in any film or TV property, and you’re not wrong. But in the superhero world, it’s not uncommon for a film’s entire run-time to be spent establishing backstory that will serve as a launching point for subsequent sequels. The Tom Holland-starring Spider-Man films, however, don’t worry about Peter Parker’s origin in the traditional sense.
Audiences Don’t Need Spider-Man’s Backstory
It’s safe to say that before Tom Holland ever took on the role of Spider-Man, even the most casual of comic book fans already knew his deal. In other words, Spider-Man’s back-story was previously established back in 2002 with Toby Maguire’s Spider-Man, and once again in 2012 with Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man.
So by the time the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming came to be, it would have been redundant to mention that Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider, lived with his Aunt May, and was coming to to terms with his new-found powers.
Spider-Man’s Civil War Introduction Was Brilliant
Fast forward to 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, and Tom Holland was allowed to make his big screen debut as Spider-Man without the weight of exposition holding him back. When Homecoming came out in 2017, it was already established that Peter Parker had adopted his alter-ego, and most of this character development was implied, as it happened off-screen.
The end result is a Spider-Man movie that has zero fat, and immediately thrusts us into Peter Parker’s world as he struggles to navigate through his double life, pursue romantic relationships, and develop his character in the context of the MCU.
The Wait To Bring Spider-Man Into The MCU Paid Off
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man also had the advantage of every other MCU property being well-established at this point in time. One of the main through lines in Homecoming is Peter Parker’s desire to become a full-time member of The Avengers under Tony Stark’s guidance. By this time, the MCU already did most of the heavy lifting with its character development and storytelling.
In other words, Spider-Man was already doing Spider-Man stuff, and The Avengers were already a force to be reckoned with.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Trilogy Staved Off Superhero Fatigue A Bit Longer
Tom Holland hitting the ground running as Spider-Man allowed the MCU to push forward with its world-building, and focus on the task at hand. Though Homecoming’s sequel, Far From Home, didn’t see its theatrical debut until 2019, Spider-Man was now worked into MCU canon, and he played a significant role in 2018’s Infinity War, as well as 2019’s Endgame. If Tom Holland was tasked with acting out Spider-Man’s origin story once again, it probably would have slowed down the entire MCU, which was at the height of its popularity. But when you consider how successful this version of Spider-Man proved to be at the box office, it’s safe to say that we simply didn’t need to see Peter Parker acquire his powers this time around.
