Spider-Man has been the most utilized on-screen superhero of the 21st century. Toby Maguire portrayed him in three films, Andrew Garfield was cast as Spider-Man for two films, and Tom Holland is about to appear in his 6th film where he will be wearing the webs. It is no wonder why there has been Spider-Man overload on-screen in the past 20 years. He is one of the two most popular superheroes in American fiction, alongside Batman. Readers and viewers alike seem drawn to urban, ground-level heroes that are at least somewhat relatable.
Tom Holland is a fantastic Spider-Man. The youthful, charming British actor has portrayed the character since 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, when the young man was still a teenager. The actor is only 25, and arguably still has a lot of Spider-Man left in him.
News recently broke that Holland was set up to continue his portrayal of the Wall-Crawler in three more Spider-Man films (although some sources at Sony have said that this is far from being set in stone). Holland’s Spider-Man could truly benefit from another trilogy, as three films hardly does justice for a character whose mythology sprawls back to 1962.
Out of Iron Man's shadow
Unlike in his source material, Holland’s Spider-Man is Iron Man’s protege. Having Iron Man as the manufacturer of his updated suits, this iteration of Spider-Man is extremely tech-savvy and has access to very futuristic technology. This is a significant departure from the high-school-aged Spider-Man of the comics, who is extremely grounded and more reliant on his wits and abilities than technology.
With Iron Man’s death in 2019’s Avengers: Infinity War, much of 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home explored Spider-Man's journey in mourning of his father figure and mentor. Unlike in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, this Spider-Man could not rely on Iron Man to save him from precarious situations. He had to grow into his own man.
It looks like Spider-Man latches onto Doctor Strange in the upcoming film Spider-Man: No Way Home. However, future Spider-Man films should not have him rely on another Avenger in his adventures. Spider-Man is at his best when he is a grounded, street-level character. He is smart enough and has the physical tools to be able to carry New York on his back (metaphorically, of course).
Exploring Spider-Man's Origins
Unlike Maguire’s and Garfield’s adaptation, Holland’s Spider-Man portrayal has not explored the character’s origins deeply, and takes place after the death of Uncle Ben. Sony and Marvel likely thought that rehashing the same Spider-Man beat for the 3rd time in 15 years would have been cinematic overkill, and this was a wise choice.
However, it would be a nice touch if a future on-screen Spider-Man tale had a flashback scene to Peter Parker initially being bitten by a radioactive spider. Or a scene featuring Uncle Ben. Audiences have yet to hear Holland utter the famous mantra, “With great power comes great responsibility” even if he has paraphrased it. Perhaps that is coming in Spider-Man: No Way Home or a future film. This line will cause movie theaters to erupt in thunderous applause.
More of Spider-Man's Rogues Gallery, Please
Spider-Man has arguably the greatest rotation of villains in comic book lore. From the Green Goblin to Doctor Octopus and the Kingpin, mainstream audiences have a fair grasp of who stands in Spider-Man’s. This is thanks to the plethora of on-screen Spider-Man appearances in the 21st century, not to mention several decades' worth of comic book lore.
However, the work is far from done. The Green Goblin has never been done right in previous Spider-Man films. Several great villains, including Venom, Sandman, and Electro have been wasted in poor films. The current iteration of Venom is about to connect to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which is promising because he is one of Spider-Man’s great villains.
There are also supervillains like Kraven, the Black Cat, and others who have not seen any screen time in the 21st century. By giving Holland’s Spider-Man another trilogy to work with, audiences can be introduced or reintroduced to great villains that can appear in multiple films.
Introduce Miles Morales with Peter as His Mentor
Marvel and Sony vaguely teased the possibility of Miles Morales existing in the MCU during Spider-Man: Homecoming. There are several reasons why Holland’s second Spider-Man trilogy should feature the young New Yorker.
Miles is Puerto Rican and Black, and was created when Marvel finally realized that it needed a greater push for minority characters. It is, after all, the 21st century, and there is a moral case (as well as a financial benefit) to achieving diversity and progress. Even if boardrooms and C-level executive teams do not reflect it, the world is a more diverse place, and the market for comic books and films are no exception to this rule. If Holland can have six solo Spider-Man films, there is no good reason why Miles should be sidelined for all of them. Particularly in a city like New York and a place like Queens, the most diverse borough of any city on Earth.
Furthermore, as young and youthful-looking as Holland is, time waits for no man. Holland could certainly portray Peter Parker into his 30s, but it would be great for him to be able to hand the mantle of Spider-Man off to a younger man, or even share the title for a time. After all, both Spider-Men exist together in recent runs on the characters. Just as Iron Man was Spider-Man’s mentor, Spider-Man should take the lessons he learned and pass them along to a mentee.
Explore Spider-Man After High School Graduation
Most Spider-Man comics in the 21st century have explored a somewhat older Peter Parker than Holland’s portrayal. For example, in the latter part of Dan Slott’s run on writing the character, Peter was the CEO of his own company. In other runs, Peter has struggled as a photo-journalist for the fictional newspaper The Daily Bugle.
An older Spider-Man has endured more tragedy and triumph than his high-school self. He also simply has more experience as a superhero under his belt, and a wider array of supervillains. Darker characters like Venom, Kraven, and the Kingpin make more sense for an older Spider-Man to face off against.
Marvel and Sony could explore things like Spider-Man only being able to afford more web-fluid or medicine for Aunt May. Although a fantastical character, what makes Spider-Man great is that under the mask he could be any one of us. He has real-life struggles, concerns, and aspirations. Fans have welcomed the news that Holland is set to portray Spider-Man for years to come. The character can only benefit from further exploration as a solo superhero and an Avenger.