One of the more interesting aspects of the MCU is the almost real-time nature of the films themselves, as Marvel has attempted through all of the films to have them set in the year that they actually premiere in theaters. For example, Tony Stark first came out as Iron-Man in 2006, the same year that ‘Iron Man’ the movie hit theaters, the Avengers came out to the world while protecting New York from Loki and the Chitauri invasion in 2012, the same year the movie of the same name hit theaters, you get the point. However, because of the nature of the Spider-Man deal and both Sony and Marvel’s desire to do the character different than he was done before, namely in that they wanted to keep him young and in high school, they have found that releasing ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ while maintaining their real-time rules just would not work.
While speaking to Screen Rant during a recent interview, co-producer Eric Caroll spoke on the timeline challenges of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ explaining:
“There will be some awkward chronology in that the movie comes out almost two years after Civil War, but we’re playing it like it’s a few months after Civil War. It hasn’t been years since Tony called him back…It came down to one of things we wanted to do was keep him in high school as long as possible. Let’s have him do something fun and different. Sony came to ourselves when we sat down and we thought, ‘Why do this version?’ And it is because we can really do a high school. Show that this is a young hero. Otherwise you have seen it all before…This is a fun, different take. If we say that it was actually two years after Civil War then he’s moving on, he’s a senior, and when the next movie comes out, it’s his sophomore year of college, and we really wanted to do multiple movies where he’s in high school.”
It does makes sense, especially when it comes to keeping Peter Parker in high school, but it does make you wonder how it will fit in with things like ‘Infinity War’ coming up, which ostensibly will still follow the “real-time” rules. Will Spider-Man be aged more in ‘Infinity War’ and then they’ll go “back in time” to do the sequel to ‘Homecoming?’ Or will Marvel break ALL of the real-time rules for all of their films for Spider-Man now, and ‘Infinity War’ will take place within a year or so of ‘Civil War?’ Lots to think about, but since it is Marvel, I’m sure they’ve already got a plan for all of it, so I’m not going to worry too much about it.
What are your thoughts on ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ taking place only a few months after ‘Civil War?’ Do you agree with the idea of changing things up to keep him in High School as long as possible? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
And check out the full synopsis for ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ below:
A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.
