**This article contains SPOILERS for ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. Do not continue if you have not seen the movie yet!**
As they pour out of theaters during its opening weekend, True Believers have a plethora of praise to bestow upon ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. So far, there have been comments on just about everything from the stars to the script to the direction to the music to the connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at large. However, most fans might have been too busy enjoying the best live-action portrayal of the friendly neighborhood web-slinger to notice a nod to a classic comic book moment courtesy of filmmaker Jon Watts and Marvel Studios.
Fans have come to expect a fair amount of Easter eggs in any Marvel movie. In fact, it almost turns into a scavenger hunt as they search for all the references in dialogue or in the background of scenes. And when it comes to the secretive bits of ‘Homecoming’, it would seem that the director isn’t keeping mum about the hidden gems scattered throughout the movie. But while speaking to Fandango about Spidey’s first solo adventure in the MCU, Watts revealed that one part in particular from the film’s climax should be familiar to long-time Spider-Man readers as it’s ripped directly from the pages of ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #33 from 1966 (as seen above):
“Issue 33. That’s like especially [memorable] if you’re an old school Spider-Man fan. That’s one of the best, most iconic images ever – one of the best Steve Ditko illustrations. That’s Spider-Man. To be able to recreate that in this movie was an honor.”
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige chimed in to discuss the importance of that scene and the great lengths that they went through to make sure that it was included in this story. In fact, he even goes on to say that if that moment didn’t translate the way that they wanted to, then the whole film would fall flat:
“That rubble lift from [issue] 33 is something I’ve wanted to see in a movie for a long, long time. Seeing what Tom [Holland] does with it is amazing. When we were developing it, we didn’t know if it would work when [Toomes] opens the door. If that didn’t work, the movie didn’t work. We worked backwards and forwards from that moment. It was like two movies – it was the movie up until then and the movie after that moment. Because it had to surprise you, but it had to be true, also. You had to believe that we had set it up so that you would buy it [and it] doesn’t seem like something out of left field. That’s a pretty great moment and we didn’t know until we showed it to audiences and every time it was like, (gasps), and then you knew it was okay.”
With so much riding on this moment, it’s a good thing that it played out the way that Feige, Watts, and company wanted. Not only is it a classic show of strength from our hero, but it’s a major turning point for Peter Parker in this movie. While speaking to Tony Stark earlier in the film, Peter says that he’s nothing without the suit that we first saw in ‘Captain America: Civil War’. But in the moment where the Vulture seems to have him beat, young Mr. Parker is able to see deep down that the hero is inside of him no matter which suit he’s wearing. Without that passion playing a big role in his heroic escapades, Spider-Man’s quips, quirks, and kick-assery would all be for naught since a popular theme for the web-slinger is balance. Whether it’s balancing being a superhero and a high school student at the same time or balancing comedy with some serious shit, Spidey has to deal with the whole spectrum of the human experience just like his readers/viewers, even if it means that he has to take out his date’s father while dealing with it.
Did you catch this reference to Spidey’s early days in Marvel Comics while watching ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’? What are some of your other favorite references in the movie? And which ones do you think will play larger roles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future? Share your thoughts and theories in the comment section.
‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Tony Revolori, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Martin Starr, Logan Marshall-Green, Donald Glover, Hannibal Buress, Kenneth Choi, Angourie Rice, Tyron Woodley, and Robert Downey Jr. is in theaters now.
