A giant question mark has sat over Spider-Man as to his involvement in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War. If it seemed like Spider-Man was being hidden from the marketing for this film it’s cause he was. Not in a Luke Skywalker way where the absence played into the mystery narrative the team at Lucasfilms handled so well for The Force Awakens. Since Spider-Man has two homes now the creative handling was naturally going to raise a few eyebrows. With the new Civil War trailer we get our first real look at the friendly neighborhood webslinger. And it’s…interesting.
The Civil War directors Anthony & Joe Russo explained in an interview with Collider that the deals were still being finalized which is why we may not see the webslinger in much of the marketing. It still is uncertain whether Spidey will appear on a poster or backpack for this film, but he’s undoubtedly what everyone is taking away from this trailer. For starters, this trailer is phenomenal. It gives us an extremely grave tone that is so unlike the other Marvel films you may have expected the DC logo to show up. Not in an overly brooding manner, but a serious dramatic tension that feels appropriate for this story. The stakes look through the roof and the action possesses a raw brutality that suggests some heroes may not be making it to Infinity Gauntlet. Every line between Cap and Iron Man feels dire and bursts with kinetic trepidation.
The grip the trailer holds on you for two minutes is released when he see the web leading to the inauguration of Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On one hand, the new costume does have a classic Steve Ditko look to it. On the other hand, this kind of looks like amateur cosplay hour. I think I’ve seen better looking Spidey costumes at Comic Con. I’m just as critical as everyone else about The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but the costume in that was flawless. The costume here stands out in the same way Spidey stands out in the trailer. While there was clearly anticipation for the sight of Spider-Man, he feels a bit out of place here. The entire trailer has a tense and foreboding resonance and the final shot comes off a tad awkward.
It appears conclusive that Spidey’s role in Civil War will be minor. Pivotal, for sure, but minor. I’m more curious to see his upcoming solo film and how that is executed. Spider-Man is Sony’s bread-and-butter which is why they won’t completely let go of him. The integration of him in the MCU seems like a dream come true but also reeks of trouble. Sony clearly wants Kevin Feige to touch gold to the franchise as he has with several other properties, but if Sony doesn’t give him the right chance to play we may not get the proper treatment. When I hear “creative differences” I can’t help but think of last year’s Fantastic Four.
Marvel fans can sleep well knowing that Spider-Man is finally in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How he is handled in future movies is yet to be seen. Going with an extremely young actor, there’s a lot of confidence in this kid carrying a franchise with several sequels and a lot of dollar signs in between. In regards to the Spider-Man solo films, I think the best way to approach them would be the way Marvel’s Daredevil show is done. A few subtle references here and there to the MCU, but otherwise it exists on its own. The excitement of Spider-Man sharing the screen with Iron Man or Ant-Man is fine as long as the execution matches the richness of his character. This is now our third actor playing the webslinger whose film franchise has been rather sporadic in quality. Here’s hoping third time’s the charm.
What do you think of the Civil War trailer? Do you like what we’re seeing of Spider-Man? Comment and let us know!
