Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair MCU where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil war makes civil hands unclean.
Don’t you just love a good tragedy? The tension is palpable and the betrayal is pungent. The line has been drawn and the teams have been set. Marvel Studios is preparing to release their third installment to the Captain America franchise with Captain America: Civil War.
This huge cinematic event pits Captain American against Ironman! That’s right, the two leaders of the Avengers will clash, splitting the Avengers team in two factions; Team Cap and Team Ironman. Based on the latest trailer both sides are stacked with veterans from all around the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as some newcomers. Ant-man will return for his second MCU film and Black Panther will make his debut, alongside one other amazing Marvel superhero.
The one and only, web-slingin’, wise crackin’, wall-crawlin’, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man has been recruited into the MCU! This momentous occasion marks the third incarnation of the wall-crawler. A third “variant” if you will, of Spider-Man/Peter Parker will appear in Civil War portrayed by Tom Holland.
If my calculations are correct, this will make six films (including Sony’s Spider-Man reboot) and three incarnations, over the course of fourteen years! Quite the web of Spider-Man we weave! Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield both brought different facets to the Spider-Man character in each of their respective films. Maguire’s had the EMOtion that went into being Spider-Man and Garfield’s debuted the wise-cracking side of the super-powered teen that we really hadn’t seen before. Let me point out, those two versions were not over-seen by Marvel and both actors were well into their twenties when taking on this role. I believe we are in for a treat with fresh-faced nineteen year old Holland.
We have seen very little; in fact, the only tidbit we have to enjoy from Holland’s Spider-Man so far is the soft-spoken, “Hey everyone..”, after he steals Captain America’s shield at the end of the second Civil War trailer. Marvel nailed this! Spider-Man is just a kid with an enormous amount of responsibility! While the Avengers are big time, his character is making his own debut onto the avenging scene, aligned with Team Ironman. Wouldn’t you be a little nervous if the Tony Stark recruited you, and then asked you to oppose one of America’s greatest defenders of freedom, Captain America!? If that were me, I’d be wetting my underoos! Holland is the youngest superhero appearing in the MCU. You also have to wonder, with the absence of an origin story this time around, Spider-Man has probably been web slingin’ for quite sometime; which puts this New York native smack dab in the middle of the Battle of New York against Loki and the Chitauri. Wouldn’t it be sensational if they were able to fit in some of his efforts during that battle? Something like that could very well be in the works; remember, at the end of Ant-Man Luis quotes a “Super fine chick” speaking to Sam Wilson, “We’ve got one that crawls up the walls.”
Obviously, Marvel has given this a great deal of thought. They have the opportunity to set the tone for the upcoming Spider-Man reboot that Sony has in store for us. The president at Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, has gone on the record with EW, that MCU characters could show up in the Spider-Man films, stating:
“He is in the universe now, and the fun of the universe is characters go back and forth.”
If that doesn’t say Holland is our definitive Spider-Man, grab your extra web cartridges and fire at will! Holland is here to stay, fresh baby-face and all, among the already battle-scarred superheroes of the MCU.
Some speculate that Spider-Man will get “lost in the crowd” in Civil War; I find that very hard to believe. Holland is no stranger to big budget films as he was last seen in Ron Howard’s spectacular In the Heart of the Sea, ironically side by side with Chris Hemsworth a.k.a. Thor. Furthermore, Spider-Man is essential to the Civil War story. Hell, little Spidey could even surprise us and steal the show. I think we are in for a decent amount of on-screen Spidey time. I believe this specifically because of a little detail I noticed in the trailer.
Looking closely at the end of the Civil War trailer, the eyes on Spider-Man’s suit move. They go from large to small, like a camera lens zooming. The suit looks newer and more technologically advanced, superior to the others. It is definitely not the same combination of cloth material and tinted lenses like we’ve seen in the past. For all my Marvel comic fans who are reading this, you know exactly where I am going. I don’t want to give anything away, but here are some questions this image brings to light. Is it possible that a certain someone made a newer suit for Spider-Man? Does Spider-Man’s involvement go deeper?
The Civil War comics and The Amazing Spider-Man tie-ins present Peter Parker as a vulnerable rookie to the Avengers. In and out of his suit, he has the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. The amount of personal conflict he deals with is tremendous. He’s young, and from what I remember, dealing with stress at that age is no easy feat. We are in for a story filled to the brim with tension. The addition of a younger version of this wildly popular character is key to a successful reincarnation of Spider-Man. Captain American: Civil War hits theaters May 6th, 2016.
Comment below or sound off on Twitter! Is Holland the Superior Spider-Man? How close will Marvel Studios get to the source material? Did you catch how many different Spider-Man titles I hid in this article?
