EDIT: Well, this post is now irrelevant. That was fast.
Chances are if you’re reading this you already know about the Sony/Disney Spider-Man kerfuffle. I’m not really interested in going in depth about the big picture legal stuff here, so here’s my brief opinion on that stuff: both Disney and Sony are big evil corporations, but Disney is more evil and, in this case, were in the wrong. Now with that out of the way, I want to talk about the creative repercussions and how this could actually be a good thing for the web-head.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has been a mixed bag for me. I love his performance, his costume, (most) of his supporting cast, and his villains. Far From Home especially was able to tell an emotional story that was also filled with engaging action and a lot of funny moments. However, there is the big elephant in the room that has kept this version of Peter back from being the best he can really be: Tony Stark. I suppose this is a bit more subjective, but I believe Peter’s obsession with Tony is a big stain on the character and is borderline insulting to his history. In the past, Spidey’s been at his best when he’s an outcast, and being Tony’s apprentice keeps him from truly being an outcast. Of course, it also keeps him from being a working class hero, which has always been a part of his appeal. If he has Tony or Happy to give him tech and new suits, then he doesn’t really have as much to worry about. However, now that Peter’s on his own (legally) with the world out to get him, we can get back to his working class roots (and hopefully get rid of the Iron Spider suit). If Sony does this right, the next Spidey movie could play exclusively to Tom Holland’s strengths, without any of the weaknesses of being tied to the MCU.
So, now that Sony can’t mention Iron Man, how do we continue Peter dealing with loss? Even though I didn’t like Peter’s near worship of Iron Man, I have to admit they dealt with his death extremely well in Far From Home. Peter’s feelings were raw and emotional, and I think more can be done with that. It’s just a shame Peter Parker never lost another father figure in his life. If only there was another person in the Spider-Man mythos whose death made a huge impact on Peter Parker’s life….
It’s a shame such a character doesn’t exist……….
I really hope I don’t need to continue to be sarcastic for you to get that I’m talking about Uncle Ben. Yeah, Uncle Ben has only been vaguely referenced in these movies through like, initials on a briefcase, and nothing else. But I mean, it’s Uncle Fucking Ben, he’s important. I get why they never really talked about Uncle Ben; it hadn’t been long since The Amazing Spider-Man movies when Peter first appeared in Civil War, and they wanted to focus on different aspects of him. It’s been long enough now though, and I think we need to explore the impact Uncle Ben made on this version of Peter Parker. Especially since (at least in Peter’s perspective) it hasn’t been that long since he died.
Now here’s the part where I write part of the next movie.
So, what if the reason Peter Parker latched on to Tony Stark and Quentin Beck so much was because of Uncle Ben? What if, subconsciously, he was trying to find a new Uncle Ben? I mean, put yourself in his shoes: your Uncle, who you love a lot, died less than a year ago and you blame yourself, so you try to make up for it by using your super powers to help people. Then suddenly, a big time superhero you looked up to notices the good you’re doing and wants to you under his wing. Holy shit, it’s like you’re getting an Uncle Ben 2.0, but this time he’s also a superhero. Sure he’s a bit of a dick sometimes, but he’s trying, and he gives you cool costumes and tech. Then, he dies saving the universe (also you were dead for five years but that’s okay). Bummer, though at least it’s not your fault this time. Then this cool fish-bowl headed superhero from another universe shows up and becomes your new superhero dad, and this one’s even nicer than the last one! Maybe, he reminds you a bit more of Uncle Ben. Then he turns out to be an evil liar and dies (allegedly), but not without telling the world you’re the evil liar, and that your name is Peter Parker. Well shit, all of that sucks big time. Why not explore that? Now that Sony doesn’t have the mouse breathing down their neck and telling them that they need to mention Iron Man, or make sure Spidey’s at a certain place for the next crossover, they can really explore Uncle Ben’s impact on Peter.
Maybe they can, dare I say, touch on his origin a bit. “But Nick,” you say, “we’ve seen his origin on film twice now, not to mention how many times we’ve seen it in other stuff. Why do we need to see it again?” Well, hypothetical person, here’s the thing we take for granted: Spidey’s origin is good as hell. Amazing Fantasy #15 is a good ass comic, with a strong character arc and a powerful story. Peter’s origin impacts him more than most superheroes, so the fact that we haven’t seen Holland’s version, frankly, kind of sucks. I’m not saying we need a whole movie about it, but we need to know a bit more about it. Have some flashbacks with Uncle Ben, give us a glimpse at a more selfish Peter Parker. Maybe not all of this has to be in the next movie, but it’s definitely something that can be explored in future movies, especially since he’s at his lowest point. Currently, the rumor is that Kraven (and Scorpion, but he’s not important for this) is the next villain. Maybe he does some research on Peter Parker and uses this against him.
I don’t know, I think there’s a lot of potential for Spider-Man’s future right now. Sure it sucks that he’s gone before he can meet the X-Men and the Fantastic Four*, but I think if Sony doesn’t fuck this up, everything will be okay. Also, Tom Holland and Tom Hardy would probably make for a really fun duo.
*I’m saying this entirely as a fanboy nerd; the Fox purchase is absolutely terrifying, and Disney’s monopoly fucking sucks.
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