7. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming is a very interesting movie, and it’s one that seems to divide Spider-fans on a few key points. Properly introducing Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the MCU, Homecoming explores Peter Parker’s life in Queens after his brief collaboration with the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War. Its story concerns Peter’s hero worship of Tony Stark and his encounter with the Vulture (Michael Keaton), who has been stealing and modifying alien technology after the Battle of New York.
What Homecoming does well, it does exceptionally well. However, its weaknesses are directly linked to its strengths, and that’s a problem. What’s great about Homecoming is that it doesn’t bother exploring Spider-Man’s origins again – after two cinematic origin stories within 15 years, it was the last thing the character needed. Instead, it makes Holland’s Spider-Man fit perfectly within the wider MCU, and that’s good because it helps the hero to feel as organic as possible.
Unfortunately, the over-reliance on previous MCU stories and characters warp Spider-Man’s own efficacy, because it essentially makes him an Iron Man sidekick. Instead of being a fully-fledged hero in his own right, the MCU’s Spider-Man begins life as a teenager in need of guidance, which he later receives from a pre-established superhero. This mingling of Spider-Man’s story with Iron Man’s is one that arguably weakens the character’s impact, even if the film itself is well-made and entertaining.