Jon Watts Reveals Comic Book Inspiration For His Spider-Man

06/27/2017 11:59 am EDT

Spider-Man: Homecoming's titular hero is a portrayal of the Marvel character like never before, despite having been featured in a pair of franchises prior to the Marvel Studios effort.

First introduced in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man is now 15-years-old and being portrayed by 20-year-old actor Tom Holland. The character is a sophomore in high school, eager to explore his super hero potential with the Avengers, rocking a Spider-Man suit designed by tech genius Tony Stark and a great bit of humorous sarcasm paired with awkward teen traits.

For director Jon Watts, the latest portrayal of Spider-Man was pulled from many corners of the Marvel Comics universe and Marvel Cinematic Universe.

"There was a really great setup already, just that he was going to be 15 and stay 15," Watts said. "All the other movies, they start with him in high school and then they quickly get past that. I always thought that was potentially one of the most fascinating parts. That time of a superhero who's 15 years old. So, to be able to explore that and also to have the ability to place him in the Marvel universe, that completely opened up a whole new perspective."

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A good portion of Watts' inspiration came from the comics, though, with Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's version in mind. "They did it to give a young person's, a regular guy's perspective, essentially, on this superhero universe that they'd been building," Watts said. "Because of crazy rights issues, they've never been able to do that in the movies. Spider-Man has always been totally alone in the world of superheroes. And so, to be able to place him in the Marvel universe felt like, if anything, like the actual, true essence of Spider-Man."

When Watts realized the gig of directing a Spider-Man film was a possibility, he dove into researching the character in every imaginable way.

"I got inspiration from everything," Watts said. "I read as much as I possibly could but I particularly enjoyed the very early run, when it was fresh. I felt like that's what [Spider-Man: Homecoming was] returning to: Spider-Man being a regular guy's perspective on this world of superheroes. That's why he was introduced and that's what made him such a hit right away. One of the first things he tries to do is go and join the Fantastic Four, in the comics, and he doesn't do it because they don't pay."

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You can find the official synopsis for Homecoming below, which has a 4.13 out of 5 on ComicBook.com's anticipation rankings young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened.

The cast includes Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Tyne Daly, Bokeem Woodbine, with Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr. It also includes Jon Favreau, Martin Starr, Kenneth Choi, Michael Mando, Selenis Leyva, Isabella Amara, Jorge Lendeborg, Jr., JJ Totah, and Hannibal Buress.

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