Spider-Man: Homecoming Originally Had An Overt Nod To Uncle Ben

For Marvel fans, Spider-Man: Homecoming basically had it all. The MCU standalone saw Peter thwip […]

September 5, 2017, 2:39pm

For Marvel fans, Spider-Man: Homecoming basically had it all. The MCU standalone saw Peter thwip around Queens and save up his snarky remarks for when he was webbing up bad guys. The coming-of-age film sat well with fans and critics, but audiences did bemoan the lack of Uncle Ben. And, now, the writers of the Spider-Man feature just admitted it did originally contain a nod to the fan-favorite character.

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During a chat with Entertainment Weekly, writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein opened up about their scripts excised bits. It was there Daley did stress Uncle Ben was referred to in a roundabout way, but there was once a plan to call upon the man by name.

“We did talk about there being a scene where [May] references him directly,” Daley said.

“It was when [Peter] was getting ready for homecoming and the wardrobe she was giving Peter was all Uncle Ben’s clothes. It was a nice moment, but we also knew that it veered away from his arc,” he continued. “If you’re going to talk about someone’s death, you don’t want it to be a throwaway.”

Spider-Man: Homecoming was careful to not stray too far into territories which would require Uncle Ben to be referenced. The scene where May helps Peter get ready for homecoming had subtle allusions to Ben, but the kid never comments on how over-sized his uncle’s suit fits him. Instead, moviegoers were left to imagine how the father-figure’s death affected Peter, and the lead even shortly referenced the turmoil May went through in the wake of her husband’s murder.

As Spider-Man grows in the MCU, fans should expect to learn more about Uncle Ben’s role in the universe. Goldstein even suggested to Entertainment Weekly that May will start to move on and begin dating at some point.

“We loved the idea of a cool aunt… In an early draft we actually even had her dating a guy, and part of her relationship with Peter was this inappropriate frankness,” the writer revealed. “It didn’t make the cut, but I could see in the sequel she could get a boyfriend. She doesn’t have to be a mourning widow.”

It will be interesting to watch the dynamic between Peter and May shift as the years go by, but fans should be excited to see a new side of Maria Tomei’s character come to life. Just don’t expect the Queens native to fall for Tony Stark or nothing; Pepper Potts may have a few words to say about that.

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A 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, JacobBatalon, 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.