Uncle Ben And The Spider Bite Were Never Considered For Spider-Man: Homecoming

Though Spider-Man: Homecoming is very much an origin story for Peter Parker’s evolution into a true super hero, the earliest days of his characters evolution as known by fans of the Marvel character are not explicitly featured in the film. There is no scene showcasing Uncle Ben’s death, nor is there a sequence which features a radioactive spider sinking its teeth into Peter’s forearm.

Neither or these iconic moments from Peter Parker’s history were even considered for the film. Director Jon Watts and executive producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal weighed in on the subject while speaking to ComicBook.com.

“We never talked about showing it, because the MO was always to not show anything we’ve seen before,” Watts said. “If anything ever felt slightly familiar, to try to figure out if there’s a way to avoid it or tackle it in a different way. But that was something that definitely felt like we’ve seen that before.”

The scenes in reference were shown twice in previous portrayals of Peter Parker, though Marvel Studios was not involved with either of those films. The Sam Raimi-directed original Spider-Man trilogy saw Cliff Robertson’s Ben Parker killed off by a gunshot before the Amazing Spider-Man reboot killed the same character with Martin Sheen in the role.

By now, a third Uncle Ben death in cinema in less than 20 years would be redundant. “That’s why,” Feige said, regarding the choice to skip the scene in Spider-Man: Homecoming. “You didn’t really have to ask,” Pascal added.

Going forward, the events of Spider-Man’s origin story in Homecoming will shape the character for a pair of sequels which Watts is likely to return to the director’s chair for.

“I think that’s what is going to be so interesting,” Watts said. “I mean, it’s set up as a coming-of-age story, but if anything, that’s a long journey. So, there’s a lot of complexity now to be explored. This was sort of just getting back to the fun and excitement of being Spider-Man, but setting it up in a way where I hope we can continue to explore that journey with greater and greater depth.”

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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, 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.