With Spider-Man finally making his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe soon with Captain America: Civil War, there is a ton of speculation as to just how he might fit into the larger world already in place.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Well, let’s throw some wood on that fire, shall we?
With a full-facial mask and a civilian identity still in high school, it seems like a safe bet that Spider-Man will be one of the few (if not the only) Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes to enjoy a secret identity.
That’s ironic, in this case, since Civil War, the comic book event, outed Spider-Man to the world and revolved around superheroes giving up their secret identities.
So…what will tie Civil War to Captain America: Civil War, besides a fight between Iron Man and Captain America?
Well, there’s the fact that the fight seems to be about an as-yet-unexplained piece of legislation rushed into law following a crisis that superheroes directly took part in, but did not cause.
And there’s the fact that we have a role for Spider-Man to play, apparently.
Just what that role is, isn’t yet clear, but Tom Holland will take to the silver screen as Ol’ Webhead for the first time in a Captain America movie from Marvel, not a Spider-Man movie from Sony, and that’s worth a note.
In Civil War, Spider-Man was taken under Tony Stark’s wing for a time — so much so that after his secret identity was compromised and his Aunt May shot as a result, he yelled at Stark “You were like a father to me!”
What can Tony do for Spider-Man in this reality?
Well, he’s unlikely to help him keep his identity a secret, since Tony is firmly on the side of the establishment in this case. It’s also unlikely they would “out” Peter Parker before he even gets to play a role in his own solo movie.
…But what if Tony was the one who gave Spider-Man some of his wonderful toys?
I can see a world where Tony Stark creates the Spider-Man costume — which would then get you past that old criticism of how a science geek kid go tall those webs so nicely tailored — and possibly the webshooters, etc., to outfit a new, young hero for action.
That would also create a parallel to the Iron Spider costume that Peter wore during Civil War tie-ins. That short-lived costume has nevertheless been merchandised on toys, clothes and even bottles of fruit juice for kids. So giving fans a similar touchstone? Not unlikely…!
