MCU Spider-Man
2026-07-28
For reasons that are not important now, I have avoided Spider-Man films for years. Decades even. I made an exception for 2012 and 2014 films. And then there were MCU films where he guest-starred. But generally, I was in the dark. This changed this week, because my daughter asked me to take her for the newest one to cinema, and I decided that I don't wanna go blindly.
Hence, the thread.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" (2017) is actually an ancient film at this time, with its action set before the Snap that removed half of the population in the entire galaxy. Iron Man is still alive and a bit of distant mentor to Spider-Man. Young friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is fighting low-level crime, with sometimes comical effect, but gets involved into a plot with arms dealers run by the Vulture. I did not expect to see Michael Keaton.
I was happy to see Happy coming back. I don't think I saw him much since "Iron Man 2", and he's quite present here as a reluctant liaison between Tony Stark and Peter Parker. There is also Zendaya's character, which is not really named properly, and I liked this slow-burning approach to her. The love interest is someone else in this film, which actually gave me a twist I did not expect. Sorry for a potential hint, but the film's 9-year old.
One thing I have to note is how embedded that film in the MCU is. There is a tonne of references to various films, starting with the very first Avengers from 2012. As my daughter is a newcomer to this world, she missed that completely. No worries. If she ever decides to give herself a brainrot with the MCU, just like her old man did, she'll have some references to catch up. In that aspect, it's pretty cool what they achieved. The scale of it. By now the MCU is longer than many TV shows.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
"Spider-Man: Far From Home" (2019) moves our Spidey to higher levels. It's no longer a neighbourly adventure. This time he's involved in fending off a multi-dimensional invasion on Planet Earth. He helps a mysterious hero named Mysterio. Who knows comic books, knows where it goes. Newcomers don't. Also Nick Fury makes a comeback in this film. The general structure reminded me heavily of "If Looks Could Kill" (1991) with Richard Grieco. Not a bad thing, but inspiration feels strong.
This time Zendaya's character, Michelle, was revealed to have inicials MJ. Again, who knows, knows. She's amazing, character-wise. A bit like April from "Parks and Recreation". And then, there is Ned who dubs himself "guy in the chair" helping the main hero. I don't remember any Ned from the late 90s cartoon I watched, nor from comic books. He could have been added later. No matter. I don't think it's bad to provide a comedic sidekick to Spider-Man.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021) is set in the multiverse-themed phase of the MCU. While I like the concept on paper, it was so-and-so in the end. The whole plot looks like the one used in "The Flash" two years later. If it was a rip-off, the companies would meet in the court, so it's rather a sign that at that time, stories like that made sense to people. Spider-Man needs to deal with leaking alternate realities.
What is impressive is they got all three film Spider-Men in this one, on top on all the villains. Crazy. The poster with Doctor Strange made a good job at fooling me. In the end, there was only a little of Doctor Strange, as he would soon have his own multiverse adventure in his own film.
I know that this film was before the Flash, but because I've seen the other one first, it all felt tired and repetitive. It's as if the multiverse concept, despite feeling like an enabler of powerful stories, always ends up with this. Although, I mean, it's a blockbuster so what am I expecting? It was fun. It's written decently. And I finally got to see Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man; he didn't got that old. And there's a bittersweet ending. The fact that I am disappointed might mean they actually made a better film than anticipated. They gave me a taste and I wanted more. If this was bad or even mediocre film, I would just meh'd it.
I liked Daredevil's cameo as Peter Parker's lawyer. And Willem Defoe showed class, as always. He even says his "I am something of a scientist myself." It's small things that count.
And on Saturday, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" in 3D. It must have been, like 17 years since I saw a 3D film. Yes, it was "Tron: Legacy". I can't say I'm very hyped, but my return to Spider-Man went way better than I expected. But that's a story for another time.
[edit] I was wrong. The last 3D film I saw was most likely "The Avengers" in 2012.
2026-08-03
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" (2026) follows the story from the previous film, with nobody remembering Peter Parker. This gives him an opportunity to act safely as a vigilante. What I liked in this film was scaling back to the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. "Far From Home" had planetary levels of danger, and "No Way Home" went even higher, on the reality levels. And that's just not Spider-Man. Solving a local NYC problem is where this character excels.
In other words, this is the most un-MCU Spider-Man so far. There is Hulk briefly but he doesn't overstay his welcome. There is Punisher, but he's also closer to a local hero. Spidey and Frank had a really nice, brotherly dynamic. And they really surprised me with the "big bad". I hope they won't go too crazy in the future, though the stinger suggests some cosmic adventure. I don't know what's wrong with these people. Be true to your materials. Spidey is not a galactic warrior.
As for 3D, I remember the screen being so dark in 2012 that I saw shit. Now it was better. And you can clearly see how many scenes were done with 3D in mind. I don't think it hurts to see it in 2D, though, as those scenes don't overrule the plot or anything. All this jumping through the city and avoiding flying cars and groups of ninjas just feels nice. I wonder if they're going into 3D again. I thought it was dead in the water.
There is supposed to be the second trilogy now and I anticipate they'll swap Peter Parker to Miles Morales at some point.
Now let's wait for the new film sometime in 2029 most likely.