By Brandon T. McClure (@btmcclure @fakenerdpodcast)
The MCU, specifically the Infinity Saga (2008-2019) has meant a great deal to me, as I am sure it has for many people. What first started as a book pitch is now a series of essays of mine that will be (hopefully) published every week. The goal is to pick a specific moment within The Infinity Saga and share with you why I believe it’s a defining moment. To read #50, click HERE.
Enjoy the ride as we count down from 50 of the most defining moments and share your thoughts in the comments.
• PETER PARKER •
MOMENT# 49
MOVIE: Captain America: Civil War
DIRECTORS: Joe and Anthony Russo
WRITERS: Christopher Marcus & Steven McFeeley
Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland) in Captain America: Civil War
Let’s say you aren’t the kind of person who eats up every piece of news that the 24-hour entertainment circuit throws at you. If that were true, you wouldn’t have known about the deal that Disney struck with Sony to share the rights of Spider-Man. If that were true, you were probably shocked when Tony Stark yelled “UNDEROOS!” in the Captain America: Civil War trailer and none other than Spider-Man swings into frame, stealing Captain America’s shield.
The introduction of Spider-Man into the MCU was something fans had wished for since the start but Marvel (now owned by Disney) had sold the character to Sony in the 90s and it made his inclusion nearly impossible. However, talks of Spider-Man cameos were happening as early as The Incredible Hulk (2008). One most notable case was when the VFX artists on The Avengers let it slip that talks of including The Amazing Spider-Man’s Osborne tower in the MCU skyline were happening. It wasn’t until the infamous “Sony hacks” that Sony decide to enter into negotiations for the character. Coupled with The Amazing Spider-Man 2’s critical failure, Sony was open to work with the MCU.
A deal was struck and history was made.
Thanks to two studios putting aside financial hesitations in favor of creative design, Spider-Man could now interact with the other heroes in the world’s biggest franchise. The events of Captain America: Civil War lead Tony Stark/Iron Man to take on someone who will help him against Captain America. He ends up in Queens where he then flirts with the new Aunt May and recruits Peter Parker. The scene that plays out instantly tells the audience everything they need to know about this new Spider-Man. He’s young and inexperienced but he’s already lost his Uncle Ben and feels the weight of responsibility. Sony and Marvel wisely felt they could skip the origin story this time around.
Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in Captain America: Civil War
The character of Spider-Man introduced brand new elements to the MCU. Up until this point, there had been no talk of legacy heroes, secret identities, or even young heroes. Spider-Man brought with him all three. While his solo films would go on to explore these avenues to greater effect, his first appearance made a huge impact and sent ripples throughout MCU Phase 3. Quite literally in one sense as the entire schedule was changed to accommodate two Spider-Man movies (pour one out for Marvel's only canceled film, Inhumans). Now that Sony was willing to work within the MCU, it felt even bigger than it did originally. Marvel could now play with the entire Spider-Man universe that they sold off in the 90s.
Since Captain America: Civil War was filled with great moments between Captain America and Iron Man, the young high school kid from Queens’ debut in the MCU is often overlooked. From the obnoxiously large location text, to Peter’s tender moment with Tony and his fight with Team Cap, Spider-Man’s introduction was a resounding success. A success that created a sense of excitement for the possibilities to come, which was very important for a franchise that had made 13 films in about 8 years.