Captain America: Civil War — New Spider-Man costume falls flat

Spider-Man will make his long awaited debut in Captain America: Civil War, but his new look leaves us underwhelmed.

The new trailer for Captain America: Civil War has been released, and it includes the highly anticipated first look at Spider-Man swinging his way into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Spider-Man’s role in the film has been kept a mystery, but the end of the new trailer finally reveals him to be Tony Stark’s secret weapon in a battle that has split his fellow Avengers into opposing sides. With Team Iron Man fighting Team Captain America to a standstill, Stark tilts the odds in his favor by calling for the cavalry.

This is where Spidey bursts onto the scene. A string of webs splashes down on Cap’s shield before it’s ripped out of his hands, and an acrobatic figure flies overhead. We then get our first look at our new Spider-Man, perched in a heroic pose while in possession of the star-spangled Avenger’s iconic shield.

It’s an exciting introduction for the character, but that tingling sensation fans feel when they get their first look at this latest on-screen version may actually be their Spider-sense trying to warn them. Is this really the Spider-Man that Marvel is going to give us?

This new look is a bit underwhelming. It lacks the refined detail of the costume worn by Andrew Garfield in the Amazing Spider-Man films. The menacing spider emblem that covered the chest area of the costume has been replaced by a barely noticeable speck that seems like a pest one could simply squash with their thumb. Then there is the signature web design that covers the costume, which looks like it was drawn on with a Sharpie.

It’s the eyes that stand out most. Both of the previous versions of the character we have seen on screen had masks sporting eyes that shined with a reflective quality. One of the most memorable shots from the first installment of Sam Rami’s trilogy was the pair of images mirrored in Spider-Man’s eyes as he was forced to choose between saving the love of his life or a group of innocent children. The new version of the mask doesn’t have that appeal. The eyes are a stale blank slate, surrounded by a thick black barrier that makes it look like Spider-Man is wearing an excessive amount of eye liner.

This suit looks like a child’s Halloween costume, or something pulled directly from the 1960’s cartoon.

Is what we are seeing an unfinished product of CGI that will be touched up in post-production? Spider-Man is expected to have only a minor role in the film, which could be limited to this one scene. His action sequences will primarily be done with CGI, but one would expect they would use an actual person for the close-up still shots. From what we see here, you have to wonder if Tom Holland was actually there at all, or if his one-liner was merely a voice over.

Previous on-screen versions of the costume have looked far more realistic, made of actual fabric. This new cartoonish version appears as if it were painted on.

One explanation for this is that it may not be fabric at all. In the comic book version of the Civil War story, Spider-Man is given an armored suit by Tony Stark as a perk for joining his side of the battle. That gleaming red and gold armor looks nothing like Spider-Man’s original costume, which would make it far too confusing for casual fans if Spider-Man were to make his first appearance wearing anything resembling it. However, the filmmakers may be playing off of that idea by creating an armored suit that happens to be painted with the classic Spider-Man design.

Thus far we have been given only a brief glimpse of our new Spider-Man, but this first taste has been a bitter disappointment. At least his appearance may only amount to a mere cameo, which is hardly enough to spoil a highly anticipated film that focuses on far more important issues than Spidey’s suit.