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How Spider-Man: Homecoming ties into the MCU

By Sarabeth Pollock

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 02: Tom Holland attends the 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Seoul Premiere at Yeongdeunpo Times Square on July 2, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 02: Tom Holland attends the 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Seoul Premiere at Yeongdeunpo Times Square on July 2, 2017 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) /
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This might be the third time we’ve seen Spider-Man on the big screen, but Spider-Man: Homecoming is the first film to connect with the MCU.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is the first standalone Spider-Man film since Spidey returned to the world of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Prior to Homecoming, the two previous franchises were still being released by Sony, operating outside of Marvel Studios. With Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker gets to work “with” the Avengers, which is something that hasn’t happened until now.

Tom Holland’s first appearance as Spider-Man came in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. Tony Stark recruited the young webslinger as part of his cause, and so Spider-Man fought with Iron Man against Captain America and his allies.

As a result, the Peter Parker we meet in Spider-Man: Homecoming is a very different character than previous iterations. Though he’s still in high school, he has been spending time with Tony Stark, who has taken him under his wing to help the young man come into his own as everyone’s favorite “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

Spider-Man: Homecoming is an opportunity to establish this version of Peter Parker within the scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, allowing him to appear in future Marvel films and, if the box office gods look favorably upon this third franchise, possibly more Spider-Man standalone films. The difference with these future standalone movies is that members of the Avengers (or Guardians of the Galaxy, or Howard the Duck for all it matters) could show up. The licensing restrictions that previously kept other Marvel characters from showing up alongside Peter Parker are no longer present.

What this all means is that Spider-Man: Homecoming sets up Web-Head as a bona fide member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The door for Peter Parker to show up in other Marvel films is open; we already know we’ll see Spidey fighting with the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. This is the beginning of a new era for Peter Parker.

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Spider-Man: Homecoming opens July 7, 2017.