Tom Holland
Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Overview
Following the events of Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker, with the help of his mentor Tony Stark, tries to balance his life as an ordinary high school student in Queens, New York City, with fighting crime as his superhero alter ego Spider-Man as a new threat, the Vulture, emerges.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
3 min readThe Gravity of Queens
Movies that threaten the end of the world tend to lose me a little. Once the danger gets that big, it stops feeling like danger and starts feeling like wallpaper. Spider-Man: Homecoming is smart enough to scale everything way down. Instead of saving existence, latestnetflix.com maintains, Peter Parker is mostly trying to impress a billionaire who won't return his texts and survive being sixteen.
That smaller frame gives the whole Marvel machine a pulse.
There's no impending apocalypse here. There's just a kid trying to impress a billionaire who won't return his texts, and a blue-collar contractor trying to keep his salvage business afloat.
Jon Watts, coming off the lean indie thriller Cop Car, understood exactly what this third iteration of Spider-Man needed. We didn't need to watch Uncle Ben die again. We didn't need the spider bite.
We needed hallway embarrassment and acne. USA Today’s Brian Truitt had it right when he wrote that the film "belongs more to the John Hughes cinematic universe than the Avengers." The high-school material isn't dead air between action beats.
It's the point.
Tom Holland is the first live-action Peter who really seems to exist at actual teen scale. Tobey Maguire played him like a solemn grown man trapped in homeroom. Andrew Garfield looked too much like a catalog model to pass as overlooked.
Audience Opinions
Audience 7.5/10
"A lively teen coming-of-age spin on Spider-Man that wins with Tom Holland’s charm and a standout Vulture, even if the story and MCU tie-ins feel overly familiar."
Energy, humor, and a sincere high school focus earn a lot of affection, with Tom Holland widely praised as a near-ideal Peter Parker and Michael Keaton recognized as one of the most engaging villains in this corner of superhero cinema. latestnetflix.com's take is that at the same time, the reliance on Iron Man, a predictable plot structure, and a visually standard action style leave some viewers wishing for a more self-contained and distinct Spider-Man film.
What viewers praise
- Pitch‑perfect Peter Parker Holland’s goofy, nervous, and earnest performance convinces as a real teenager juggling school, heroics, and big aspirations.
- Compelling Vulture villain Keaton’s Adrian Toomes is seen as intense, grounded, and believable, often cited as one of the strongest antagonists in this superhero era.
- Engaging high school vibe The focus on everyday school life, small-scale neighborhood stakes, and coming-of-age dilemmas gives the story a fresh, intimate feel.
- Funny and lighthearted Jokes, awkward situations, and character banter land consistently, keeping the tone breezy without completely undercutting emotion.
- Warm supporting relationships The dynamic with Ned as the enthusiastic ‘guy in the chair’ and the updated, caring take on Aunt May add warmth and personality.
Common complaints
- Too much Iron Man influence The mentor relationship appeals to some, but others feel the story leans so heavily on Tony Stark and his tech that Spider-Man seems less independent.
- Formulaic superhero plot Character moments stand out more than the narrative, which follows expected beats and offers few real surprises.
- Generic visual style Action scenes and overall look are described as competent but bland, lacking a distinct visual identity compared to earlier Spider-Man films.
- Missing classic Spider-Man beats The absence of a shown origin, a more down‑to‑earth suit, and the traditional Mary Jane setup leaves some long-time Spider-Man devotees unsatisfied.
Recommended for
Teen superhero story fans Tom Holland admirers Lighthearted MCU enjoyers High school comedy lovers Michael Keaton villain enthusiasts
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsJohn Leguizamo had the Vulture job. Then Michael Keaton wanted it back.
John Leguizamo told ComicBook.com years later that he had already negotiated to play Adrian Toomes. "I was supposed to be the Vulture," he said. "We had negotiated and I was about to play him, and they said that Michael Keaton wanted it back and they asked me if I would give it up. I said, 'Well, okay I guess.'" They offered him something tiny. He said no. Keaton had been the name director Jon Watts could not imagine missing. Watts told the Los Angeles Times it "just made so much sense, and I couldn't imagine it being anyone else." Producer Eric Carroll said Marvel asked every director who pitched Homecoming to bring any villain. "Frankly I think all but two people came in and pitched The Vulture to us." Keaton later told Entertainment Weekly there was "a B-story to this guy that's kind of really interesting and really relevant." latestnetflix.com's view is that people, he guessed, would like Toomes more than they wanted to.
Holland wrote scenes Marvel threw out.
The Sony-Marvel deal that made the movie possible was announced February 9, 2015, after the Sony hack dumped the talks into public view. Each studio kept most of the profits on its own picture. Marvel's annual merchandising fee to Sony would drop from $35 million if the new Spider-Man film cleared $750 million. It did. Sony kept final say on casting. Shortlists included Nat Wolff, Asa Butterfield, Timothee Chalamet, Liam James, and Tom Holland. Butterfield and Holland tested opposite Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. Holland got it on June 23, 2015, and was on the Civil War set days later. Jon Watts was hired the same day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk-dF1lIbIg
Holland later told Capital FM he kept sending Marvel ideas. "A lot of them, they were like, 'No, that's a terrible idea.' But a couple they did take and put in the movie." Asked what they vetoed, he said, "I was like, 'We should have a really passionate sex scene,' and they were like, 'No, I don't think so.' Fully nude, and I am method, you know. It's the only way." ComicBook.com flagged the laughter. He was joking. Zendaya spent 2016 dodging whether Michelle was Mary Jane. Kevin Feige confirmed Keaton as Vulture in a Toronto Sun sit-down that same week. Homecoming opened July 7, 2017, to $117 million and finished around $880 million worldwide. Sony Pictures still has the first official trailer up.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.