How No Way Home Finally Fixed Peter Parker

Spider-Man has been a fixture in entertainment for decades. Though, each new version seems to tread the same water with portraying Peter Parker's origin in becoming Spider-Man. Until the recent MCU version of the friendly neighborhood wall crawler. Tom Holland's Spider-Man was thrown right into the middle of an ongoing plot line, forgoing a lengthy origin. That is, until Spider-Man No Way Home finally gave Peter Parker a noteworthy origin for him to become what Spider-Man actually represents.

#Spider-ManNoWayHome #PeterParker #Nerdstalgic

Written by Dave Baker
Edited by Brian Nappi

[EssBJay]

I've talked about this with my brother: When Peter first showed up in the MCU we all just assumed he'd already had his Uncle Ben moment off-screen and Disney was basically saying, "Look, you know the drill, we know you know the drill, let's just get on with it." But then we get to the end of the Spider-Man "Home" trilogy and it turns out is was a three-part origin story, with Peter picking up more aspects of the 'true' Spider-Man as he went.

[sean_mccadden]

Honestly I think it was better to have all of this done during a later film. For me personally it created more weight for the moments of loss that he experienced because we really knew the characters. Definitely hits a lot harder for me personally when a moment like this happens in a story that generally happy than when a character is just constantly getting beat down

[DonniedrakoE]

This movie basically fixed every big criticism that tom’s portrayal (not that I hated that version at all). Went from the guy who had it all to someone who genuinely lost almost everything while accepting responsibility. Super excited to see where this version goes next because I always thought the mcu Spider-Man had the most potential .

[DidWeWin]

I never felt like Peter was misrepresented in the prior films. To me, every MCU film prior to NWH that featured Spiderman was just part of a very drawn out origin story.

[brucesnow]

I had a lot of reservations about this version of a character, but his previous entries made his arc very powerful. To see Peter operate with some support system for so many movies made it much more powerful when he lost everything.

[seshusuper]

I don't think the writers made a mistake with homecoming and far from home. It was the most realistic take on how a teenager would fit into the vast interconnectedness of the MCU and also in a way shows how youngsters these days have it easy because of technology. As someone who grew up as a teenager with the MCU I kind of understand this narrative. You kind of have to show what he's got to actually know what he is going to lose to become a man, Spider-Man.

[winifredeghrudje]

Glad this movie was able to reunite everyone who loves Tobey, Andrew and Tom Spider-Man

[tatelindley]

For me, the three movies each represent three distinct phases in the transformation from Peter Parker to Spider-Man: youthful naivete, selfish over-confidence, and then penitent responsibility.

[isaiahvoss]

This film had the most perfect ending. Peter lost everything like Aunt May, Ned, MJ, and Happy after Dr. Strange does the spell correctly to forget that everyone is Spider-Man. It gives a proper send off to Peter's new life with an apartment, no more Stark Tech, no more being an Avenger and now is the Spider-Man from the comics. It gave lots of nostalgia from the Raimi Trilogy and Marc Webb's films to help Peter's journey as he becomes the Spider-Man we needed. Tobey Maguire was like the Uncle Ben that had the most experience while Andrew Garfield was the most bitter that got his redemption for Gwen's death. They didn't want Tom's Peter to be in the same road they were in to be rageful and get what they wanted for each of their loved ones deaths. It solved nothing for Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man. It's who they were that lead Peter's journey to not make the same mistakes they did. He had to sacrifice everything to step up from being Iron Man Jr. to growing up to be the Spider-Man we deserve from the comics. It's been a wild ride to see Tom Holland's Spider-Man develop as we were watching his origin story saved as we we're watching his origin story become his story. It's a lesson to realize we have to lose everything to start all over again to gain confidence of what we once had. He had to learn what's great power but with great responsibility overcoming his guilt for what he lost but gained in the end. It's in the heart that Tom Holland's Spider-Man gave a closure to what the other films couldn't and having a new beginning to be a true Spider-Man. No Way Home is one of the best Spider-Man films that is on the same level as Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse.

[slickvox]

NWH is literally the embodiment of Green Goblin saying, "The one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail."

[sspock]

Personally the pay off of the ending wouldn’t have been as important to viewers without homecoming and far from home. We watched this Spider-Man as a carefree normal kid and identified with him. We saw him fall in love hang out with his best friend and go through things we ALL experience. Asking a girl to a dance, losing yourself and values at the prospect of fame and notoriety. We saw him and felt all the same things. I will admit Far from home was a lot but without it No way home wouldn’t have worked. Spider-Man is always written one way I actually liked seeing him before the main sacrifice and feeling like you watched a younger sibling lose everything. You always want to root for him but this was the first Spider-Man I felt like I wanted to protect him. I guess that’s my take away. Homecoming and far from home set in motion the Spider-Man we know whatever happens now though will be heavily influenced at least for me by the connection I feel to Peter because we all saw him as a happy carefree kid who just wanted to be great.

[JohnnyNuelo]

I’ve always liked the Home Trilogy before No Way Home, cause unlike a lot of people, I kind of assumed they were gonna play the long game with Tom. They had wayyy more time for him to develop as a character versus basically anyone else besides Tony and Cap. Everyone has been waiting for forever for Spidey to be in the MCU, and then when it wasn’t Tobey being a cornball quipper next to iron man they got pissed off. He’s young, he’s a kid, so I didn’t mind his first movie being a super light hearted teen comedy. They still sprinkled plenty of Spider-Man aspects in homecoming, so I don’t understand why people think it’s a bad “SPIDER-MAN” movie. Just because no one who he loves dies and he’s not emotionally destroyed to the point of borderline mania? He realized he needed time to grow, so he stuck to being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man after showing he DOES have ability to step up to the plate when needed. He realized himself that being a superhero is a lot more than the fame aspect like he thought with Iron Man. Then in Far From Home, he realized he doesn’t HAVE to be Iron Man to be a great hero, yes he has to fill in the shoes of Tony, but he can do that his own way. Being iron boy junior wouldn’t cut it. Then of course in no way home, he learns the cost of BEING Spider-Man. And now we’re possibly getting 3 more solo films plus other appearances after that? Yes please.

[Thepopcornator]

While I agree regarding how great No Way Home is, going to have to strongly disagree that the previous films didn't showcase Peter's internal struggles. In Homecoming, he has the option to go from major nerd to high school king while earning the affections of his crush by having Spider-Man show up to a party. He's standing on the roof in-costume and ready to jump down the skylight--then he sees an explosion off in the distance. He has a look on his face that tells us everything we need to know about his struggle, and then he chooses to go off and do the right thing. Meanwhile, the whole premise of Far From Home is that the superhero life is too stressful and he needs a break or to pass the responsibility on to someone else--which almost leads to Mysterio killing tons of innocent people.

This Peter Parker truly came into his own in No Way Home, for sure, and it's irksome that he didn't design his own suit until now, but he's absolutely grappled with the responsibility of his powers in the previous MCU films.

[felicity]

Personally, I didn't have huge problems with the MCU version of Spider-Man other than the over-attachment to the other MCU superheroes, but even then I couldn't fault it as much. This was because I realized that the MCU version *had* to be this way. He's entering an already established universe with established superheroes and also coming off 2 franchises that didn't really cut it. This Peter, therefore, had to be different and had to have a different kind of origin story, which, it looks like the last movie completed.

To be honest, I thought Iron Man dying would be his Uncle Ben moment, but when it showed that he was affected in a different way, it started to make sense. Iron Man was a father figure for MCU Peter, but he was there to teach Peter the skills to live in this world as a hero and how to use them. He saw potential in a kid that was already acting like a hero. In FFH, Peter acted in selfishness because after Tony died, he was tired of being a hero. He wanted a break. He was a 17-year-old kid. But what MCU Peter *needed* was for someone to show him *why* he was a hero, and that, the entire time, was always Aunt May. In all 3 of the movies, she's shown as the person that taught MCU Peter to be the way he turns out to be. Tony doesn't do that for him. He guides him in a different way, and let's face it...Tony isn't too much of a selfless person in general. But May always was.

I think now that we have the whole picture, I can appreciate that this movie completed an arc I didn't see until now. It looks like even if they didn't necessarily plan all pieces of it from the inception, they at least planned to use characters in a way that would push Peter to truly be Spider-Man from the get-go. May was always meant to be his Uncle Ben. After all of this, this has become my favorite Spider-Man trilogy.

[izaakwedgwood]

I mean he was still socially awkward, it's just that "nerds" are less isolated than they used to be

[shawn_in_toronto]

Personally, I can enjoy different takes and incarnations of characters. I grew up on the 90s cartoon but I also appreciate Tom Holland's version. There was nothing broken with the MCU Spider-Man to begin with.

[RuffinItAB]

I would argue that homecoming fulfils your definition of a spider man story really well. Peter is told time and time again to not pursue the vulture, and yet he does, even without his fancy spider suit. He displays his determination, sense of responsibility and selflessness all throughout the 3rd act.

[kevinboros]

With uncle Ben out of the picture, I feel this is how the MCU wanted to mature Spider-man, through these three movies. The first movies weren't "Spider-Man movies", as you like to say it, because they weren't supposed to. This is where Spider-man's story truly begins.


There are always many inconsistencies if we choose to say that uncle Ben died when Peter got his powers. Doesn't really make sense, he never mentions him, nor is he mature, like he should be after that loss. Ben's iconic line does not represent Peter; there are no photos of him, and no memory of him either.

I choose to believe that uncle Ben died when Peter was a lot younger, therefore he didn't learn the lesson of responsibility. Thus it makes sense that aunt May has taught him this lesson herself.
I don't really know what the leading story for uncle Ben is in the MCU, since he's never even mentioned; but I like this way of thinking.

[Figgy]

I noticed the same thing, but I honestly didn't mind because I saw this as a kind of "high school years" arc, and expected more of the traditional stories as he grew up. He's not going to work for the Daily Bugle while he's still 16. And I think it was natural to build up the progression of his troubles/sacrifices. If you already start with the most extreme, it's hard to build up from there without eventually jumping the shark.

[BrokeredHeart]

The MCU did make passing references to Peter's backstory as a kid from a low income household, they just didn't make it consequential to his story in the films, frankly to the detriment to his character. His backstory as the "everyman" got dropped from Homecoming and Far From Home because he could lean on the support of the Avengers/ Iron Man to bail him out. What I wish they'd left in was the scene where he had to sell off the Lego sets or his refurbished tech in order to afford going on the trip to Europe, instead of washing that out of the story. Thankfully, that notion of personal sacrifice and self-sufficiency is readdressed by the end of No Way Home, in the most devastating fashion, where he is completely alone, no-one from his former life recognizes him, and he has taken it upon himself to don the self-made costume again to continue fighting crime.