Psychology of a Hero: SPIDER-MAN (Tom Holland)

How much responsibility is too much? How do you face challenges in the wake of loss?

Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright take a look at the coming of age story of Tom Holland's Spider-Man. As he faces the massive pressure from Tony Stark and the Avengers to help save the world, then loses mentor after mentor (some to death and some because they lose his respect), he makes mistakes and succumbs to feelings of anger and revenge. But, we see how good friends and mentors can help us through grief and struggles, and how Peter Parker steps into the role of a leader. And we cry, a lot.

Support us!

Cinema Therapy is:
Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, and Alan Seawright
Edited by: Sophie Téllez
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis

Connect with us!

[tariqthomas]

Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is one of my favorite teenage characters ever.

There is always this weird portrayal of teens in media being inherently selfish, over-emotional, and self-destructive. And yeah, that can be true for a teen (even Peter in some aspects) but that’s also true for adults as well.

But teenagers have a lot of idealism and hope that a lot of us lose overtime. Peter is an extremely compassionate person who can be selfish and irresponsible, but like most teenagers he wants to do GOOD. He wants simple things like to hang out with his girlfriend or ask his crush to Homecoming. He wants to please his mentor, but also look out for the little guy. He wants to minimize his responsibilities because it’s so much pressure and he doesn’t believe in his own abilities.

Teenagers struggle so much because growing up and making sacrifices is so hard. Like other teens, Peter had to learn in the end that responsibilities are inevitable and constantly changing. There is always more work to do.

[petrramx]

One thing they should've talked about when talking about his mentors is how in NWH, Doctor Strange doesn't act like one, he acts like a colleague, and respects Peter as such, even when he's mad at him he's not paternalizing, but rather pissed off by his flaws. Strange is that one grown up that sees us as grown ups when we start to fly out of our nests, let it be a college teacher, a boss or simply a friend.

[darkecofreak]

“Don’t be in a rush for adulthood.”

Reminds me of that C.S. Lewis quote about putting away childish things. “When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

[hpnutever]

The scene in Homecoming when he’s trapped in the rubble and having a panic attack made me cry, it was so well acted. It felt so real and drove it home that he was just a kid who was scared. So well done.

[knitpiks]

Jono, when you said, "We don't treat people with respect because of who they are. We treat people with respect because of who we are." That really got me. Probably because that's who I try to be every day.

[jonasquinn]

I know it’s minor but something I’ve always loved about Peter and Tony’s dynamic is that for all Peter thinks his messages and reports are being ignored Tony casually mentions that he is genuinely paying attention to the, to the extent that he knows what clubs Peter is a part of

[HoennAngel]

I still like Andrew as spidey the most, but every time we are reminded that Tom's spidey is a teenager and very out of his depth, he sells it so heartbreakingly well.

[TitanInvictusTube]

I love that the "move the leg, I'm going to sit here" and the car hug exchange were impromptu RDJ shenanigans. He's phenomenal.

[Crazael]

"Never apologize for being the smartest person in the room." - The one piece of genuine advice Beck gives Peter in the whole movie.

[Jemini]

Tom Holland's crying acting is just devastating. There's something so vulnerable about it.

[GusHdzRuiz]

I love how in the end, he's broke, he's alone, but it's not a sad ending. The music as he swings in the night is beautiful, epic, and the script says "Peter Parker is no more, but Spider-Man lives on". Brings tears to my eyes to know how beautiful life can be when we do our best to help others.

[rachelrasmussen]

26:30 Don't forget-- he's obviously at some point lost his parents. We never see that loss, but we know he is a figure born into loss.

[BleydTorvall]

In a lot of ways, Tom Holland's Peter Parker blends the best traits of Tony Stark with the best traits of Steve Rodgers.

[lizs]

I personally love Tom as Spider-Man. He truly brings that teenager feeling to the character. I also love that Tom Holland is like Peter Parker in real life. If you watch interviews with him and the rest of the Avengers cast, he has that same sort of goofy, out-of-his-league energy with all these older, more experienced actors. And I personally love that him and RDJ have that same dynamic as they do in the movies. I think Tom is just the best Spider-Man and has the most growth in the series.

[trinaq]

The title "No Way Home", is extremely symbolic at the end, knowing that Peter has nobody, including MJ, Ned and Aunt May, who knows his secret. He literally and figuratively has no home to go back to.

[Racecar]

Idk if anyones mentioned it yet but that moment where Andrew stops them with “I love you guys” it wasn’t scripted and that’s why they look so shocked. Just love that moment 🥰

[ezrea]

2:50 Fun fact about this line: Tom was supposed to move his leg but he forgot the blocking for the scene, so RDJ corrected him in the most Tony Stark way. Everyone loved it so much more than the original blocking, so they kept it in the final cut

[ThinlyCut]

I think Andrew was probably the closest "Spider-man". Tobey basically embodied Adult Peter Parker. And Tom Holland was the perfect iteration of Young Peter and Spiderman. Each of them brought a different energy to the roles, and all three of them killed it as their respective iterations. I love it, honestly.

[taffia]

The scene where he decides not to tell his friends pivots really cleverly on a small moment. When MJ first cut her head and Peter asked if she was okay, she said "It doesn't hurt". When he asks her at the cafe, she says "It doesn't hurt any more". Maybe he's just remembering she was hurt through helping him, or maybe also realises she'd lied to him so he wouldn't stop to look after her. His life hurts those around him, but his friends won't stop that happening because what he does is too important. Like with Aunt May, they'll tell him everything is okay even when it isn't, so the only chance to make sure they're actually okay is to keep them far away from him.

[KayGee_yt]

I love how freaking awkward and cute Tom Holland's spiderman is. And I've also loved seeing him grow. Tom and the writers are doing amazing