In every medium of Spider-Man, the life of Peter Parker is not always easy, often being filled with moments like these. And Spider-Man: Homecoming is no different.
WARNING: Spoilers are unmarked.
- Throughout the movie, whenever Peter has to make a choice between his personal life and his duties as Spider-Man, he will always pick being Spider-Man. While it's true he is trying to show off to Tony, it's also clear that he's taking the whole "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility" thing very seriously, as much as it pains him to abandon his friends and family.
- All of Tony's scenes from the trailer. He's clearly holding himself together from the aftermath of the previous film, where Pepper left him, he found out who killed his parents, and the Avengers fell apart so that half have gone into hiding and the other half have gone their separate ways. Also, Tony's well-aware that he played into Zemo's hands and couldn't stop himself from attempting to murder Bucky and Cap. Peter might be all he has left, and Peter makes it clear he wants to fight and keep going.
- The second trailer seems to imply a "Not So Different" Remark from the Vulture as he says he'll do anything to protect his family, and (possibly after learning Peter's identity) goes on with "I know you know what I'm talking about."
- The opening scene that shows why Toomes became the Vulture. He originally was a regular construction worker who was hired to help clean up after the Chitauri invasion, only for the Department of Damage Control to suddenly yank the job from him and his employees. Toomes pleads with them that he had to use his own money and equipment to do this job, but is rudely cast off by one of the agents. The situation is all-too familiar to anybody who's been let go from their job because of large conglomerates or government agencies absorbing their workload—especially since the contract had already been signed and they decided to hand it to someone with connections.Herman Schultz: So now the assholes who made this mess are getting paid to clean it up.
- The fact that the whole incident with Toomes and the Vulture could have been avoided if Damage Control had just bought out his contract. There's no reason but malice that Damage Control couldn't do it, and realistically, they should have done it anyway, unless the point was to make people suffer. Toomes' contract with the city might be overridden by the federal department, but why they didn't at least reimburse him for the costs he already incurred in starting to do their job can only be because they didn't care, or they wanted to hurt the little guys trying to do clean up.
- Spider-Man patrolling the crime-free Queens is Played for Laughs, but unless the circumstances are radically different, Uncle Ben still died from a random incident that Peter could have stopped.
- Consider everything about the bank robbery. It explains why Peter stopped to check if Mr. Delmar was alive without a second thought, because with how close their relationship is, it would've been like losing an uncle for a second time. The details aren't clear behind Uncle Ben's death, but if it's anything like his comic book counterpart, imagine how devastated Peter would've been if this had been a burglary he actually tried to stop, but someone still died anyway? May telling him to turn and run if he ever came across a situation like that and Ned mentioning that he could've died just making Peter all the more conflicted; if he doesn't try to stop crime, other people could be hurt, but then there's the possibility of him being killed and putting his aunt through the one thing he never wanted to because he's been lying to her.
- And the first thing Peter did after the bank robbery? Made a call to Happy to try and talk to Tony about the weapons. Being told if he gets in over his head to stay out of anything too dangerous without it said exactly what that is, he has to act responsibly. It's no wonder Peter was so desperate to talk to Tony: getting some definition on that "a little grey area" would've helped. It's no wonder Peter started acting so recklessly after his encounter with Vulture; Tony telling him to contact Happy if he came across those weapons again when Happy clearly said to stop calling sends some mixed messages.
- When Ned discovers that Peter is Spider-Man, he wonders why he's not told Aunt May. Peter points out that Aunt May would never accept him going out every day and endangering his own life, especially after all she's been through. While he never specifically states what event he's referring to, it's clear that both he and Aunt May are still mourning Uncle Ben's death and the last thing she needs to hear is that her only nephew is risking his life on a daily basis.
- In that same scene, Ned drops his completed LEGO Death Star in shock. Anyone who has built LEGO sets of that size knows exactly how much work was just ruined. Becomes a Heartwarming Moment when Peter helps rebuild it.
- Despite the fact that Spider-Man was awesome in Captain America: Civil War, Peter still feels like he needs to impress Tony. Tony's already impressed, but is more concerned about bringing a child into his world.Peter: I just wanted to be like you.
Tony: And I wanted you to be better. - After helping Peter save the ferry, Tony gives him a serious What the Hell, Hero? speech and asks for the suit that he gave him back.Tony: Okay, it's not working out. I'm gonna need the suit back.
Peter: For how long?
Tony: Forever.
Peter: [crestfallen] No... no, no, please, please, please.
Tony: [while Peter pleads] Give it to me. Let's have it.
Peter: You don't understand. Please, please, please, this is all I have. I'm nothing without this suit.
Tony: If you're nothing without this suit, then you shouldn't have it, okay? God, I sound like my dad.- Making it worse is that Peter clearly realizes he screwed up and he still has to endure Iron Man, one of his heroes, chewing him out about it and taking away the suit that gave him so much confidence.Tony: Sorry doesn't cut it.
- Even sadder when one takes into account that this version of Peter grew up in the MCU probably watching all of Tony's exploits solo as Iron Man and with the Avengers. Peter is getting chewed out by the guy who, next to Uncle Ben, inspired his transition into superheroics.
- Something that goes pretty quick, but Tony mentions how back in Civil War, many of his colleagues thought he was crazy for bringing Peter ("a kid") along. Now, Peter has confirmation that the heroes he has idolized besides Tony had doubts of him as well.
- Even sadder? Just before the release of the film, it was officially revealed that Peter was the little boy in the Iron Man mask at the Stark Expo back in Iron Man 2.Tony: Nice work, kid.
- Even sadder? Just before the release of the film, it was officially revealed that Peter was the little boy in the Iron Man mask at the Stark Expo back in Iron Man 2.
- Earlier, Peter calls out Tony for not listening to him and having no trust in him or his abilities. Just as Peter thinks that Tony's not in the suit, Tony emerges from it, causing Peter to retreat, and tears into Peter over how he went behind his back and disobeyed him.Tony: Who do you think called the FBI, huh? Do you know I was the only one who believed in you? Everyone else said I was crazy to recruit a 14-year-old kid.
Peter: I'm fifteen.
Tony: No, this is where you zip it, alright?! The adult is talking! What if somebody had died tonight? Different story, right? 'Cause that's on you. And if you died... I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience. - Although not mentioned, note that in taking away the suit, Stark is also taking away Karen. Sure, she's an AI, but she's also the only individual besides Ned to whom Peter has been free to speak with about being Spider-Man, and the only one who's been coaching him through it in the field. Hell, she's even been giving him love advice.
- The scene afterwards, where Peter finally breaks down in front of Aunt May. Hearing his voice crack and saying things that anyone who remembers what it was like to be a teen in high school would know all too well really hits home.Peter: I lost the Stark internship. [...] I just thought that I could work really hard and he could, he would, you know. But I screwed it up.
- That all sucks for Pete, but look at this from Tony's point of view. This is a man who had previously supported legislation to keep superheroes in check. Now, come this movie, he can't even keep one lowly teenager in check. No wonder he took the actions that he did.
- Even more so: Tony specifically asks "What if someone had died tonight? Different story because that's on you!" Tony is trying to protect Peter from failure, not just for his own good, but because he wants to keep Peter from feeling the horrible weight of someone's death on his hands.
- Making it worse is that Peter clearly realizes he screwed up and he still has to endure Iron Man, one of his heroes, chewing him out about it and taking away the suit that gave him so much confidence.
- While somewhat amusing and heartwarming, the scene where Peter and May have to watch a YouTube video to learn how to tie Peter's tie has an undercurrent of sadness when one thinks how, if he was still alive, Uncle Ben would have likely been the one to teach Peter how to do so.
- Whose suit do you suppose that was that Peter wears to homecoming?
- If it wasn't Uncle Ben's, it was probably the same suit Peter wore to his funeral.
- The suit could even have belonged to Peter's dad.
- When Peter is left trapped under several tons of debris and an air conditioning unit after Toomes drops the warehouse roof on him, he is unable to move and starts to panic and scream for someone to help him and no one, not even Tony, does so, painfully reminding the audience he's only a 15-year-old who's terrified of dying. And he shows it with his harrowing screams.
- This is then followed by Peter seeing his reflection in a pool of water (partially covered by his homemade Spider-Man mask) as Tony's stern words from earlier resurface ("If you're nothing without this suit, then you shouldn't have it...").
- The fact that Peter's relationship with Liz ends on such a sour note. Not only is she still heartbroken that Peter ditched her at the dance, but her father is going to jail and she's forced to move with her mother to Oregon. Give Peter's stated connection to the Spider-Man who sent her father to prison... She's a goddamn hero for not bringing that up and hating him for it.
- There's a brief interview with the students and teacher after the Academic Decathlon in D.C. While (like most of the school news segments) much of it is humorous for awkward camera work and editing, there is one chilling part at the end where Mr. Harrington looks so broken and devastated. note Mr. Harrington: I couldn't bear to lose a student on a field trip... not again...
- Though the line itself is Played for Laughs, after Captain America's fitness video, Coach Wilson notes that he's "pretty sure this guy's a war criminal now." It really solidifies the gravity of Civil War's ending and demonstrates that the once-beloved hero's reputation is ruined for standing up for his friend Bucky (who, incidentally, he was right about all along). Though it's implied by Coach Wilson following up with "who cares" that there are still people out there that haven't given up on him no matter what happened back there.
- Similarly, early on during Peter's cell phone video, he mentions how Cap's "gone crazy." Anyone who's seen Civil War knows that's an extreme misconception.
- Poor MJ. A lot of tearjerker there. Go back to the scene where the students are exercising in the gym after watching Captain America's video. Watch MJ. She's reading a book and paying no attention to the video. Later on, when everyone is exercising, she's just laying on her back lifting the book away from her and then back to her face. While it might be intended as a Funny Background Event, notice she's the only one who doesn't have a workout partner and no one is paying any attention to her. Remember when she said she didn't have any friends? She literally doesn't. Throughout the film, until the very end when she joins the team to take Liz's place, the only time anyone ever notices or interacts with her is when she speaks up first. Try as she might to hide it, she is clearly pining for Peter but has absolutely no idea how to approach him or even have a conversation with him or anyone else. The fact that Peter is only focused on Liz, Ned, Aunt May, and being Spider-Man doesn't help. She knows Peter's schedule, goes to detention just to be close to him, knows what's going on in his life, and has absolutely no one to talk to. Beneath the sarcasm is a very lonely young girl. Want more proof? At the Homecoming Dance, when Peter walks in, MJ gives him a big smile, then flips him off. Meant to be funny, but she's there without a date. The smile is because she's happy to see him, giving him the finger is her way of saying "I would have loved to come to the dance with you, if only you had asked me..."
