Tom Holland’s firstSpider-Manmovie was released eight years ago, and theMarvel Cinematic Universejourney of Peter Parker has led to big changes from where the Spider-Man franchise started. Holland’s first time as the wall-crawler did not come in one of theMCU’s Spider-Man movies, but in 2016’sCaptain America: Civil War. Since then,the hero turned into an MCU staple.
Spider-Man: Homecomingwas released on July 7th, 2017. Exactly eight years later,Spider-Man’s MCU journeyhas taken the hero to new heights. Peter Parker has fought threats alongside heroes that he could never have predicted. His life has taken turns for the better and worse since Holland’s first Spider-Man solo movie, with the following being the biggest changes fromHomecomingto now:
10Iron Man’s Death Changed Spider-Man’s MCU Story Considerably
Peter Parker Lost His Mentor And Father Figure
Without Uncle Ben in the MCU, the franchise decided to make Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark Peter Parker’s mentor. That started inCaptain America: Civil War, butSpider-Man: Homecomingwas the film that really delved into their bond.Iron Man taught Peter valuable lessonsabout what it means to be a hero and how lives can’t be put at risk.
Sadly, Iron Man would die inAvengers: Endgameto take out Thanos and his army. Peter’s life was completely changed by that event.Spider-Man: Far From Homefocused on howhe was crushed by Tony’s deathand how he tried to measure up to Stark’s legacy and expectations for him. Spider-Man no longer has a father figure in the MCU.
9Spider-Man Is No Longer A Novice Hero
InSpider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker had not yet had much time as Spider-Man under his belt. The high school setting helped showcase how Peter was still very young and innocent. That would change over the years, as Spider-Man started to fight formidable threats and lost people along the way.Peter’s youth was his striking characteristic, but that has since changed.
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Spider-Man: No Way Home, the hero’s latest MCU appearance, featured a much darker version of the character. The hero has been hardened by his many near-death experiences and the villains he has faced. There is still room for Peter’s signature jokes and energetic tone. However,Spider-Man is now a veteran hero, no longer on the level of characters like Ms. Marvel.
8The Snap Changed The MCU & Spider-Man’s Story Forever
Thanos Is The Biggest MCU Villain To This Day
Thanos shocked the world inAvengers: Infinity War. The movie brought a lot of firsts for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. For instance,Spider-Man went to space for the first time, fighting aliens, something Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man has yet to do. Thanos won at the end of the film, completing the Infinity Gauntlet and erasing half of all life in the universe.
Spider-Man is one of the characters who was brought back to life in Avengers: Endgame, so he missed five years in MCU time.
Spider-Man was one of the biggest casualties. While other heroes were also turned to dust, Peter Parker was the only one who could feel it coming before it did. That showed the strength of his Spider-Sense, withSpider-Man slowly turning to dust on Iron Man’s arms. It was a scary moment that changed Spider-Man for good, knowing death up close.
7Spider-Man Has Met Multiverse Versions Of Himself
The MCU’s Multiverse Saga Has Brought In Several Variants From Other Universes
WhenSpider-Man: Homecomingcame out in 2017, it was hard to imagine where Tom Holland’s Peter could go. 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way Hometurned out to be the generational event that Marvel fans had dreamed about for years, asit united Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield’s versions of Spider-Man. Multiple villains from the past Spider-Man movie franchises also appeared.
In his first Spider-Man movie, Holland’s Peter Parker was really going at things on a small scale.He was happy as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Years later, Peter has dealt with multiversal threats and met his counterparts from other universes. That was a major turn from Spider-Man’s original MCU journey but a good one, as Peter knows he is not alone.
6Peter Parker Has Been Forgotten By The World After His Secret Was Exposed
Spider-Man’s Biggest Secret Was Revealed To Everyone By A Major Villain
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio might have died, but he stands as one of the MCU’s most successful villains. In Holland’s first Spider-Man movie, the hero went to great lengths to keep his real identity a secret, with Michael Keaton’s Vulture threatening him with it. InSpider-Man: Far From Home,Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio revealed to the world that Holland’s Peter Parker was Spider-Man.
Peter Parker even met Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, who was his lawyer, due to it.
That completely turned Peter’s life upside down. It led to Spider-Man being questioned by the authorities over Mysterio’s death, which Quentin Beck blamed him for, and the world reacting to him differently. Peter Parker even met Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, who was his lawyer, due to it. After Doctor Strange’s spell inSpider-Man: No Way Home, everyone forgot who Peter was.
5Aunt May’s Death Completely Changed Peter’s Life
The Biggest Character In Spider-Man’s Life Is No Longer There
While she was never used as much as she should have been, Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May was still a beloved part of the MCU’s Spider-Man movies. That became clear right inHomecoming, with how she and Peter had great banter and moments together. Sadly,Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin would kill Aunt MayinSpider-Man: No Way Homein front of Peter.
With Aunt May dead,Peter no longer has any relatives in his life in the MCU. That culminates in Peter moving into a small apartment by himself at the end ofSpider-Man: No Way Home. It is clear that he is no longer as happy and vibrant as he once was, and Spider-Man almost killed Green Goblin for it.
4Spider-Man Has Fought Alongside The Avengers
Peter Parker Started His MCU Journey In A Very Different Place
InSpider-Man: Homecoming,Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark wants to make Peter an Avengerby the end of the film. Despite his wishes and how he even made an Iron Spider suit for him, Peter politely turns him down. The hero revealed that he wanted to continue protecting the neighborhood, acknowledging he was not ready yet for a major shift.
Well,Spider-Man was part of the latest two Avengers movies. He went to space and fought Thanos on Titan alongside Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. InAvengers: Endgame, Spider-Man and most of the MCU’s heroes teamed up against Thanos and his army. Peter has come a long way from his decision in the first Spider-Man movie.
3Peter Parker Found Love And Lost It
Spider-Man’s Relationships In The MCU Have Been Complicated
InSpider-Man: Homecoming, Peter Parker falls for Laura Harrier’s Liz Allan. At that point,Zendaya’s MJ was not even one of his friends, just a loner at his high school. However,Spider-Man: Far From Homesaw the two fall in love, with that relationship becoming one of the MCU’s most beloved. Sadly, it came to an end in the Multiverse Saga.
To protect MJ after she almost died inSpider-Man: No Way Home,Peter chose not to tell her about their past after Doctor Strange’s spell made her and the world forget who he was. That also meant that Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds, Peter’s best friend from the start, no longer knew him. Spider-Man is all alone in the MCU.
2Spider-Man Has Fought Crime Across The Globe
Most Spider-Man Stories Do Not Go Beyond New York City
Hitting again the note of how Spider-Man just wanted to protect New York inHomecoming, the MCU had bigger plans for the character.Spider-Man: Far From Homefeatured a major change for the franchise asit marked the first time in live-action that the hero left New York for a whole film. The film featured a series of adventures throughout Europe.
That even led to Spider-Man adopting a new moniker,donning a black suit to become Night Monkeyand help keep Peter’s identity a secret. InThe Amazing Spider-Man 2, Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker joked about how there was crime in England for him to fight, but it was the MCU that followed up on that with Holland’s Spider-Man traveling there.
Spider-Man Is Now His Own Hero In The MCU
While we saw Peter Parker’s homemade Spider-Man suit inHomecoming, his main costume in the movie was the Stark Suit. It was one of the waysIron Man and Spider-Man remained connected in the MCU for such a long time, as Peter Parker would often wear Stark-made suits throughout most of his MCU appearances. However, that era is over.
Spider-Man: No Way Homemade the world forget about who Peter was, which meanshe no longer has access to Stark Tech. Given his suit was ruined, Peter had to come up with a new one at the end of the movie. That led to a classic Spider-Man moment, with Peter sewing his own suit.Spider-Manis more comics-accurate now.
