At the height of Phase Three, when Tom Holland’s Peter Parker got his own movie, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s episodic structure was pretty well-established. The MCU’s detractors have accused the movies of following a cookie-cutter formula. Marvel’s filmmakers have explored different genre frameworks, but for the most part, they tick off all the familiar items on a superhero blockbuster checklist.
The franchise’s usually formulaic approach allows movies that break that formula – like Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Homecoming – to stand out. Homecoming is a traditional superhero adventure, but it’s also a John Hughes-style high school comedy about a teenage superhuman with a surprisingly sympathetic villain.
10 It’s A John Hughes-Style High School Comedy
Every entry in the MCU is a superhero story, but Marvel’s filmmakers have dabbled in different genre frameworks to shake things up. Ant-Man is a heist movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a paranoid political thriller, and Guardians of the Galaxy is a space opera crossed with a jukebox musical.
With Spider-Man: Homecoming, Jon Watts introduced a new genre to the MCU: high school comedy. Homecoming is as much of a lighthearted teen romcom as it is a superhero action movie. The film’s style was particularly influenced by John Hughes, with one overt homage to Ferris Bueller’s backyard scene.
9 The Hero Is A Teenager
Peter Parker was the first teenager to get his own MCU superhero movie. Some MCU heroes, like Peter Quill and Scott Lang, have the maturity level of a teenager, but Spidey was the first adolescent Marvel superhero to get his own movie.
In the years since, Spidey has been joined by other young MCU heroes like Kate Bishop and Ms. Marvel. Rumor has it that Kevin Feige is assembling a Young Avengers team in Phase Four.
8 The Love Interest Is The Villain’s Daughter
Spider-Man: Homecoming isn’t the first MCU movie in which the villain is the love interest’s dad, but this isn’t the same as Gamora and Thanos. In Homecoming, the villain and the love interest are introduced in totally separate worlds.
Liz doesn’t know her dad is the Vulture, and neither does Peter until he goes to Liz’s house to pick her up for the homecoming dance and the Vulture opens the front door. This is a delightfully effective twist that brings Peter’s two worlds crashing together.
7 The Hero Has A Recognizable Theme
One of the biggest complaints about the MCU is that its musical scores are too generic. None of its heroes have a hummable theme that fans recognize, except for Alan Silvestri’s Avengers theme.
Thanks to Michael Giacchino’s orchestral revamp of the iconic theme from the old animated series, Spider-Man: Homecoming has a wonderfully recognizable tune to announce its titular hero.
6 The Villain Is Surprisingly Sympathetic
Another common complaint about the MCU is its “villain problem.” Whereas the heroes are rich, well-developed characters that grow across multi-movie arcs, the villains tend to be one-note and mediocre, speaking in soundbites about their diabolical plans.
But the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming is surprisingly sympathetic. The sympathy for Adrian Toomes runs out when he threatens to murder a teenager, but he has an understandable motivation: providing for his family in a trying economy.
5 The Hero Is Mentored By An Avenger
Almost every MCU hero has their own Ben Kenobi-style mentor – Steve Rogers has Dr. Erskine, Stephen Strange has the Ancient One, T’Challa has Zuri, etc. – but Peter Parker was the first Avenger to be mentored by a fellow Avenger.
Traditionally, Peter’s father figure is Uncle Ben, whose dying words provided the wisdom that he lives by. But in the MCU, his closest father figure is Tony Stark. Some fans criticized this move, but the chemistry between Tom Holland and Robert Downey, Jr. is undeniably heartwarming.
4 The Post-Credits Scene Is Hilariously Anticlimactic
Credits scenes are one of Marvel Studios’ most recognizable trademarks. These sequences are usually used to set up sequels and spin-offs, but the post-credits scene in Homecoming is a meta jab at audiences who sit through a long list of scrolling names for another little bit of movie.
Steve Rogers returns for another PSA about an important virtue: “Hi, I’m Captain America, here to talk to you about one of the most valuable traits a student or soldier can have: patience.”
3 The Hero Fights Street-Level Crime
Street-level crimes like a bicycle theft or an ATM heist are small potatoes to superheroes like Thor and Iron Man. In their movies, they tend to battle all-powerful supervillains with the ability to wipe out entire cities. After a dozen or so of these battles, Spider-Man: Homecoming felt refreshingly grounded.
Spidey doesn’t have to fight any cosmic overlords or omnipotent monsters bent on world domination; he’s just after a sadist selling alien weapons on the black market.
2 The Main Love Interest Isn’t The Best Match For The Hero
Almost every MCU movie has a romantic subplot, but Spider-Man: Homecoming broke the conventions of those romantic subplots in one key way. From Pepper Potts to Peggy Carter, the primary romantic interests of these movies usually turn out to be the love of the hero’s life.
In Homecoming, the main love interest isn’t the best match for the hero. Throughout the whole movie, it’s clear that Zendaya’s MJ is a better match for Peter. In the sequels, they ended up having arguably the greatest love story in the MCU.
1 The Hero Has A Secret Identity
Ever since Tony Stark announced, “I am Iron Man,” at a press conference, most MCU heroes haven’t bothered with a secret identity. Characters like the Hulk and Doctor Strange are the celebrities of that universe.
In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter leads a double life as he tries to keep his aunt and his classmates from finding out he’s Spider-Man and tries to keep his enemies from finding out he’s Peter Parker.
source https://screenrant.com/spider-man-homecoming-breaks-marvel-formula/
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