When Marvel Studios negotiated the rights to include Spider-Man in the MCU movies, Kevin Feige had one mandate for the creative team: Make him young. Watch the previous Spider-Man movies on streaming and you will realize that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield started in high school but quickly graduated, so that their version of Peter Parker could focus on real-world problems. Spider-Man: Homecoming, still one of the best Spider-Man movies ever made, made sure to keep Peter Parker (Tom Holland) a teenager. Here are 32 times that Peter reminded everyone in the MCU that he was – and still is – much younger than the other heroes fighting alongside of him.
He takes selfies while swinging
His girlfriend, Michelle (Zendaya), quickly chastises him for doing something so dangerous. But who else is going to be able to capture those cool angles while webslinging through New York City. Parker is a born photographer, and his favorite subject is Spider-Man. So, selfies are in store.
He uses high-powered Tony Stark glasses to spy on his rival
Throughout most of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter is competing against Brad (Remy Hii) for the attention of MJ (Zendaya). Nevermind the fact that Peter is a superhero. He can’t tell Michelle that, so he has to rely on what’s around him. When he gets access to EDITH, Tony Stark’s high-powered gift, Peter does what every jealous boyfriend would do: He uses them to spy on Brad and make his rival look silly.
He vlogs a top secret mission
The beginning of Spider-Man: Homecoming is very clever, taking us to the events of Captain America: Civil War (where Spidey made his MCU debut) but showing them to us from Peter’s point of view. If you were watching all of the Spider-Man stories in order, technically, you would start here… even though Happy tells him that he can’t show this to anyone.
He dumpster dives for new technology
Unlike the other heroes in the MCU, namely Tony Stark, Peter has limited access to resources. He makes his own suit. He invents his own webbing. And at the beginning of Captain America: Civil War, he tells Tony that he dumpster dives for tech, building what he can from scraps.
He lies to his Aunt May about a fellowship
I’m not saying that every teenager is a liar. But, most teenagers know when a lie is cooking, and usually are good to play along with it pretty quickly, as when Tony Stark brings up the grant that Peter “applied for” in Captain America: Civil War. It’s a running gag that Parker plays up through Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it all started because this kid was as quick on his feet as the MCU billionaire.
He gets colorful when his secret identity is revealed
Still one of the best line readings in Spider-Man history. In the closing credits of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) has one last trick up his sleeve. He reveals Spidey’s secret identity, leading to a response that only a teenager in a superhero suit could deliver.
He posts highlights on YouTube
We live in the YouTube generation. Do things really happen if they don’t get posted to social media? When Tony Stark realizes he needs a new hero to help him bring Captain America to justice, he turns to the young kid who is posting his hero efforts on YouTube, like any teenager would do.
He watches his Youtube highlights while bored in class
There’s a nice callback in Spider-Man: Homecoming during a school montage. Peter is whipping up a fresh batch of webbing in chemistry, and later, watching his own highlights on YouTube instead of paying attention in class.
He sleeps on a ratty old twin bed
Making Peter Parker young was one mandate. Making him middle-class was another. And the best way to juxtapose where Peter is in his day-to-day life is to show his humble bedroom, which is likely nothing like Tony has ever seen. We’ve been to Tony’s Malibu mansion in the MCU, and it’s as far away from Peter’s twin bed in Queens as one can imagine.
He fights in a homemade suit that’s basically sweatpants
Spider-Man is a kid. That can’t be emphasized enough. He doesn’t have Avengers money. He doesn’t have the resources of the Guardians of the Galaxy. So when he gets bit by a radioactive spider and decides to fight crime, he builds a suit with things you’d basically find on the rack at Goodwill.
He can’t help but be impressed by Captain America
What would you do as a teenager in the MCU who was meeting your heroes for the very first time. The Marvels had some fun with this courtesy of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) meeting Carol Danvers (Brie Larson). And it surfaced when Peter Parker first met Captain America (Chris Evans) in Civil War.
He gets really, really scared while dying
During The Snap, the heroes tried to act tough. They resisted turning to dust. They regretted the fact that they lost to Thanos. But not Spider-Man. He candidly admitted to Tony that he wasn’t ready to go. He begged to survive. He was a kid, facing mortality, and it was heartbreaking.
He texts while swinging
You know what’s just as bad as taking selfies while swinging around New York City? Texting your girlfriend to basically tell her you are on your way. That’s how accidents happen, Spidey.
He keeps introducing himself to other heroes in the middle of battle
There’s something super charming about Spider-Man feeling the need to introduce himself to other heroes every time that he meets them in the MCU. Mind you, cosmic heroes like Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) likely wouldn’t know Peter. And I stand by the fact that the way Larson casually says, “Hey Peter Parker” is one of the greatest line readings in the entirety of the MCU.
He admires his opponent, mid fight
One of the funniest gags in the MCU when it comes to Spider-Man is the fact that he doesn’t quite understand how fighting works. So much so that when Bucky (Sebastian Stan) tries to knock him out with one punch, Spidey blocks the swing, then can’t help but admire the metal arm on the Winter Soldier.
He asks questions mid fight
Spidey’s inappropriate banter continues as he takes on the Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and can’t help but ask him questions about the hero’s wings. Sam Wilson eventually explains to Peter that there’s usually not this much talking in a battle, but this is a teenager taking on real opponents for the first time. He’s going to act his age.
He forces his best friend to lie so he can sit next to the girl he likes on a transatlantic flight
The main point of Spider-Man: Far From Home is that, post-Snap, Peter just wants to experience his normal teenage life. He wants a vacation, and he doesn’t even want to bring his suit with him. His most strategic move? Convincing Ned (Jacob Batalon) to fake an allergy story so that Peter can sit next to MJ on their trip to Europe. In classic Parker fashion, the plan backfires.
He references an ‘old’ movie that’s actually a modern classic
For most of us, Star Wars is a classic film, a modern masterpiece that continues to inspire new movies and television shows that are available on the Disney+ streaming service. For teenage Peter Parker, it’s that “old movie” that gives him an idea on how to bring down Giant Man. The joke worked so well, they brought it back for Avengers: Infinity War.
He pranks Happy Hogan
When Peter rides on a private jet, he tells Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) that he’s never been on ANY plane. So he doesn’t know where to sit, and he isn’t even sure where the bathroom is. But once in the air, he acts like any other teenager, and instantly starts to prank Happy.
He sends way too many unanswered texts
It’s a little sad. It’s a little desperate. And it’s exactly how a teenager would act, having had the opportunity to fight alongside the Avengers. He wants his next mission, but Happy and Tony just want him to lay low.
He pretends to know someone powerful and famous to impress a girl
High school is a jungle. In order to stay on top, you use every advantage you can think of. And for Peter (and Ned), this means mentioning in front of Liz (Laura Harrier) that Parker knows Iron Man. Which he does… but there’s a catch. And of course, things never go Peter’s way.
He gets ridiculed at a cool high school party
Because Peter has to do the responsible thing, and leave the party before his alter ego can make an appearance, our favorite nerd gets ridiculed at a party by his nemesis, Flash (Tony Revolori).
He has a cool handshake with his best friend
There are little touches sprinkled throughout Spider-Man: Homecoming to remind us how young Peter is. My favorite has to be the silent handshake created by Peter and Ned. Such a cool teenager thing to do.
He kicks butt on the school debate team
Homecoming also stops to remind us, every so often, of what a good student Peter could be if he didn’t have to stop being a normal teenager to go and fight super-powered criminals.
He ditches Spanish class
But Spider-Man: Homecoming also takes the extra steps to show us that Peter, while a hero, is also quick to push his school life to the side if it means he gets to shine a little brighter alongside his Avengers idols. Much to Ned’s chagrin, Peter will blow off a Spanish class and test, because he doesn’t think he’ll need that in his life. Of course, that comes with consequences.
He gets detention
Is there anything more humiliating than being a superhero who still has to sit in afterschool detention? While Captain America, the guy that you fought, lectures you from a monitor?
He makes jokes while fighting Thanos
Sarcasm is a mechanism that Spider-Man uses in the face of fear. He cracks jokes so as not to reveal to an enemy how scared he might be. And so, while on Titan fighting the alien threat of Thanos, Spidey does his default teenage trick. He makes jokes. “Magic! More magic! Magic with a kick!” It’s one of my favorite Spider-Man moments in the MCU.
He goes to homecoming
Can’t Peter Parker do one or two normal teenage things? Peter tries in Spider-Man: Homecoming, working up the courage to ask Liz to the big school dance. Of course, Liz’s dad ends up being The Vulture (Michael Keaton), so Parker has to ditch his date to do the right thing. But for a moment, he almost gets to be normal.
He stashes a spare costume under his high school locker
And as Peter flees the Homecoming dance, he reveals that he has stashed a spare costume under his school lockers. Always be prepared.
He bails on a school field trip
Always be ready to spring into action. In Avengers: Infinity War, Peter and his classmates are on a field trip to MoMA when suddenly, his spider sense goes off and warns him of Thanos’s minions arriving in Manhattan. So what does Peter do? He clings to the side of a school bus, changes clothes, and springs into action.
He packs the day of his international trip
I feel this, on a spiritual level. I usually pack the night before a major trip. Sometimes, the morning of. It’s such a teenager move. And so, even though Peter is leaving for Europe in Spider-Man: Far From Home, our beloved teenage hero is still arguing with May (Marisa Tomei) about what he should and should not pack the morning of the trip. Vintage teenage move.
He gets the girl
This one probably means the most to Spider-Man fans, to teenagers, and to the young at heart. Even at his lowest, Spidey deserves a win. And when he finally pushes past all of his obstacles, he ends up getting the girl, at least until the surprising events of Spider-Man: No Way Home.
And those are just some examples of the times when Spider-Man was so like many teenagers.
