Civil War: Spiderman, Meet Steve

“Hey, Cap, big fan.”

Spiderman/Peter Parker jumped into my heart and stuck there from the first moment he opened his mouth. Seriously, I am going to adopt this kid. Tom Holland utterly killed it in making us fall in love with this adorable and earnest teenager who is a little guy taking on a big world.

Huh, that sounds familiar, doesn’t it? I wonder who else has a story like that. Peter’s entire conversation behind Aunt May’s back with Tony was a bit of flashback to Steve’s story. Here is someone who seems insignificant, weak, and overlooked. And yet, he is given (or in Peter’s case accidentally comes into) great power. Because Peter is a good guy with a good heart, he uses that power to do good deeds.

Unfortunately, people with power are easy targets for those who want to use them. Enter: Tony Stark. Now, guys, please don’t hear me saying that I hate Tony Stark, because I don’t. I like the guy. He is hilarious, he’s smart, and I know that he truly cares. But Tony Stark is the most imbalanced and selfish Avenger on the team. More on that later this week.

In Peter Parker’s case, Tony does something that even he should know better than to do. Tony goes and recruits an impressionable teenager to come fight a battle AGAINST AVENGERS. A battle that is Tony’s wrongful fight. He asks Peter to go to Europe behind Aunt May’s back and fight his private war, all because he wants Peter’s power on his team.

Peter Parker has a good heart. He wants to help people and he’s eager to please. But one thing they made abundantly clear with the introduction of this character is that Spiderman is very young. He’s practically a baby compared to most of the superheroes. And, TONY STARK showed up at his house to ask him for help. What would you do?

Peter Parker comes swinging out into that epic Civil War battle (more on this tomorrow) at the airport with the attitude of a kid in a candy store.

“You have a metal arm? Dude! That is so cool!”

He doesn’t comprehend the seriousness of this situation. He doesn’t understand the politics behind it. He hasn’t heard both sides of the story. But he has these powers, and he wants to use them for good; and so, he is here to fight.

The best Spiderman moments in my opinion were his short interchanges with Steve, followed up by the New York exchange. These moments stuck out to me as an open door for audiences to be introduced to an aspect of Peter Parker that I hope will be explored in Spiderman: Homecoming.

All throughout their exchanged blows, Steve is trying to gently ward off Peter by telling him things such as, “You don’t really know what is happening here.” “You’re fighting the wrong fight, kid.” I apologize that I don’t have the exact lines here, I saw the film only once and I was on the edge of my seat during this scene.

What are Peter’s replies to all of Steve’s statements?

“Tony said that you would say that. He said that you think you are doing the right thing, but you’re wrong.” 

Finally, Steve replies with the cherry-on-top line that points out how inexperienced of a superhero Peter is.

“Tony say anything else?”

There. It. Is.

One of the biggest signs of growth and maturity in a person is when they learn to think for themselves. When they learn to ask questions before leaping in. When they are willing to be wrong while also being willing to stand firm on something absolute and true. It’s also important to not let down your guard and give your trust away too easily. Hmm, maybe someone should sign Tony up for this class as well.

Peter Parker hasn’t learned all of this  yet. This knowledge is even more crucial for powerful people such as him, as without it, their power can easily be used for bad purposes. Shame on you, Tony!

But that’s okay, Peter is young and I’ll just bet that he will be eager to grow. He’ll learn to ask questions, to read between the lines, and to trust himself when someone is pushing him to do something that fits their agenda. In the meantime…

“You’ve got heart, kid. Where’re you from?” (Steve, looking both amused and fatherly)

“Queens.” (Spiderman straining to hold up several thousand pounds)

“Brooklyn.” (Steve smiles the ‘kindred spirit’ smile before dashing off)

#newyorkermoment #bigapplebros #justakidfromqueensmeets #justakidfrombrooklyn

I would love to see those two work together again, and I think Steve would as well. He likes a little guy with a big heart and I don’t think he blames Peter one bit. Thus far, the rumors only surround Robert Downey Jr. appearing in Spiderman’s film. Hopefully by then Tony will have grown more himself and can offer more to Peter than a black eye and bruised ribs.

Spiderman’s recruitment and subsequent actions in Civil War are a brilliant way to break ground for his movie coming out next year. He is a raw recruit, but he is already adorable and has the potential to become a fan favorite. I can’t wait to see more of him and I am so glad that he was able pop up in this latest movie. Just like all spiders do, they pop up when you are least expecting them.

What did you think of Spiderman? Did you like his involvement in the movie? Would you have done something different with his character? What are your hopes for his upcoming film?

Other articles on Marvel that you might be interested in- Why The Sokovia Accords Are a Waste of Paper Captain America: Civil War – Parental Review 5 Things We Will Miss About “Agent Carter”