Marvel's new Spider-Man trilogy is the last chance to fix MCU Peter Parker


The Marvel Cinematic Universe's introduction of Spider-Man was a huge event for fans of the wall-crawler. As part of the loosely-adapted Civil War storyline, Tom Holland's webhead debut was one of the MCU's hypest moments.

However, as the MCU's interpretation of the world's most beloved superhero continued, flaws began to show. But with a second Spidey trilogy on the way, it looks like Marvel has a chance to fix the issues with MCU Peter Parker.

Poor Peter Parker

One of the biggest issues with Peter Parker in the MCU is the character’s financial status. Spider-Man has always been a working class hero; Aunt May and Uncle Ben aren’t well off and neither is Peter when he leaves the nest. Parker works as a freelance photographer for a modern newspaper; there's not much money there.

Peter Parker in the MCU is hinted at being poor. In Civil War there’s a line about dumpster-diving to build computers and gadgets. He also uses his dead uncle’s suitcase in Far From Home. However, for New York City, Parker lives in a fairly cosy New York apartment. There's also the fact that he has the aid of billionaire Tony Stark and his company after his death.

These issues are not unique to Holland's Spidey. In fact, one of the complaints about Andrew Garfield’s version of the wall-crawler was his obvious middle-class-ness. In fact, the only movie version of the character to properly portray his financial struggles is Tobey Maguire's portrayal who doesn't even have a working front door.

Read More: Andrew Garfield claims his Peter Parker would hate Iron Man

Spider-Man Has Daddy Issues

It’s normal for kids who have lost their parents to try and find a father figure. For MCU’s Peter Parker that parental figurehead is Iron Man. However, with the death of Tony Stark, that figure became Mysterio. After the death of Mysterio, that figurehead has pivoted over to Doctor Strange.

I'm not entirely against Iron Man guiding this particular version of Peter Parker in the MCU. In fact, when Spider-Man: Homecoming released, I thought it was an interesting take for a younger Parker to fight for validation from a parental figure that he's never had.

One of the main issues fans have with MCU Spidey’s is that his reliance on others diminishes the characters ingenuity. We've seen Parker make this own web fluid and a fantastic finale with Homecoming’s Homemade suit. With that said, outside of his web shooters, all of his gadgets are designed by others.

Spider Man Homecoming DIY suit
click to enlarge
What a fantastic suit.

This trend looks to be continuing in No Way Home. The new movie’s Black and Gold suit appears to be an inside-out Spidey outfit with Doctor Strange magic tech somehow attached. In a movie about Spidey fighting major Spidey villains alongside other Spideys, it's a shame to see him relying, once again, on an older adult with weird facial hair.

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How the new Spider-Man trilogy can fix Peter Parker

With a second webhead trilogy planned to start after No Way Home, Marvel has a chance to remedy its Parker problems. For starters, the plot of No Way Home is looking to reset the status quo, restore Parker’s secret identity and remove him from the minds of mainstream Avengers.

This is a fantastic direction for the MCU version of the character. Moving Parker away from the glitz and glamor of the Avengers would allow the character to return to his relatable, working class origins. Additionally, this means that Parker can finally join the Daily Bugle.

To make it clear, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's current incarnation of Peter Parker isn't terrible. We've seen a rich Peter Parker in the comics with his own company... although that didn't last long. The MCU is offering a different, but less relatable, version of the wall-crawler, but he's still entertaining.

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