'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Concept Art Shows How Peter Almost Got Killed — by the Parker Luck

There's a certain element of Spider-Man's character that was highlighted in Spider-Man: Homecoming more than any other Spidey film: his youth and his famously rotten luck. From Peter's face-planting while web-slinging to his failed attempt to kiss Liz after saving his classmates at the Washington Monument — and ultimately, his realization of her father's identity — it was classic "Parker Luck."

But we almost saw one more example of his unlucky streak in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it could've been one of the film's most intense moments.

One Key Scene Could Have Been Very Different

Marvel Studios artist Ryan Meinerding (yep, him again) has tweeted some more concept art from the film. In the past, he's revealed alternate suit designs, but now he has shown us an alternate action sequence. Specifically, his storyboard of the scene when the Vulture first encounters #SpiderMan and drops him into a river. Here's a better view from Instagram:

Luckily for Peter, his fancy new Stark-powered suit deploys a parachute, which cushions the impact of the fall. However, as it can be clearly seen from Meinerding's artwork, there were originally plans to show the wall-crawler struggling with his parachute and becoming tangled up in it underwater, adding to the tension.

In the final film, all we see is Peter hit the water with the camera lingering for a few seconds before #IronMan swoops in and saves the day. Of course, this leads to Peter's first telling-off from Stark, and the first teachable moment for the young hero.

'Homecoming' Gave Us the Best Depiction of the Parker Luck

Whether he's swinging around New York City as Spider-Man or he's struggling through life as Peter Parker, things are never easy for May Parker's nephew. The ultimate example of the Parker Luck lies in his comics origin story — when the burglar that he let go turned out to be the man who killed Uncle Ben.

#TomHolland has delivered the perfect portrayal of Peter Parker and Spider-Man, something which the previous big-screen incarnations of the web-slinger never quite managed. Tobey Maguire was a great Peter Parker, but lacked wit and snark with his Spidey; Andrew Garfield was a great Spidey, but many criticized his version of Peter Parker. The Spider-Man we see in Homecoming is the perfect balance, even though there's still so much more for him to learn, and it's this that makes him so relatable.

Perhaps this parachute moment was removed from the film to allow for the recreation of the classic "If This Be My Destiny..." scene from Amazing Spider-Man #33 when the Vulture traps Peter under the collapsed roof. It would seem a little repetitive for Peter to escape two scenes of facing his mortality in isolation.

To paraphrase Chumbawumba, Spidey will get knocked down, but he always gets back up again — and it's because of this indomitable spirit that his appeal has lasted for over 50 years, and will last for many years to come.