Spider-Man: Homecoming - The Tale of Two Heroes

Go see this amazing film right now!

I'll wait...

Welcome back! Now let's talk about the latest edition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It would be reasonable to assume that there may be spoilers to follow:

@derricklweston @marvel_gospel Big news: #SpidermanHomecoming just bumped a bunch of MCU films, taking #3 on my list. pic.twitter.com/nzmsJls9HO— Zane E Sanders (@zaneEsanders) July 7, 2017

It's become more and more difficult to rate the movies within the MCU as stand-alone films being that they are intrinsically connected (though that hasn't stopped me and others); however, Spider-Man: Homecoming is both a wonderful continuation of the story that the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe is telling and an incredibly powerful example of how to tell a compelling, self-driven story of heroic proportions.

I've had the pleasure of podcasting (along with @derricklweston) at The Gospel According to Marvel about the intersection of faith and culture and, as avid Spider-Man fans, I'm sure I can speak for both of us by saying that this is movie hit me like a web grenade.

While there will be many articles praising this movie, analyzing the plethora of idiosyncrasies that have made it so wonderful, I'd like to take a deeper look into how this film is not just an origin story (of sorts) for Peter Parker's Spider-Man, but a continuation of the deeply moving story arc of Tony Stark.

Taking Iron Man to Homecoming

You can get a more in depth look at the full story arc of Tony Stark on this podcast, but here is quick snapshot to get us on the same page. Marvel's Phase 2 began with Tony Stark defining who he was outside of his Iron Man suit(s) in Iron Man 3, leading us to the disastrous consequences of the Ultron project (and the subsequent loss of both, Bruce Banner and Pepper Potts) in Avengers: Age of Ultron. At the beginning of Phase 3, after the division that happened in Captain America: Civil War, we last saw Tony Stark picking up the role Steve Rogers had left behind leading the Avengers at their new headquarters in upstate New York. Still seemingly unaware of Doctor Strange and the Guardians of the Galaxy, we pick up with his story here in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

This movie begins by reminding us (through the eyes of Adrian Toomes and Peter Parker) of the many changes that have come due to "the New York incident" from The Avengers, promptly bringing us to present day/post-Captain America: Civil War with Tony Stark mentoring the young, up-and-coming web-head and finishing up his move from Avengers Tower to the aforementioned Avengers facility.

Much of this film follows Peter Parker through the journey of his "internship" at Stark Industries (a.k.a. being Spider-man), where we get many glimpses into the transformation that has happened in Tony Stark since first taking part in Nick Fury's Avengers Initiative.

Taking a cue from the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon, Tony Stark seems to be stepping into a role similar to that of Fury/Coulson in the series. While much of Tony Stark's own characteristics are still incredibly present throughout his interactions in the film, it is clear that he is taking his new role as leader and mentor incredibly serious, particularly when it come to the disastrous consequences that occur when Peter doesn't follow directions, ultimately bringing us to this scene (which echos Tony's own growth from Iron Man 3).

And, in my opinion, that is one of the most powerful lines in the film... The rest of this movie then follows Peter as he pursues the Vulture and his arms dealing compatriots (much to the chagrin of Tony Stark). Though Peter goes on from this confrontation to discover that he ultimately doesn't need a high-tech suit to be the hero he wants to be, Tony later makes a quip about how that was just the encouragement that Peter needed to discover his true inner hero (sort of a walking commentary on how he is doing in this mentor role).

Tony Stark's Marvelous Growth

You may recall from Avengers: Age of Ultron that Pepper Potts was noticeably absent and affected Tony's own decisions in attempting to make the world a safer place. While much of their relationship is left to speculation from there...

in Spider-Man: Homecoming we catch a glimpse of their continued love as Tony proposes to her (be it a media gimmick or not, it still seems to happen quite happily for both)...

This, combined with the influence we see in Spider-Man: Homecoming, shows us an incredible continued growth for Tony Stark.

Hopefully this can also be a challenge to ourselves that, no matter what our past has in it, we can also mentor people in ways to help them to grow and flourish.

What Is Next for Iron Man?

With much to happen between now and Infinity War (and then beyond), it's safe to assume that Tony Stark's Iron Man will either retire and pass on the role of Iron Man to another in the coming years or meet his tragic end in the battle against Thanos (or sometime after, depending on contractual obligations or even Robert Downey Jr.'s own desire to move on). With Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther slated before Avengers: Infinity War, followed by Ant Man & the Wasp and Captain Marvel before the Untitled Avengers 4, it's hard to imagine where of these event will take our lovable genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, but it is safe to assume that we won't be seeing Iron Man again until Avengers: Infinity War (and then, if we're lucky, the Untitled Avengers 4).