'Spider-Man Homecoming' Won't Feature Spider-Sense, But What Does Peter Parker's Superpower Actually Do?

In less than a few days, Spider-Man: Homecoming will debut in theaters everywhere. And while the public still waits for its opportunity to see the next amazing Spider-Man movie, word has already gotten out about how fantastic the movie really is. Along with the heightened buzz around Spider-Man: Homecoming, fan questions on every facet of our favorite web-slinging hero are being broached, mainly to director, Jon Watts. One of the more intriguing questions that's been asked has to do with Peter Parker's spider-sense, or rather the lack thereof.

During an interview with Cinemablend, Watts was asked whether or not the latest version of Spider-Man possesses Spider-Sense like most iterations of Spidey do? Here's what Watts had to say in response:

I feel like we have seen a lot of Spider Sense in the previous films, so we didn't really lean into that as hard as they have in the previous films. But I do think it is a really interesting thing to explore.

To most, Watt's comments seem to confirm the notion of Peter Parker lacking his signature Spider-Sense, but that's not necessarily true. Watts merely says that they "didn't really lean into that as hard as they have in the previous films," making it reasonable to conclude that their version of Peter Parker does have his Spider-Sense, it's just not as integral to the character as it was in the previous films.

Some fans will still argue that Parker doesn't have his Spider-Sense because he was unable to detect a concealed Ant-Man during the airport battle in Captain America: Civil War. However, this could be due to the fact that Parker was still quite new to the superhero game. So, even if he does have his Spider-Sense, it probably isn't as reliable as it was for past versions of Peter Parker. With that in mind, let's take a look at the comics for a better understanding of how Peter Parker's Spider-Sense really works, and determine for ourselves if the MCU's version of Spider-Man has the ability or not.

Description Of Peter Parker's Spider-Sense

In the comics, Parker's Spider-Sense activates when he's in the vicinity of danger or he's about to be attacked. Most iterations depict Parker picking up a type of radio signal when danger is approaching. In response, he receives a tingle across his head. When Parker receives the tingling sensation, he doesn't necessarily know what's going to happen, but his Spidey-Sense helps him avoid any on-coming threats. Keep in mind that's only one benefit of this ability.

Peter Parker also uses his Spider-Sense to attain a psychological awareness of the environment he's in. Apart from dangerous situations, Parker can use this ability to determine what people's motives are, and whether or not their actions are indicative of ulterior motives at play. If someone is acting out of the ordinary, or maybe they're just all around suspicious, Parker's Spider-Sense helps him pick up on it. Parker can also use his Spider-Sense when he's blind or disoriented to navigate a foreign landscape.

Abilities aside, the most integral characteristic of Parker's Spider-Sense is that it's activation is instinctual, meaning he has no control over how or when it begins to work. Parker has learned to hone this ability in the past, but it's merely a process of concentration that he has to forego, to truly feel like his spidey senses are tingling.

When might we see Parker's spider-sense activate itself?

At the moment, it doesn't look like the MCU's version of Peter Parker knows anything about his Spider-Sense ability. He appears quite clueless about his abilities and his level of control is amateur at best. As far as we know, #SpiderManHomecoming won't explore that aspect of Spider-Man's mythos either. Though, we should be open to the exploration of his abilities, namely his Spider-Sense in Homecoming 2.

By the time Peter Parker returns to New York for Spider-Man: Homecoming 2, he'll be more matured as a hero. After Spider-Man takes on big shot villains like Thanos and the Black Order, he'll feel ready for whichever villain is thrown at him next. But more importantly, he'll be able to focus on the task at hand, which is to protect New York. And that in itself will provide the perfect backdrop for his Spider-Senses to manifest themselves more prominently, since his daily routine of superhero activities will present situations to hone those skills.

There's also the matter of Parker explaining to Tony Stark the purpose behind using sunglasses in his first costume. The reason being to tone down the intensity of visuals he experiences now that he has superhuman abilities. In revealing this somewhat minor detail, Parker has provided the first piece of evidence towards proving that his abilities are on overdrive because of his Spider-Sense.

Is Peter Parker's spider-sense lying dormant?

It's possible that Parker's Spider-Sense is impacting his subconscious mind on a deeper level, forcing every part of his body to perform at maximum efficiency. If that is the case, Parker's Spider-Sense may be responsible for his inability to comprehend all the information being filtered through his eyes. His need for sunglasses is evidence towards these claims. However, we'll have to wait to determine whether Spider-Sense is responsible for the difficulties Parker is experiencing in controlling his superhuman abilities.

(Source: CinemaBlend)