Too Many Bens: Now We Know Why Uncle Ben Won't Be In 'Spider-Man: Homecoming'

They say in that comic books there are only three people who are truly dead: Bruce Wayne's parents and Peter Parker's Uncle Ben. However, while we watched Cliff Robertson take a bullet in the Raimiverse films and Martin Sheen choke it in The Amazing Spider-Man, don't expect the same from Uncle Ben in the #MCU.

As we got a much younger Aunt May with Marisa Tomei, some are rightly questioning the lack of a hunky Uncle Ben for us to ogle. Over the past 55 years, we have seen Ben die over and over (and over again), but how come we didn't witness this tear-jerking tragedy in Captain America: Civil War, and why won't we see it in #SpiderManHomecoming?

And Ben there were none.

Aiming to expand the world of our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and introduce the likes of Ned Leeds and Flash Thompson, director #JonWatts certainly has an impressive cast of characters for #TomHolland's first Spidey-solo. Not just focusing on one film, Watts is clearly looking to Peter's continuing arc and could be teasing the possible inclusion of Jackal, Scorpion, and even Miles Morales. So, you would've thought that Watts could've found room for Peter's father figure in there somewhere, right?

We know that the MCU has retconned that radioactive spider bite for Homecoming, but speaking to CinemaBlend, #KevinFeige also explained away Uncle Ben's absence for the good of the movie:

“The truth is, we want audiences to bring their own... let them fill in those blanks right now. They've seen the other films. They've read comics. They can fill that in."

Like it or lump it, basically, but I'm sure most won't be too bothered about moving away from familiar territory. With #SpiderMan already undergoing two reboots in the past 15 years, why waste screen time on something most people know like the back of their hand?

Daddy Issues

Giving us a younger Peter, a younger May, and a high school setting, the MCU is clearly building from the ground up with its latest Spideyverse and isn't too worried about being bogged down with those lackluster origin stories. Given that we have seen 1,000,000 Batman origins, umpteen Fantastic Four accidents, and too many teenage X-Men to count, it is refreshing that at least the MCU is attempting to move with the times. However, don't mourn the loss (of the loss) of Uncle Ben too much, Feige teased that Ben may be gone, but he definitely won't be forgotten:

“That was a very purposeful decision we made to not retread that ground. There are little things that are said here and there that people can read into. What the specific facts are in the past, we don't... we haven't revealed yet.”

With Homecoming being just the start, and Holland taking the web-head through a whole trilogy, there is more than enough time to explore the Ben backstory in future installments. In the meantime, Homecoming looks like Peter has his own (so much cooler) father figure with the inclusion of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Sure, the trailer may show Iron Man and Spider-Man at odds, but you can clearly see Stark's heart beating for Peter beneath that robotic suit.

As for Uncle Ben, well, I guess we will have to find someone else to say, "With great power comes great responsibility," but at least the character can take a break from being butchered on the silver screen for a little while longer.

(Source: CinemaBlend)