And it worked, with the film garnering positive reviews and making $880m globally. But he also had a tangible support network: a younger aunt who loved him, a best friend, and a mentor in Tony Stark. The youngest to take up the mantle, Tom HollandвЂ™s Peter was affable and awkward, no matter how hard he tried to prove otherwise. Instead of shuttling Peter straight into adulthood, Homecoming marinated us in the distinct secondhand embarrassment of being a teenager. ItвЂ™s important then that 2017вЂ™s Homecoming did something different with the character. The teen who first burst on to the scene as a breath of fresh air had suddenly become played out. вЂњPeter Parker may be an iconic character, but there are only so many ways you can tell an origin story,вЂќ wrote Kwama Opam at the Verge. Subsequent movies were canned partly due to the films falling below SonyвЂ™s expectations, but largely because Garfield ended up being вЂњlet goвЂќ.ДЄnd so Sony tried again, recasting with Tom Holland and making a deal with Marvel that for the first time, Spidey would appear alongside the Avengers in 2016вЂ™s Captain America: Civil War, and then in his own spin-off film, 2017вЂ™s Homecoming. вЂњThis might be a fun summer blockbuster if only it even remotely needed to exist,вЂќ wrote Dana Stevens at Slate. The films did well overseas, but it was hard to justify why this new rough-around-the-edges Peter was necessary. This Peter brushed up against authority even out of his costume, and in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 he is marked by a streak of selfishness: he continues to involve himself with Gwen Stacy, knowing the danger, and eventually it costs her her life. Instead of the unassuming poindexter of the early 2000s, GarfieldвЂ™s Peter skateboarded and brooded. Webb hit virtually the same plot points as Raimi, while also going for a darker tone and a more counterculture-esque Peter. Sony moved ahead with a reboot in 2012, directed by Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield replacing Maguire as the titular hero. When Raimi and the studio couldnвЂ™t agree on one coherent vision for Spider-Man 4, Raimi stepped down. A shoehorned-in Venom, at the studioвЂ™s insistence, led to an overstuffed Spider-Man 3 that led to an inexplicable dance number, a Peter who didnвЂ™t feel much like Peter at all and almost universally negative reviews. All Rights ReservedД«ut in what often seems to happen when art and business collide, studio interference started to shift the tone of the movies. Photograph: Merie W Wallace/2007 Columbia Pictures Industries Inc. Seeing Peter shed his insecurities when he dons the mask was a form of wish fulfillment for many, and the films that brought him to life were relatable, funny and fun. He was a good-natured kid haunted by a single bad decision a high school genius who finds heвЂ™s turned into a rather mediocre adult. Played by Tobey Maguire, Peter felt like he couldвЂ™ve been any of us. The first major film, 2002вЂ™s Spider-Man by Sam Raimi, tapped into all the reasons fans loved the web-slinger. Within the span of 12 years we saw five Spider-Man films made, each grossing over $700m globally. When Marvel sold the Spider-Man film rights back in 1999 to Sony, itвЂ™s reported that they took on a mind-boggling roster of 900 characters. His solo run spawned an entire universe of villains, supporting characters and alternate universe Spideys. вЂњYou have to show the human side.вЂќДЄ character who just canвЂ™t seem to catch a break yet always does the right thing regardless proved to be a winning formula, and that coupled with a fast-moving, dynamic power set spoke to the kind of hero that audiences wanted to see. вЂњAfter Spider-Man, everyone recognized the formula that Stan Lee figured out вЂ“ quite correctly вЂ“ that to make the character in costume more compelling, you have to make the alter-ego as much, if not that much more interesting,вЂќ Joe Quesada, former Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, said to ABC News. Peter may have been an enhanced superhero, but his day-to-day life was relatable, almost painfully so. As a boy on the brink of adulthood, his powers were both a gift and a burden, putting him at odds with law enforcement and thwarting his most meaningful relationships, and his ability to hold down a job and pay rent. When he was first introduced, Peter was the antithesis to other superheroes he came from a low-income household and struggled with mundane things like acne, bullying, talking to girls and homework.

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