Marvel superheroes come in all shapes and sizes, but Marvel movies tend to showcase these characters in relatively similar ways. Throw a punch. Say a witty one-liner. Throw another punch. Repeat. It's a tradition that has remained alive and well into even Phase 3, but now it seems that Peter Parker won't throw a single punch during the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Tom Holland explained:
Every decision we make on set is based off how would a kid react in this situation, so every fight scene we have is designed in a way that's almost child-friendly, so he never actually punches anyone. It's all done kind of by accident. I think the biggest difference is his youth and innocence.
During a recent conversation with THR, Tom Holland explained why Peter Parker won't actually punch any of his enemies during the events of Spider-Man: Homecoming. In his eyes, Peter Parker is still a scrawny, dorky child; his first instinct would never be to punch someone in a conflict. Instead, we will most likely see him relying on his web shooters and his superpowers in order to beat his enemies in combat. The rationale for this decision is not to intentionally make Spider-Man more kid friendly, but rather to showcase him as a genuine, relatable kid.
If nothing else, this pretty much guarantees that Spider-Man: Homecoming will feature some really fascinating action scenes. Up until now, most Marvel movies have typically relied on heroes who use blunt/brute force to win their battles. However, it now seems that Spider-Man will be far more reliant on things like wits, agility, and technology. Considering the massive changes we saw in Doctor Strange's fight scenes, it seems that the MCU has finally started to add some serious diversity to its action sequences.
This creative decision also makes sense from a logical point of view, as Spider-Man is actually one of the strongest heroes currently in existence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's a well-established fact in the comic book world that the Web Head regularly needs to remember to pull his punches whenever he hits a bad guy; if he doesn't his super strength will liquefy a regular person.
This incarnation of Spider-Man is still young, and still figuring out his abilities. It makes absolutely perfect sense for him to pull his punches during his first solo adventure. If he knows that he can lift something as heavy as an airport jet bridge, then he probably knows not to hit another person full force.
Knowing that Spider-Man won't simply be throwing punches during the events of Homecoming has us even more excited for the Web Head's upcoming adventure. We will see exactly what Tom Holland and Jon Watts have in store for the legendary hero when Spider-Man's first solo movie in the MCU hits theaters on July 7, 2017.
