Spider-Man: Far From Home Writer Explains The Change To Peter’s Spider Sense

Peter's tingle in Infinity War

Minor spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Far From Home

It's hard to believe that Tom Holland's Spider-Man only arrived in the MCU during Phase Three, as the actor has already played the role in a whopping five movies. As such, the web crawler has quickly become a fan favorite within the shared universe. The character has the responsibility of closing out Phase Three, as Spider-Man: Far From Home has arrived in theaters as the first post-Endgame release.

Spider-Man: Far From Home has been released just in time for the holiday weekend, revealing how the universe has moved on from Thanos' snap and the events of Endgame. The story allows Peter Parker to continue developing as a hero and person, and also featured one of the character's signature abilities: his Spider Sense. Although Spider-Man's sense for danger was given a delightful new name by Marissa Tomei's Aunt May: the Peter Tingle. Far From Home co-writer Erik Sommers recently explained this change, saying:

We definitely had some scenes where Happy was stumbling through different descriptions of trying to think of a thing to call it himself. We liked Peter Tingle because it’s like your aunt calls it something, and that’s the last thing you want it called, so then, of course, she doubled down and that’s what she’s calling it, and she tells someone else, and that’s what they’re calling it. It’s very authentic teen life.

Erik Sommers' comments to The Wrap make a great deal of sense, given what we've seen from Spider-Man within the MCU. The newest incarnation of Peter Parker is notable for being the most accurate to the character's age. Tom Holland is the appropriate age to play such a young hero, and the character's naivety and youth are at the forefront of his characterization. As such, he's one to follow his Aunt's advice/slang.

During his first appearances in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming, it was unclear if the MCU version of Peter Parker had his spider sense. But it briefly popped up during his first scene in Avengers: Infinity War, as the hairs on Peter's arm stood up when Thanos' forces arrived in New York. But that particular super power got much more fleshed out during Spider-Man: Far From Home.

Related: 5 Ways Tom Holland's Spider-Man Is Different From His Predecessors

The name "Peter Tingle" came early on during Far From Home, when Aunt May and Spider-Man are at a charity event together. She gives the power formerly known as Spider Sense a new name, although Peter doesn't seem particularly thrilled about it. Still, it's a name that sticks and pops back up multiple times throughout the movie.

The name change for Peter's power is just one way the MCU's version of Spider-Man differentiates itself from the last two franchises. While audiences could have been sick of the wall crawler after so many movies, the current franchise continues to surprise with new takes on the beloved comic book hero.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is in theaters now. Be sure to check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.