This past weekend, fans finally got to witness the first adventure featuring Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since his debut in last year’s Captain America: Civil War. Already grossing a staggering $117 million domestically alone, the movie is on track to being one of the highest earning of the year. The consensus has been pretty positive so far, most audiences responding with praise and admiration towards Tom Holland’s interpretation of the classic hero. With all the hype surrounding the movie, it may have been easy for some to miss some of the subtle nods and winks to not only the world of Spider-Man but also the continuing world of the MCU. Here are seven things you might have missed in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’:
SPOILERS AHEAD!
8 Years Later
Some were confused by the time stamp that we now have for the events of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’, mainly because the opening scene which appears to take place mere months after the Chitauri invasion of earth from ‘Avengers’, only to feature a title card saying “8 Years Later”. Since the movie released in 2012, does that mean that this movie takes place in 2020? Realistically speaking, the events of Phase I & II would have been spaced apart differently than when they actually released, but Vision DID mention in ‘Civil War’ that it had been eight years since Stark had revealed himself to be Iron Man. ‘Iron Man’ released in 2008 and ‘Civil War’ in 2016. Checks out, right? It’s more likely that this revelation just proves that ‘Iron Man’ may have taken place earlier than 2008. If any fans out there wanna sift through the timeline and give fans some actual dates, you might be surprised by what you find.
Betty Brant
As Peter Parker is entering school, we see some footage from the morning announcements. The young, blonde haired girl reading the news is credited as Betty Brant. What many may not know is that Betty is actually one of Peter Parker’s future love interests. This also wasn’t the first time we’ve seen the character in a ‘Spider-Man’ movie. In the original Spider-Man trilogy, Betty Brant was the receptionist for J. Jonah Jameson at the Daily Bugle, originally played by Elizabeth Banks.
The Terrible Tinkerer
This movie was loaded with hidden villains. One that you may not have realized was actually a pretty major player in the comics was that of Vulture’s “Man in the Chair”, Phineas Mason. Mason is actually known as The Terrible Tinkerer, a technological genius who uses his knowledge and proficiency in robotics and engineering to combat Spider-Man.
Scorpion
Many didn’t catch the set-up of this villain until the mid-credit scene. Mac Gargan was one of the crooks on the ferry which led to Spider-Man’s epic screw up. While the name may not be familiar, audiences were finally clued into who he was when his conversation with Adrian revealed a scorpion tattoo on his neck. Mac Gargan is, in fact, the acid spewing powerhouse known as Scorpion.
Donald Glover
Fans were pleased to discover last year that Donald Glover had been cast in the newest ‘Spider-Man’ movie. Considering he had been part of some hectic fan outcry when he was passed up to play Peter Parker back with ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, many were hoping his involvement would be for the fan-favorite web slinger, Miles Morales. While he instead played a criminal, he actually still has a connection. His character, Aaron Davis, will eventually become known as the villain, Prowler. Prowler is actually the uncle to Miles Morales, meaning we may actually get to see him at some point, but maybe not for a while.
Thor’s Magic Belt
When Happy is taking inventory of the tech being loaded onto the soon to be robbed plane, he mentions they have “Meg…Mag…Thor’s magic belt!” This was a direct reference to Megingjörð (Megingjord) which is an Asgardian artifact capable of granting Thor a buff to his own physical strength but is also capable of granting other wearers strength equal to Thor…even allowing them to lift his hammer, Mjolnir.
Mid-Credit Scene
Adrian Toomes running into Mac Gargan in prison may have just seemed like a set-up for more Spider-Man villains to rear their thuggish heads, but it’s more than likely that Gargan’s words, “I got friends on the outside”, could be referencing something pretty specific. Before the Disney/Sony deal to share the rights to Spider-Man, Sony had plans to expand the Spider-verse with a Sinister Six film. Considering the number of villains already featured in this movie, we might be seeing the team of miscreants pretty soon if Sony is implying that they are in fact moving forward with the once scrapped idea.
