‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ Set Up Tom Holland as the New Emotional Lynchpin of the MCU

When Spider-Man: Far From Home hit theaters this past June, it was given a near-impossible task. Avengers: Endgame had just finished a record-breaking run in theaters but had left the future of the Avengers and the Marvel Cinematic Universe very uncertain. So when it was revealed that a Spider-Man standalone film would be the final movie in Phase 3, the world looked to director Jon Watts and writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers to give us hope. And boy, did they deliver with Spider-Man: Far From Home, the only Spider-Man movie to date to gross over $1 billion in theaters worldwide.

But why was Spider-Man the postscript? With more authoritative, adult-like figures like Doctor Strange and Black Panther back in the game, why would the Marvel creatives end the biggest film saga of its generation with the story of a scruffy teen? Well, one thing is certain: It definitely wasn’t an accident. Marvel has methodically planned out their various phases and delivered on their arcs perfectly, which can only mean that Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige’s intention all along was to set Spider-Man up as the future of the Avengers. Not just as the next big hero to watch, but as the emotional glue to hold the whole franchise together. Now, in retrospect, it becomes clear that Spider-Man: Far From Home set up Spider-Man as the new emotional lynchpin of the MCU (and quite successfully, at that).

Spider-Man was first introduced into the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, but quickly became a major player in the Marvel world. It all began back on March 10, 2016, when the Captain America: Civil War trailer introduced Spider-Man for the first time. Fans screamed, cried and lost all bodily functions when they saw the web-slinger for a mere seven seconds … in a trailer. This passion for the web-slinger only intensified when Civil War was released, and audiences immediately gravitated to the effervescent Tom Holland, who played the character as Stan Lee designed him: as an innocent, well-intentioned kid.

He may have stolen the show in Civil War, but he stole our hearts in his standalone film, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Homecoming‘s primary purpose was to officially introduce Spider-Man into the MCU, but Feige’s forethought into his future position in the universe started to take effect here: first in his aligning Peter Parker with Avengers “godfather” Tony Stark, and second with the casting of Tom Holland. Spider-Man: Homecoming was a film about how Peter Parker wanted to prove to his mentor, Tony Stark, that he could play in the big leagues as a real Avenger. The banter-filled, father-son-like relationship between Peter and Tony was written to tie the biggest character in the Avengers world to the youngest, scrappiest upstart, and it worked. Parker had no father-figure in his life per his decades-old origin story, and so filling that void with Tony Stark was a natural fit. Parker became Stark’s project, his investment, his “kid.”

As much credit as Feige deserves for setting up Spidey’s arc, his plans wouldn’t have come to fruition without British actor Tom Holland. Holland exuded a youthful zeal and goofy likability in his interpretation of Peter Parker; audiences worldwide instantly connected with this portrayal in a way that they were unable to with his predecessor, Andrew Garfield. Holland’s clumsiness, adorable fails and admirable determination to be a true Avenger reminded us of kids yearning to eat at the adult table. It was also an added bonus that Holland’s background in gymnastics—thanks to his years playing Billy Elliot in the West End— made him perfect for the highly-physical role. He was young, genuine and real. We got him because he was us!

We saw the real strength of the emotional connection Spider-Man had with the public during the next two movies, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Peter was once again playing eager-puppy-sidekick to Tony Stark, and although Tom was not the star in either film, he was given as much attention as the major players on screen. Even in Endgame, the movie in which Spider-Man is only active at the very end, Peter Parker’s presence is found throughout the film thanks to his relationship with Tony Stark. You can’t help but get choked up when you see Tony take out a goofy picture with him and Peter together, and you realize he mourns the loss of his “kid” every single day. When Stark dies, it is Peter who is first at the scene, and breaks down in tears when his mentor is unable to reply. Thanks to this ingenious design, Spider-Man was by far the character that audiences rooted for the most. Watch any ‘audience reaction’ video compilation for Infinity War or Endgame, and it is clear that the sobs are noticeably deeper when Peter Parker turns to dust in Stark’s arms and the cheers are substantially louder when he returns to the screen.

After those emotionally-annihilating movies, many fans were left weepy, bereft and worrisome about the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Without its two foundational characters — Iron Man and Captain America — who would pick up the gauntlet and take the Avengers into the next phases? The answer was clear: in comparison to the other new Avenger additions, no character besides Spider-Man was given enough emotional focus in the past two Avengers movies to set them up to be a hero fans could invest in. And so Spider-Man: Far From Home, directed by Jon Watts and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, was written to be all about Peter Parker’s pressure to become the next Tony Stark.

(A quick aside: We are going to assume that if you are reading this article, you have already seen the movie. If you haven’t, well, here’s your requisite SPOILER ALERT.)

Spider-Man: Far From Home follows Peter Parker on a school trip to Europe with his friends as he tries to desperately escape increased pressure he is feeling from the public to step up as the new Iron Man, as well as escape the crippling grief he has felt for his deceased mentor. Initially, Peter is hesitant to step up into the role and foolishly hands the power over to Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), a fellow superhero who turns out to be the villain of the film. It is not until we watch a tearful Peter Parker, recovering from rock bottom, vent out his frustrations and grief to Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau). But then Hogan said the most impactful line of the entire film: “I don’t think Tony would have done what he did if he didn’t know you were going to be here after he was gone.” At that moment, Parker assumes his natural position in the future Tony laid out for him. The final tearjerker? Happy Hogan smiling as he watches Parker build himself a suit, unknowingly copying Stark’s exact movements as he built the Iron Man suit all those years ago. By the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home (and yes, we are including the post-credits scene), audiences were looking forward to the future with eagerness, not trepidation.

Spider-Man: Far From Home was the final key in Marvel’s master plan for the future without the Avenger OGs. From the very beginning, Spider-Man’s casting, characterization and storylines were designed with the thought that he would become the next emotional centerpiece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the likes of Iron Man and Captain America were gone. The second people started to question the future of the MCU, Spider-Man: Far From Home came out and alleviated those fears. Tony passed along his glasses, his powers, and his empire to Peter Parker, and said “For the next Tony Stark, I trust you.” Spider-Man is the new central Avenger, the central emotional talisman for audiences, the central leftover from the recovering MCU, and we cannot wait to see what Marvel and Sony have in store.

Where to stream Spider-Man: Far From Home