PR in the Philippines

(SeaPRwire) –   “When you can do the things that I can,” Peter Parker (Tom Holland) says in Captain America: Civil War, “but you don’t, and bad things happen, they happen because of you.” This was a roundabout way of conveying Peter’s superhero ethos — “With great power comes great responsibility” — without stating it outright. Given that the character was only 15 at the time, the awkward phrasing was easy to overlook. At the very least, it signaled to fans that his origins as Spider-Man had already occurred—just off-screen.

By the time Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) recruits Peter into the Avengers in Civil War, he had already gained his powers from a radioactive spider bite, and most viewers assumed he had also lost his Uncle Ben shortly afterward. These two events form the pivotal one-two punch that other Spider-Man films have rightly called his “canon event.” After all, it’s Uncle Ben who first imparts the lesson of great power and great responsibility—and when Peter fails to stop Ben’s death, those words become the foundation of his moral compass. It’s just as essential to Spider-Man’s origin as the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne are to Batman’s: Could Peter truly become his neighborhood’s wall-crawling hero without it?

If you ask Anthony and Joe Russo, the directors of Civil War, the answer is a casual, “Sure, why not?”

The Russos recently spoke with CBR’s Sean O’Connell to mark the 10th anniversary of Civil War and reflect on their approach to the complex narrative. The film served as the MCU’s introduction to both Spider-Man and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman)—and while Black Panther received a strong debut, Spider-Man’s first appearance left fans puzzled for years.

“Spider-Man was one of my favorite characters growing up, if not my favorite,” Joe Russo told O’Connell. It’s unfortunate, then, that the filmmaker appears to misunderstand what makes the character so compelling.

The Peter we meet in Civil War shows at least a partial awareness of the consequences of his inaction, but the Russos treat that sense of responsibility and Uncle Ben’s death as separate elements, rather than interconnected moments that shape the character. Though they “related” to the idea of a boy burdened with “incredible responsibility,” linking that burden to a “sense of loss” didn’t align with their vision of Peter Parker.

“In our minds, no, he wasn’t responsible for Uncle Ben’s death,” Russo says of Peter. “What Tom Holland brings as an actor, if he blamed himself for his Uncle Ben’s death, I think he becomes a very different character.”

Yeah. Spider-Man. The character he becomes… is Spider-Man.

Russo argued that if Peter were responsible for Ben’s death, it would have led to a different, “more intense” portrayal. That’s another fundamental misunderstanding of Spider-Man: while past versions of the hero have embraced the drama and tragedy of his origin, they weren’t solely defined by Peter’s loss. He’s famously upbeat, using humor and wit as defense mechanisms in the face of danger. But that’s a deliberate choice he makes in an increasingly frightening world. “I have to joke,” Spidey says in Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #6, “‘cause what’s the alternative?”

Peter wouldn’t automatically fall into endless brooding if his uncle died. The “intensity” Russo feared tapping into is actually just the decision to take life more seriously—a trait every Spider-Man needs in some form. Civil War’s choice to ignore this completely explains why the MCU’s version of the hero has felt off from the start.

By omitting Uncle Ben entirely, Peter remained in a state of emotional stasis throughout his solo trilogy. He constantly sought a father figure to replace him—but why? None of the Spider-Man films could explain it, and when director Jon Watts reassigned Ben’s death (and the “great responsibility” speech) to Marisa Tomei’s May Parker in No Way Home, that question was finally answered. It was somewhat satisfying to finally hear those words in the MCU—but again, it clashed with the Peter we first met in Civil War, a Peter who seemed to already understand the weight of his powers.

There’s a sense that this version of Spider-Man may never feel entirely right, even as he prepares to return with as clean a slate as possible in Brand New Day. The Russos started things on the wrong foot for no good reason, stripping Spider-Man of his most powerful emotional anchor. Without it, something may always be missing from his journey; this iteration of the hero might never fully realize his potential.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day swings into theaters on July 31.