Marvel Cinematic Universe: Ranking all 18 movies after Black Panther

Credit: Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures; poster for Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

9. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Bringing Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and fighting alongside the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, and (possibly) the Hulk was something fans craved since the first Avengers movie. Those same fans rejoiced when Marvel granted their wishes with Captain America: Civil War. Yet when Marvel and Sony announced there would be a new Spider-Man film, there was trepidation, too. That’s because this meant that in less than five years, Sony rebooted their Spider-Man movie franchise twice.

The makers of Spider-Man: Homecoming were acutely aware of this. Hence why the sixth Spider-Man movie deliberately goes out of its way to not emulate the previous movies when possible. Along with the comics, Director Jon Watts takes as much inspiration from–and directly references–the teenage comedies of John Hughes like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. This only results in the funniest of the Spider-Man movies, but the only one where you truly feel that Spider-Man is a genuine kid in high school.

As did he did during Civil War, Tom Holland is terrific in his depiction of an adolescent Peter Parker. The supporting cast, however, varies, with some like Jacob Batalon as Ned bordering on hilarious and annoying, while others like Tony Revolori as Flash feeling like an afterthought. Yet it’s Michael Keaton who delivers a powerhouse performance as Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. The Vulture. The idea of him being a blue-collar scavenger of superhero battles is pure genius, and how he connects with Peter’s attempt in asking Liz Allen (Laura Harrier) as his date for the homecoming dance results in a brilliant twist.

Unfortunately, for what’s supposed to be a Spider-Man movie, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is so prevalent, the film is practically Iron Man 4. If anything, Peter comes off more like Iron Man’s kid sidekick, especially when his suit as his own A.I. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the lame and gutless reveal about Michelle (Zendaya). Yet, among the list of Spider-Man films, it’s definitely one of the better ones.