How Marvel saved Spider-Man

FAN ANTICIPATION has just been rewarded. Living up to expectation, Spider-Man has made his first official Marvel cinematic universe appearance, however briefly, in the new trailer for Captain America: Civil War.

Spidey’s debut is preceded, of course, by so much more in the trailer. We get our first extensive look at the battle between friendsturned- enemies and fellow Avengers, and the action is intense as Captain America tells Iron Man (as they trade punches): “I can do this all day.” (That’s a nice wink to the audience which knows those were Steve Rogers’ words when he was a victim of bullying – before he had super-soldier serum running through his veins in the first Captain America flick.)

Plus, the Black Panther takes down Bucky Barnes (aka The Winter Soldier), who is trying to escape by motorcycle. Even possible lovers (we don’t know yet, but there have been hints) the Scarlet Witch and the Vision are battling it out. And how about Ant-Man riding on one of Hawkeye’s arrows? It is a classic image pulled straight from the comic books.

Despite all that, the trailer’s big moment comes when Spider-Man arrives.

Marvel Studios knows how special this appearance is, especially because many fans anticipate that Spider-Man will have a more authentic feel under Marvel’s direction.

Spidey’s debut is saved for the trailer’s final seconds.

Before all superhero heck breaks loose and the warring sides are split between Team Iron Man and Team Captain America, Iron Man calls out for “Underoos!” Then comes a quick shot of webbing that steals Captain America’s shield and ties his hands together in one swift move. Then – boom! – Spidey sticks the classic superhero landing.

And it’s not simply any SpiderMan. It’s classic Spider-Man. Yes, you can look at Spidey’s arms and boots – taking in the new tweaks – and say, “That’s some new-age, 21stcentury-movie Spidey.”

But look at the mask. There are two major things to notice here. First: The eyes are smaller, in a nod to the visual look of Spider-Man from the 1960. All five Spider- Man movies featured masks with the large white lenses on the mask.

These new Spider- Man eyes aren’t only smaller – they move.

Another key visual to note is our first glimpse of Spidey, in which the wallcrawler is holding Captain America’s shield.

This is telling, because with every Spider-Man movie produced solely by Sony, we knew we wouldn’t get to see other Marvel characters outside of the Spider-Man universe ( thanks to previous contractual rights between Marvel and Sony). But with the suits at Sony having thrown up a white flag, we finally see Spider-Man on film with the rest of the Marvel cinematic universe.

And Spider-Man’s grab of Cap’s shield isn’t just a funny moment – it also represents the fixing of something that felt broken. (I’m sure many fans look at Cap’s shield in Spider-Man’s hands and get a few geek goosebumps.)

And then there’s the true teen factor to appreciate.

The actor in the Spidey suit, Tom Holland, is just 19. This is another example of Marvel’s taking cues from the company’s recently deceased Ultimate comicbook universe; they plucked the Samuel L Jackson-inspired Nick Fury from there, and this SpiderMan feels like the young hero crafted by Brian Michael Bendis in the 2000s.

This moment, though, does bring one negative twinge. This film marks the end of the hilarity that was JK Simmons memes, featuring pictures of the Oscar-winning actor as editor J Jonah Jameson demanding pictures of Spider-Man. But Spider-Man is home. And he’s never looked better. – Washington Post

Captain America: Civil War – HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU: Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, has made his first appearance in the Marvel cinematic universe in a trailer for and he’s never looked better.