Tom Holland, the English actor we now know as the modern Spider-Man that’s taken the world by storm. Marking his first appearance in Captain America: Civil War in 2016, we are now looking forward to his fifth appearance in the Marvel Universe in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home. Holland’s portrayal of Peter Parker/Spider-Man is kind yet lovably awkward with only the desire to help out those around him. Starting out as the “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man”, he’s come a long way since stealing Captain America’s shield and impressing Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), his mentor. That said, here are 10 reasons why Tom Holland is our favorite Peter Parker/Spider-Man!
His Updates To Happy Hogan
In 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, following the events of Civil War, Peter anxiously awaits news of his next mission from Tony Stark. Hearing nothing, he consistently contacts Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau), Tony’s driver and bodyguard. He gives regular updates, letting Happy know he retrieved a stolen bike and helped a lost lady “she was really nice and bought me a churro.” Happy either takes a while to respond or doesn’t, which leaves Peter despondent until he gets involved in unraveling Adrian Toomes’ (Michael Keaton) scheme. In any case, Peter’s good about checking in and keeping people updated. We have to appreciate his enthusiasm and commitment. Even if he’s a little too eager, it’s for the right reasons.
His Excitement For His New Suit
Peter’s excitement at seeing his Tony-Stark-modified suit in Homecoming is so enthusiastic it’s infectious. Later on, of course, he and his friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) hack the suit’s system to unlock more features, which introduces Karen, the AI in the suit that Peter names and converses with. Karen is also the one to tell Peter all the features his suit is capable of, having “finished” the aptly named “Training Wheels Protocol.”
Peter runs amok trying to fight crime and gets in over his head, leading to Tony briefly taking away the suit. Yet, Peter does prove himself and earn the suit back; no doubt having a greater appreciation for it. In Avengers: Infinity War, Peter gets a cool new upgrade, to which he exclaims, “Mr. Stark, it smells like a new car in here!”
His Tendency For Conversations In The Middle Of Conflict
Within seconds of Spider-Man’s entry in Civil War, he engaged in conversation as soon as Tony told him “good job.” Not long after that, Falcon tells Peter that there’s usually not that much talking in fights when Peter picks up conversation with him. Truth is, Peter’s friendly and talkative, he can’t help himself. Peter even makes private vlogs to document his life as Spider-Man, enjoying narrating them whether or not someone will ever view it. Peter’s conversations have most recently carried into Avengers: Endgame, when Peter recaps to Tony what he remembers last (following the events of Infinity War) and explaining how he returned from space while Tony listens in the midst of their battle with Thanos. We love his penchant for conversations because they make the tough moments lighter and are often humorous in nature.
His Pop Culture References
“Hey guys, you ever see that really old movie, ‘Empire Strikes Back’?” or “You ever see this really old movie, Aliens?” Peter’s got the classics down, and he manages to incorporate them in battle. The former reference helps Tony, Rhodey and Peter take down Scott (Paul Rudd) as a giant Ant-Man, and the latter helps Tony and Peter save Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) in space.
Who would’ve thought Empire Strikes Back and Aliens would be helpful in battle? Only Peter Parker could use pop culture references as a strategy. And we love him for it.
His Relationship With Aunt May
Peter’s kind relationship with his aunt is one of our favorite aspects of his personality. The two obviously take care of each other, and Peter initially fears that telling his aunt about his activities as Spider-Man would be too much considering all she’s been through. May (Marisa Tomei) is a cool aunt; she helps Peter prepare to take out Liz (Laura Harrier) to go to their homecoming dance (which sadly Peter doesn’t get to experience, considering he ends up battling Liz’s father). Of course, as we saw at the ending of Homecoming, May (Marisa Tomei) finds out about Peter’s double life, but we didn’t get to see it play out. Far From Home hopefully touches upon that moment, or at least references it. In any case, we’re looking forward to seeing more of Peter and Aunt May in the upcoming film.
His Friendship With Ned
Peter’s friendship with Ned is one of the best highlights of Homecoming.
The two bond over science fiction (the night Ned finds out Peter is Spider-Man, he’d come over to build the Death Star, which he drops in shock upon Peter’s return). Ned excitedly begins questioning Peter about his life as a superhero, as well as the other Avengers. Though Ned blurts out to their class that Peter knows Spider-Man, Ned keeps his friend’s superhero identity a secret, even helping Peter save the day from Toomes and his men. We’ll see more of their friendship in the upcoming Far From Home, which will surely cover more of their adventures and aspects of their friendship.
He Learns His Lessons
In Civil War, Peter tries to protest after extensively fighting that he can continue when Tony declares him finished. Of course, as Peter can’t get up, he relents and agrees. In Homecoming, Peter becomes too arrogant and cocky, believing he is capable of more than he is ready to handle, leaving him in some dire situations (like the near-disastrous ferry incident that Tony had to bail him out of). Yet, when Tony offers him the chance of a lifetime to become a full-time Avenger, Peter humbly declines and decides to stay a “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.” So yeah, he learns his lessons and he makes wiser decisions because of them. Of course, considering Infinity War and Endgame, Peter’s leveled up some since then.
He Saved The Super-Villain
At the end of Homecoming, Peter finds himself battling Liz’s father, Adrian Toomes. The thing is, despite everything, Peter saves Adrian’s life as his Vulture suit is about to explode.
How many heroes would do that? Considering Adrian Toomes tries multiple times to kill Peter (even leaving him to die at one point) and vocalized the very real verbal threat that if Peter meddles anymore in his business Toomes will kill him, it’s an impressive show of character for Peter to risk his life for him. Sure, Peter leaves Toomes to be captured, but he had that coming. Really, he owes Peter one.
He’s Genuinely A Nice Guy
Peter may be awkward and a little too presumptuous at times, but his heart’s always in the right place. Peter’s desire to help and his overall selflessness is admirable, especially for a young teenager. Given his powers, he has new responsibilities and experiences. Derived from this, Peter has learned through trial and error to be humbler and wiser in his efforts. He can’t really pull off the tough guy act (even a criminal saw right through it when Peter tried using the deep, threatening voice in the parking garage in Homecoming). The phrase “too good for your own good” can be aptly applied to Peter; honestly, it’s one of his best qualities that make him the superhero we all love, respect and admire. Peter’s kindness will only lead him on to do good things (and we can’t wait to see the good deeds he’ll surely conduct in Far From Home).
His Dedication To Tony Stark
When Tony recruited Peter in Civil War, we saw a bright-eyed young kid eager to learn, make a difference, and impress his new mentor. That attitude carries on especially into Homecoming, to the point where Tony takes away Peter’s suit because he’s gone behind Tony’s back to fight crime, even when he wasn’t supposed to. Still, their bond grows throughout each of their appearances together, even coming to resembling something of a father-son relationship by Endgame, in which Peter tearfully said goodbye to his dying mentor (we’re still crying over that one). The trailer for the upcoming Spider-Man film shows Peter struggling with his mentor’s death, so we’ll probably need to get some tissues for the heartfelt moments that will surely be included.
Peter Parker may as well be synonymous with amiable. He’s genuinely a good kid with a big heart destined for great things in the superhero realm. He’s contributed so much already, and he had a good mentor in Tony Stark. It will be interesting (and no doubt heartwarming) to see what Peter does in the upcoming film, taking what he’s learned and applying it in a world where Tony Stark is no longer around.
