6 Reasons Why Spider-Man Is The Best Thing In Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is out in the US today, but audiences around the world have been clasping their eyes on the movie for over a week now. And the verdict, from audiences and critics, is already in: the second Captain America sequel, and the second MCU film from Joe and Anthony Russo, is one of the strongest entries in the franchise. The highlights are manifold. In fact, there's so much going on in Civil War, both in terms of plot and character work, that it should be difficult to pinpoint one standout feature. Only it's unexpectedly easy, because not only does Civil War reboot a much-loved Marvel character, but the Russo brothers also utilize said character perfectly. Spider-Man makes only a fleeting appearance in Civil War - in the grand scheme of things, he's about as relevant to the plot as Ant-Man, a near-cameoing act recruited only to take part in the epic airport battle - but if there's one character that steals the show, it's him. So, on that note, here are six reasons why Spider-Man is absolutely the best thing in Captain America: Civil War. 6) It May Be The Best Cinematic Interpretation Of The Character Yet There's nothing revolutionary about the new MCU Spider-Man. If you've seen the previous Spidey movies, you've already got the gist: teenager gets bitten by radioactive spider, begins displaying arachnid-like abilities, becomes Spider-Man the avenging crimefighter. What makes this new version of the webslinger interesting though isn't that he's doing anything new. It's that Marvel Studios has taken the formula already developed over five Spider-movies and, seemingly, perfected it. What's perhaps most surprising about Spider-Man 3.0 is that he arrives fully-formed as a character. Civil War doesn't introduce him or explain his origins all over again, because it doesn't need to - we've seen it all before. So, through effortless character writing and Tom Holland's performance, we're instead given a real sense of who this already-active superhero is. There's the humor of Andrew Garfield's Parker and the wide-eyed dorkiness of Tobey Maguire's, while Holland adds a neurotic chatterbox element as well. Put it all together and, already, this feels like the best Spider-Man yet. 5) The Character Adds Much-Needed Levity Despite a few lighter moments (Stan Lee's cameo is arguably his best so far), Civil War isn't exactly a laugh riot. This is the film in which everything you've watched come together over 12 movies falls apart, where much-loved characters turn their backs on each other or beat one another bloody. Things aren't always rosy in Civil War. So, you take whatever humor you can get to lighten to mood. Thankfully, Peter Parker shows up around the halfway point to considerably brighten up proceedings. Parker's introduction scene, in which he and Tony Stark meet for the first time, plays out like a farcical comedy (Peter attempting to hide his alter-ego from both Stark and his Aunt May, and failing completely to fool the former). In the crunching airport showdown, meanwhile, Spider-Man provides irreverent, pop culture-referencing laughs to ease the tension, trying his best to impress "Mr. Stark" and talking way too much for a combatant in a danger-filled crunch match. He is, along with Paul Rudd's Scott Lang/Ant-Man, the light in all the gloom. 4) He's The Most Relatable Character As good as Civil War is, it can at times be a challenge to relate to the panoply of super-beings and glamorous billionaires that qualify as Marvel's protagonists. Cap, Tony and co. are unquestionably entertaining figures, but relatable characters that speak to average cinema-goers are thin on the ground in Civil War. Except, that is, for Scott Lang, the average Joe that's positively star struck by the Avengers, and Peter Parker. The first time we meet Parker, he's trudging home with a discarded DVD player under his arm - scrap that he might use in one of his home projects (he's a tech hobbyist). He nervously greets Tony Stark as he attempts to keep his identity secret from his aunt, and tells Tony he can't fight Captain America because he has homework. He's a neurotic kid from an anonymous apartment block in the middle of Queens, who also happens to fight crime of a night in a red and blue "onesie." This guy, clearly, is infinitely more relatable than your usual Avenger. 3) Tom Holland It's rare that Marvel gets it wrong on casting. One of the MCU's stronger points is that the actors chosen are almost always a good fit for the characters. And, in the case of Tom Holland, Marvel have knocked it out of the park yet again. It's largely because of him that Spider-Man feels so relatable, and it's because of his impeccable comic timing that Civil War feels so light whilst in the midst one of the MCU's darker moments. It's also because of Holland that Peter Parker already feels like such a lived-in character. It doesn't at all feel like Holland was parachuted in to reboot Spider-Man once again, even though that's literally what happened. Holland tested as Parker in May 2015 - a month after Civil War had already begun shooting - was cast in June, and was on set by July. But Holland's absolute confidence in the role betrays all that. Big things are expected of the actor, but based on this evidence, nobody should be too worried about how the next Spider-Man movie turns out. 2) The Stark Connection One thing Holland got tested on in that initial May screentest was how he worked with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans. Downey is going to play a part in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and it's through Tony Stark that Peter Parker is brought into the MCU fold in Civil War, so of course good chemistry between Holland and Downey was always going to be pretty essential. What's surprising is just how special the relationship between Holland and Downey is shown to be in the film. Again, with Holland brought in to play Parker at the last minute, you might imagine his scenes with Downey would feel thrown together or forced. Instead, they're marvellous together, the pair establishing a mentor-mentee dynamic within seconds, with Holland playing a precocious youngster with verbal diarrhea and Downey playing the cynical yet admiring father figure. Unexpectedly, it's Peter Parker and Tony Stark who make the most entertaining pairing in Civil War, with the other new alliances struggling to reach that level of easy comedy and charm. 1) He Gets The Standout Action Sequence Building on their strong action work in The Winter Soldier, the Russo brothers create some of Marvel's most spectacular action sequences in Civil War. There's the opening Crossbones pursuit in Lagos, the highway chase in Austria that ultimately has supersoldiers Cap and Bucky outrunning speeding cars, and the climactic fight set in Siberia that simultaneously ends Phase Two and kicks Phase Three off with a bang. Nothing, though, is quite as spectacular as Civil War's epic airport showdown, in particular the big surprise that comes slap bang in the middle of it all. No spoilers here, but suffice to say, Spider-Man plays a crucial role in that moment, which proves to be one of Marvel's bolder and more bizarre action beats. With a desire to make Tony proud and an idea he got from "that really old movie" Empire Strikes Back, Parker emerges as the victor. It's a great introduction to the new Spider-Man's intelligent fighting style, as well as further proof that the character is going to use humor to devastating effect.