Moreover, Peter accompanies Stark to battle the powerful alien Ebony Maw against his mentor’s will. Throughout these scenes, Holland infuses Spidey with that sprightly bravado that we know and love about the character. When Spider-Man realizes that he’s fading out of existence, all of that nervous bluster disappears to reveal the scared teenager beneath. Holland channels the same youthful whimper that he utilized beneath the rubble in Spider-Man: Homecoming. In doing so, he ensures that the moment packs even more of a punch. It doesn’t help that his simple, yet evocative cries mimic those of the Tenth Doctor’s tear-jerking departure, either.
What’s even more notable about this scene is that, thanks to Tom Holland’s efforts, so many people have connected with his version of Spider-Man, against all the odds. When Spidey was brought into the MCU, critics of the Sony/Marvel deal complained that we’d overdosed on the wall-crawler. How could we warm to a third movie version of the same character in such a short space of time? The fact that so many people were moved to tears by this scene shows just how much Spider-Man – and the rest of these characters – has resonated with cinema-goers everywhere. Audiences could have smiled in shock. Instead, they gasped in anguish and horror.
It’s a testament to the talents of these actors, the production teams, and the strength of these stories that they remain as popular as they were upon their first cinematic outing – if not more so.
