Tom Holland Reveals Spider-Man: Homecoming Comic Influences

Tom Holland has revealed which comic books he used for inspiration while making this summer's Spider-Man: Homecoming. The actor may be the third man to slip on the red and blue suit of Spider-Man in the 21st Century, but the latest portrayal promises to bring Peter Parker firmly into the MCU with Spidey's newest solo film. Taking over from the very different performances of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, Holland is bringing a more youthful big screen version of Your Friendly Neighborhood hero to life, staying in high school for the entirety of Homecoming.

In an era of tweeting millennials and Facebook Live, Holland has perhaps the hardest job out of any Spider-Man by keeping him relevant to our fast-paced lifestyles. First appearing as a scene-stealing highlight of The Russo Brothers' Captain America: Civil War, this year will really give Holland his chance to make the part of Peter Parker his own. Although we will see a much younger version of the hero that we may be used to from the Sony era of Spider-Man, chances are that just like Holland, we can grow with the character.

Holland nabbing the role was certainly more than just practicing backflips in his back garden, and the 21-year-old has clearly been putting some research into the part. However, speaking to IGN, Holland confirmed which era of Spider-Man's 55-year tenure especially helped craft his Homecoming version:

“The comics that sort of resonated with me most and I used for my performance was the Ultimate Spider-Man comics. They’re so modern and up-to-date with what’s happening in the world right now. For me, it was just a really, really strong thing to follow and I have so many screenshots on my phone from like lines that were written that I stole to use for the movie.”

Running from 2000 to 2009, Ultimate Spider-Man was a brave modernization of the character that fortunately clicked with audiences. Given that the lackluster Spider-Man: Chapter One from 1998 was both a commercial and critical failure, you can see why Marvel may have been hesitant to "reboot" again so quickly. However, with the twinkle back in Peter's eye, Ultimate Spider-Man became the figurehead of the entire "Ultimate" universe and remains hugely popular.

You don't have to look far to see the influence of Ultimate Spider-Man on Homecoming's aesthetic. From the Avengers bank heist being pulled straight from the pages of one issue to the relationship of Peter and Ned mirroring the characters of Miles Morales and Ganke Lee, John Watts seems to be lifting a lot of the Ultimate line for Holland's blockbuster.

Given that Ultimate Spider-Man also introduced us to fan-favorite Miles Morales, there are strong suspicions that the MCU will be working his time as the friendly neighborhood hero into their future at some point too. That being said, with Holland's lucrative studio deal and a long wall-crawling future ahead of him, Spider-Man: Homecoming promises to be just the start of a Spider-Man who isn't afraid to juggle saving the world with ing the latest iPhone software or leveling up on Candy Crush.