Spider-Man: Homecoming is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. Produced by Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, and Pascal Pictures, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, it is the second Spider-Man film reboot and the 16th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Jon Watts from a screenplay by the writing teams of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, Watts and Christopher Ford, and Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, the film stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man alongside Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, Tyne Daly, Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr. In the film, Peter tries to balance high school life with being the hero Spider-Man while facing the Vulture (Keaton).
In February 2015, Marvel Studios and Sony reached a deal to share the film rights for Spider-Man, integrating the character into the established MCU. The following June, Holland was cast as Spider-Man, and Watts was hired to direct. Soon after, Daley and Goldstein joined the project. In April 2016, the film's title was revealed, along with additional cast members, including Downey Jr. in his MCU role of Tony Stark / Iron Man. Principal photography began in June 2016 at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia, and also took place in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York City, and Berlin. The film's additional screenwriters were revealed during filming, which wrapped in October 2016. The filmmakers made efforts to differentiate the film from previous Spider-Man films.
Spider-Man: Homecoming premiered in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on June 28, 2017, and was released in the United States on July 7, as part of Phase Three of the MCU. The film grossed $880.9million worldwide, becoming the second-most-successful Spider-Man film and the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2017. It received positive reviews for its light tone, its focus on Peter's high school life, and its acting, particularly of Holland and Keaton. Two direct sequels have been released: Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). A new trilogy of films from Sony and Marvel Studios then began with Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026).
Plot
Following the Battle of New York in 2012, Adrian Toomes and his salvage company are contracted to clean up the city, but their operation is taken over by the Department of Damage Control (DODC), a partnership between Tony Stark and the U.S. government. Enraged at being driven out of business, Toomes persuades his employees to keep the Chitauri technology they have already scavenged and use it to create and sell advanced weapons, including a flying Vulture suit Toomes uses to steal Chitauri power cells.
Eight years later, after being drafted into the Avengers by Stark to help with an internal dispute in Germany, teenager Peter Parker resumes his studies at the Midtown School of Science and Technology when Stark tells him he is not ready to become a full-time Avenger. Peter quits his school's academic decathlon team to spend more time focusing on his crime-fighting activities as Spider-Man. His best friend, Ned, eventually discovers his secret identity.
Peter comes across Toomes's associates Jackson Brice / Shocker and Herman Schultz selling weapons to local criminal Aaron Davis. Peter saves Davis before being caught by Toomes in the Vulture suit and dropped into a lake. He nearly drowns but is rescued by Stark, who warns him against further involvement with the criminals. Meanwhile, Toomes accidentally kills Brice with one of their weapons and Schultz becomes the new Shocker.
Peter and Ned study a weapon Brice left behind, and remove its power core. When a tracking device on Schultz indicates he is traveling to Maryland, Peter rejoins the decathlon team and accompanies them to Washington, D.C. for a national tournament. Ned and Peter disable a tracking device Stark implanted in the Spider-Man suit, and unlock its advanced features. Peter tries to stop Toomes from stealing weapons from a DODC truck but is trapped inside, causing him to miss the decathlon tournament. When he discovers that the power core is an unstable Chitauri grenade, he races to the Washington Monument, where the core is activated and explodes, trapping a group of Peter's decathlon teammates in an elevator. Peter breaks inside and saves everyone, including his crush Liz. Days later, Peter captures Toomes's new buyer Mac Gargan aboard the Staten Island Ferry, but Toomes escapes while a malfunctioning weapon tears the ferry in half. Stark arrives and helps Peter save the passengers, but confiscates Peter's suit as punishment for his recklessness.
Peter returns to his high school life and asks Liz to the homecoming dance. On the night of the dance, Peter discovers that Toomes is Liz's father, and Toomes deduces that Peter is Spider-Man. After Toomes threatens him, Peter realizes Toomes is planning to hijack a DODC plane transporting weapons from Avengers Tower to the team's new headquarters in Upstate New York.
Peter leaves the dance and dons his old homemade Spider-Man suit. He is ambushed by Schultz, but defeats him with Ned's help. Peter races to Toomes's compound, where Toomes attacks him and leaves him to die under a pile of rubble. Peter finds the strength to escape and intercepts the plane, steering it to crash on the beach at Coney Island. He and Toomes fight, with Peter eventually saving Toomes's life after the damaged Vulture suit explodes. Peter leaves Toomes for the police. Following Toomes's arrest, Liz moves away and Peter declines an invitation from Stark to join the Avengers full time. Back in his bedroom, Peter puts on the Spider-Man suit that Stark returned to him, just before his aunt May walks in.
In a mid-credits scene, an incarcerated Gargan approaches Toomes in prison. He says he heard that Toomes knows Spider-Man's real identity, but Toomes denies this.
Cast
Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man:A 15-year-old who gained spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. Producers Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal were impressed by Holland's performances in projects such as the films The Impossible (2012) and In the Heart of the Sea (2015), and the television series Wolf Hall (2015). Holland took inspiration from previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield but also hoped to deliver something "new and exciting" with his take on the character, the first to focus on Peter as "dealing with everyday problems that a 15-year-old deals with as well as trying to save the city". Holland attended the Bronx High School of Science in the Bronx for a few days to prepare for the role; other students did not believe he was cast as Spider-Man. Holland felt this would carry over well to the film, where other characters do not suspect Peter of being Spider-Man. It took 25 to 45 minutes for Holland to get into costume, depending on if he had to wear a stunt harness underneath the suit. Holland initially signed for six MCU films, including three Spider-Man films. Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes / Vulture:A salvager-turned-arms-trafficker after his company is forced out of business. He uses a suit with mechanical wings forged from Chitauri technology. Toomes is revealed to be the father of Liz, Peter's love interest. Director Jon Watts wanted him to be a "regular guy", closer to John C. Reilly's Nova Corpsman Rhomann Dey from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) than other villains in the franchise like Thanos and Ultron, to go with Spider-Man as a "regular kid who becomes a superhero". This helped avoid Toomes drawing the attention of the Avengers, and provided someone that Peter would be able to defeat while still learning to use his abilities. Keaton said Toomes was not completely villainous, as "there's parts of him that you go, 'You know what? I might see his point.'" Co-producer Eric Hauserman Carroll likened Toomes to "the dark Tony Stark", a "businessman with a family. He wants to look out for his kids ... He doesn't have these big delusions of grandeur where he wants to take over the world, or replace the government, or even defeat the Avengers or anything. He just wants his shot at the good life." Keaton was not hesitant to portray another comic book character after playing Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 film and its 1992 sequel. Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan:The former head of security for Stark Industries and Tony Stark's driver and bodyguard. Hogan is "looking after" Peter in the film, with Favreau saying that Peter "needs someone to help him out". Favreau previously portrayed Hogan in the Iron Man films, having also directed the first two of those, and described returning as just an actor as fun, allowing him "to maintain the relationship with the MCU ... Especially when the filmmakers are taking care of you, and taking care of the characters and the story." Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts: Tony Stark's fiancée and the CEO of Stark Industries. Zendaya as Michelle:One of Peter's classmates, also known as "MJ". Zendaya, calling her awkward but intellectual, said that "she just feels like she doesn't need to talk to people" because of her intelligence. She added that it was "refreshing" that Michelle was weird and different, feeling that "a lot of young people—especially young women—can relate to that." Watts likened the character to Ally Sheedy's Allison Reynolds from the film The Breakfast Club (1985) or Linda Cardellini's Lindsay Weir from the television series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000). The character is not a direct adaptation of Mary Jane Watson, but was given the initials "MJ" to "remind [fans] of that dynamic", with the writers "plant[ing] the seeds in this movie" for comparisons to Watson, but also making her "wholly different". Feige added that Michelle is "not obsessed with" Peter like Watson is at times in the comics, "she's just observant". Her full name, Michelle Jones-Watson, was revealed in the sequel Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Donald Glover as Aaron Davis:A criminal looking to purchase weapons from Toomes. The character's moniker from the comics, "Prowler", is listed as one of his aliases, although he is not referred to as such in the film. Davis is the uncle of Miles Morales, an inheritor of the Spider-Man mantle, in the comics. Glover voiced Morales in the television series Ultimate Spider-Man (2012–2017), and campaigned to portray Spider-Man in a film in 2010. Watts was aware of the campaign, and as soon as he was hired he asked Feige about casting Glover. The role was designed as "a surprise treat for fans", with Davis mentioning his nephew to set up Morales potentially appearing in a future MCU film. Watts insisted Glover accept the part, assuring him that if he declined the offer, he would have scrapped Davis from the film. Jacob Batalon as Ned:Peter's best friend, who is a "complete gamer". Batalon described him as "the quintessential best guy, the best man, the number two guy, the guy in the chair" for Peter. Marvel used Ned Leeds as a basis for the character, who does not have a last name in the script or film, but essentially created their own character with him. Carroll said that Ned and other characters in the film are composites of several of their favorites from Spider-Man comics, notably Ganke Lee, who is Morales' best friend in Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man (2011–2013). He is given the last name "Leeds" in the sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), which was confirmed in No Way Home. Laura Harrier as Liz: A senior, Peter's love interest, and Toomes's daughter, with a "type-A" personality.