Captain America: Civil War is shaping up to be the biggest “solo” Marvel outing yet, with an expanding cast of superhero guest stars and a politically-charged story that could make the film an even bigger event than Avengers: Age of Ultron. Fans are already on edge waiting to find out the fates of their favorite Marvel heroes as a bitter ideological divide splits The Avengers into two warring factions, and the stakes have never felt higher – and not just because the popular Marvel Comics miniseries the film is based on ended with many beloved characters dead, imprisoned or changed forever.
But no mystery has fans more excited than the presence of Tom Holland as the first official Marvel Cinematic Universe incarnation of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. And while fans will have to wait a bit longer to see the young hero in costume, a new image has surfaced of an unmasked Holland hanging out in what may or may not be one of The Avengers’ iconic Quinjets.
Originally posted to Twitter by Marvel co-president Louis D’Esposito, the candid shot features Holland and the Marvel honcho posing inside a partially-greenscreened high-tech set presumed to be the cockpit of a Quinjet, the specially outfitted aircraft utilized by S.H.I.E.L.D and The Avengers in the films. The shot looks to have been taken during downtime and likely isn’t meant to reveal any specific scene from the film, it may be worth noting that Holland appears to be wearing makeup to simulate an injury above his right eye – suggesting that Peter Parker may be in for rough treatment at some point in the film.
I run into @TomHolland1996 in the craziest places pic.twitter.com/kLY1AkXFsp— Louis D’Esposito (@louisde2) January 22, 2016
While some fans have cried foul over casting such a young-looking actor for the role and questioned the logic of starting over with yet another Peter Parker after the underwhelming reception of the Amazing Spider-Man films rather than attempt a fresh take (Miles Morales, Silk or Spider-Gwen, to name a few), the move makes sense in terms of Marvel’s goal of having a “classic” version of Spidey join the Cinematic Universe: The new series of films will reportedly ground Peter in the familiar milieu of high school, navigating the difficulties of being both a superhero and an awkward, nerdy teenager in the vein of the original 1960s comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. However, it will reportedly not be an origin-story – hence the appearance of an already-active Spider-Man in Civil War. John Watts will direct the solo film from a screenplay by John Francis Daley & Jonathan M. Goldstein. Marisa Tomei has been cast as the new Aunt May, and some rumors have suggested that Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man may appear in a supporting role.
Thus far, details of Spider-Man’s involvement in Civil War and the storyline of his solo film are both closely-guarded secrets. In the Civil War comic, Spidey originally pledged to Iron Man’s pro-registration team, and received a unique “Iron Spider” costume for his loyalty. Given the specifics of that story line, many fans have wondered whether or not some filmic incarnation of the Iron Spider suit will make an appearance during the film. If so, that would certainly add to the dynamic between the two heroes, especially if Spider-Man’s role in Captain America hews closely to his part in the comic book event.
Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.
Source: Louis D’Esposito (via Twitter)
