Geek - Issue 7 2019 - 24

of the story in my two hours,"
muses Watts, who also directed
this film's predecessor, SpiderMan: Homecoming. "Instead, I get
to use it as a jumping-off point
to tell a really interesting story
about this kid dealing with this
loss, trying to move on with his
life and really coming to terms
with who he is going to be now
in this larger universe. I was really
excited to do it because it's very
emotional and that's always my
entry point for any kind of story."
While Holland's take on the
character was introduced in
2016's Captain America: Civil War,
he pretty quickly followed it up
with Spider-Man: Homecoming,
before being launched into the
one-two punch of Avengers
films, Infinity War and Endgame.
All of that would seem to have
had a profound effect on the
character by the time we see him
in Far from Home.
Says Watts, "In terms of what
Peter's been through, I always
think about the fact that in
Homecoming he was a kid who
really believes he is ready to step
up and be a part of something
bigger. And he really did feel like
he was ready, but the world was
telling him he wasn't. And now,
post-Endgame and Tony Stark,
we're in a world that's actually
pressuring him to step up and
him not being so sure that he's
ready. To me, that's something
a lot of people can relate to. You
spend your whole life trying to
be treated a certain way or to
achieve a specific thing, then you
get it and you realize, 'Oh, from
this point on, nothing will be the
same. Am I really going to cross
that threshold and not be able
to go back?' And, for Peter, that
means not being a kid anymore.
Not being able to be worried
about the things that he was
worried about in Homecoming.
It'll be life-changing for him,
which is something he's aware
of. He's seen the sacrifices that
come with that."
24

ISSUE 07

■ PARTHENON
CRAWLER: Peter
Parker (Tom
Holland) trades
the streets of New
York for Italy in
Spider-Man: Far
from Home.

■ FANCY MEETING:
Michelle Jones
(Zendaya) has a
close encounter
with Spider-Man.

An intriguing aspect of this
take on the character has
been the relationship between
Holland's Parker and Robert
Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark/Iron
Man. In many ways, Stark has
assumed the traditional Uncle
Ben role in this take on the
Spider-Man mythos. And now
with Stark having sacrificed
himself at the conclusion of
Endgame, many are wondering
if, in some way, Parker will have
no choice but to pick up his
mantle in the MCU.
Reflects Watts, "There are
definitely parallels, for sure,
and I think that the essential
wounds in Peter's story is a
big part of what makes this
character who he is. We've
been in this unique perspective
where we've gotten to tell

that iconic Peter Parker origin
story, but using Tony Stark
and the connection between
them. With Endgame, what I
didn't realize until I went to the
premiere was they were going
to have Tony see that photo
of him and Peter. I also didn't
realize how that was going to
push Tony across the brink in
those early scenes. And that
was a big part, too, of setting
up that final payoff where you
realize how important their
relationship was to Tony and
how much Peter meant to him.
"And, yes," he adds, "one of
the big questions is whether or
not he's going to become Tony
Stark, but for Peter, and for us
as filmmakers, the question
is, how is Peter going to be
different? What is his place

not to just become Iron Man
Jr.? What makes him different
and what separates him from
Tony Stark? To me, that's the
challenge and the fun of the
movie; being on this quest with
Peter to find out what sort of
hero he's going to be."
Helping him on that journey
will be Jon Favreau returning
as Happy Hogan, who in
Homecoming barely had time
for Parker (though had gained
enormous respect for Parker by
the end).
"I always love the dynamic
between Peter and Happy,"
notes Watts. "It was just
great when the two of them
were on screen together,
and a lot of their moments
were unexpected. I wanted
to preserve that relationship,
Geek - Issue 7 2019

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