Spider-Man: 3 Ways Each Movie In The MCU’s Homecoming Trilogy Is The Best

Tom Holland recently wrapped up his first Spider-Man solo trilogy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and, if rumors are to be believed, there’s a second on the way). Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home comprise arguably the MCU’s strongest trilogy to date. The Iron Man and Thor trilogies are let down by weak middle entries, and the Captain America trilogy trails off when Civil War balloons into Avengers 2.5.

From beginning to end, the Spider-Man trilogy focused on Peter Parker’s journey and told three distinctive yet deeply interconnected stories about who Spidey is at his core. Each entry in the MCU’s Spider-Man trilogy is the best of the bunch in its own ways.

3 Homecoming

Evoking A Specific Genre

Far From Home is essentially European Vacation with superheroes, while No Way Home is a straightforward Marvel epic, albeit with the fable-like storytelling of Frank Capra. Out of the gate, Homecoming evoked a specific genre and style more closely than almost any other MCU movie. Like the Russos did with Captain America: The Winter Soldier’s political paranoia or James Gunn did with Guardians of the Galaxy’s space opera framework, Jon Watts did a terrific job of helming Homecoming as both a familiar Marvel superhero adventure and a nod to a specific genre.

Homecoming is as much of a John Hughes-style high school comedy as it is a superhero actioner. Sometimes the referencing is a little on-the-nose, like having Ferris Bueller’s Day Off playing on a TV during a Ferris Bueller parody, but for the most part, Watts managed to transplant the beloved webslinger into a classic Hughes-style teen comedy. This approach made Homecoming a wholly unique superhero movie. The stakes feel just as high when Peter is asking Liz to the dance as they do when Spider-Man is fighting alien-tech-powered henchmen.

The Most Shocking Twist Reveal

The big twist in Holland’s first Spidey solo movie is revealed in the perfect way. Right at the end of an upbeat montage showing Peter leaving his Spidey mission behind and getting ready for the homecoming dance, he arrives to pick up his date, the front door opens, and it turns out her dad is the Vulture. There’s a great tension in Peter and the audience knowing who the Vulture is while the Vulture has no idea who Peter is (just yet).

The trilogy could never top this twist. The Mysterio reveal in Far From Home could be seen coming from a mile away and a few holes can be poked in No Way Home’s twists and turns. The Vulture reveal still holds up as a jaw-dropping moment leading to one of the MCU’s tensest scenes: the confrontation in the car.

The Best Mentor-Mentee Relationship

In each of his MCU solo movies, Peter Parker has been mentored by a flagship Marvel hero: Tony Stark in Homecoming, Nick Fury (although he turned out to be Talos in disguise) in Far From Home, and Stephen Strange in No Way Home.

While Talos-as-Fury and Strange both shared a great dynamic with Peter, his definitive father figure will always be Stark. Holland’s on-screen chemistry with Robert Downey, Jr. is unparalleled. Their heartwarming scenes in Civil War and Homecoming laid the groundwork for the heartbreaking payoffs in Infinity War and Endgame.

2 Far From Home

The Funniest One

There are plenty of laughs in all three Spider-Man movies, but Far From Home is arguably the funniest one. It’s practically a full-blown EuroTrip-style comedy that occasionally breaks into some superhero action.

With Ned firmly entrenched as Spidey’s “guy in the chair” and MJ lined up as his love interest, Far From Home marked the first time the producers really took advantage of the natural, effortless chemistry that Holland shares with Zendaya and Jacob Batalon. These three young actors make up one of the most watchable trios in blockbuster cinema.

The Most Dazzling Visual Effects

The MCU is notorious for shaky CGI, from the weightless climactic fight in Black Panther to the badly green-screened final battle in Black Widow, but Far From Home has some of the most impressive visual effects in blockbuster history.

Homecoming has plenty of fun with the otherworldly capabilities of the Vulture’s Chitauri tech and No Way Home has some eye-popping Doctor Strange magic, but Mysterio’s illusions in Far From Home are a CGI masterclass.

The Most Exciting Credits Scenes

Both of the credits scenes in Spider-Man: Far From Home deliver bombshell plot twists that are worth waiting through a long list of names to see. In the mid-credits scene, Spidey’s world is turned upside down ahead of his third solo movie as the Daily Bugle leaks his secret identity to the public and Mysterio posthumously frames him for the attack on London.

The post-credits stinger has an equally shocking twist, revealing that Fury was a Skrull in disguise the whole time, while the real Fury has been working for S.W.O.R.D. in outer space. After the mid-credits sequence directly set up the next Spider-Man movie, the post-credits scene seems to have set up the Secret Invasion series on Disney+.

1 No Way Home

The Most Engaging Opening Sequence

Homecoming opens with a recap of Civil War, and Far From Home opens with a post-Endgame post-mortem, but No Way Home bursts out of the gate with a riveting opening sequence.

The opening of No Way Home picks up where Far From Home left off as Peter deals with the fallout of the Bugle revealing his identity. This fast-moving opening act has everything from a Matt Murdock cameo to a Peter Parker shrine at Midtown High.

The Best Villain

Although the MCU as a whole is sometimes accused of having a “villain problem,” the Spider-Man trilogy has no villainous weak spots. Michael Keaton’s Vulture shared Peter’s working-class grit, and while Far From Home’s Mysterio twist was pretty predictable, Jake Gyllenhaal made up for it with an unforgettable performance. But No Way Home undoubtedly has the trilogy’s best villain.

Some of the returning multiversal baddies are relegated to background roles, but Willem Dafoe’s return to the role of the Green Goblin is stronger than ever. With a Goblin that challenges Peter’s moral compass, No Way Home illustrates what makes him Spidey’s ultimate arch-nemesis. Jon Watts mercifully shatters the Power Rangers mask in an early scene to reveal the wonderfully expressive actor underneath.

The Most Ambitious Storytelling

With its live-action Spider-Verse, No Way Home easily has the most ambitious storyline of the trilogy – and maybe of the entire cinematic universe. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men enter the MCU through a multiversal portal and team up with Holland’s Spidey to battle a Sinister Six (minus one) of classic villains. The execution of this premise could’ve gone horribly wrong. A less self-assured version of this movie would disappear down the meta rabbit hole.

But Jon Watts makes it work because the story remains focused on the culmination of Peter’s hero’s journey. Maguire and Garfield act as wise mentors who inspire Holland to make a heartbreaking sacrifice that gives the trilogy a perfect bittersweet ending. Watts attempted arguably the MCU’s most ambitious, experimental narrative to date and stuck the landing beautifully.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3473 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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