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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Marvel Studios released their newest movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming, less than two weeks ago. I think it is safe to say that we can finally talk about the film’s Easter Eggs and References. Warning: If you have not yet seen the movie, check it out now before reading ahead!
The first thing that should be noted is this: a devout Marvel fan cannot be remiss of the OG Spider-Man theme song that played during the Marvel intro.
Damage Control is a fictional company in the Marvel comics run by Anne Marie Hoag–played by Tyne Daly in the film–and was supposed to be the center of an MCU show on ABC following Agents of SHIELD Season 3, but was unfortunately scrapped.
Civil War references are also scattered throughout the film. For instance, the gym teacher, played by Hannibal Buress, makes references to the Accords.
Also, we cannot ignore the ever-so-popular Stan Lee cameo. In this film, Lee makes a brief appearance as Gary. Spider-Man tries to stop a man from breaking into a car, but when the alarm sounds, this disturbs the people of the residential homes. Stan Lee is one of those people, who then tell our hero that the car belongs to the man breaking into it.
When Peter chases Brice and Schultz’s van in the suburban neighborhood, footage of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is shown. This is a nod to a scene in the film where the eponymous character races back home before his family. However, this is not the first Marvel movie to have made a reference to Ferris Bueller; Deadpool recreates the movie’s post-credits scene in its own movie.
When Tony Stark saves Peter from drowning after he is freed from the Vulture via parachute, Tony tells Peter to leave protecting the New York City to other people, who “work below their pay grade.” This could be a subtle reference to the Defenders or agents of SHIELD, although I could be wrong. He could have been referring to the FBI, who appears later in the film during the ferry scene.
After Tony saves Peter, he asks him “Why can’t you be a friendly…neighborhood Spider-Man?” For the true Marvel fans, this line is pretty self-explanatory.
When Peter tracks down Schultz and the Tinkerer, Schultz makes a reference to the Triskellion. This is a reference to the climax scene of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
The Sniper’s point of view on Spidey when he was at the tip of the Washington Monument reminded me of The Amazing Spider-Man issue cover of Punisher’s first appearance. I could be wrong, although I thought this was a nice nod to that.
Midtown High’s mascot is the Tiger. This could be a reference to what Mary Jane Watson nicknames Peter Parker in the comics.
In the film, Karen takes a full facial recognition on the deal under the bridge. Donald Glover is revealed to be portraying Aaron Davis aka Prowler, the uncle of Miles Morales in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. (In the comics, Morales is the succeeding Spider-Man following the death of Peter Parker at the hands of the Sinister Six. Davis is the reason Miles becomes the next Spider-Man. He breaks into an OsCorps lab and steals some items, while a genetically altered spider sneaks into his bag. Eventually, the spider makes its way to Miles, and the rest is history.) Despite Glover having only two scenes in the film, could this provide leeway to a future movie involving Morales as the African-American Spider-Man? I would love to hope so. #donald4spiderman
Speaking of Morales, we get a brief reference to him when Spidey interrogates Aaron Davis. When Spider-Man says he wants to shut down the Toomes operation, Davis says, “I don’t these weapons in my neighborhood; I have a nephew who lives here.” This was the greatest moment of Homecoming in my opinion after viewing the movie a second time!
Scorpion makes an out-of-costume appearance at the ferry. Karen runs a facial recognition on Mac Gargan, who is revealed to have a tattoo of a scorpion on the left side of his neck. The character also appears in the mid-credits scene of the film having a conversation in prison with Toomes.
Zendaya’s character’s full name is revealed to be Michelle Jones, who, by the end of the film, says that her friends call her “MJ.” This is a nod to the popular yet highly debated fan theory that Zendaya would be playing MJ aka Mary Jane Watson, a popular love interest of Peter Parker.
Angourie Rice is indeed confirmed to be playing Betty Brant, a fellow student at Peter Parker’s high school and a co-reporter at their school news channel. This could also be a nod to Brant and Peter working at the Daily Bugle later as adults. In the comics, Brant is also a love interest of Peter Parker.
Jennifer Connelly voices Peter’s new A.I. Karen. The actress is also married to Paul Bettany, who played J.A.R.V.I.S. and then Vision in previous and future MCU movies. She also portrayed Betty Ross in Ang Lee’s Hulk (2003).
Gwyneth Paltrow reprises her MCU role as Pepper Potts, which debunks the rumor that the actress is done with Marvel. At the end of the film, when Peter declines Tony Stark’s offer, Stark decides to marry Pepper in the room of news reporters. Happy Hogan gives him a wedding ring that he has had with him since 2008. How peculiar…
In the Damage Control facility, Peter looks through the container he was trapped in for objects, one of which is an Ultron droid head.
As Happy Hogan was transporting the last of the Avengers paraphernalia into the plane to the new headquarters, he says about a “prototype” for Captain America’s “new shield.” Could this tease something for Steve Rogers in Infinity War? In addition, there are crates filled with arc reactors, the Hulkbuster, and an Iron Man helmet in the transport. With detailed news of D23’s Avengers: Infinity War trailer coming to light, we can be absolutely certain that we will have more of at least the Hulkbuster again!
The principal of Midtown is confirmed to be the descendant of Jim Morita, who was a member of the Howling Commandos in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
At the end of the movie, Peter is brought to the new Avengers headquarters where Stark offers him a new suit along with a room of news reporters behind it. In my opinion, had it went down this path, this would be reminiscent of a scene in the main Civil War comic storyline when Peter Parker revealed his identity to the world.
Marvel connections:
- Tony Revolori (Flash in Spider-Man: Homecoming) was in a 2015 movie called Dope with Shameik Moore, an actor who is going to voice Miles Morales in the future untitled Sony animated Spider-Man movie. (Also–although not MCU-related–Kiersey Clemons plays the girl of the trio of friends, and will play Iris West in the DCEU’s Flash movie.)
- There is also continuity of the Community connection with help from the Russo Brothers. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, one of the SHIELD technicians during the climax scene is played by Danny Pudi, who was Abed Nadir in the show. In addition, DC Pierson plays an Apple Store employee in the film. Jim Rash–who played Community’s Dean Pelton–makes a cameo at the beginning of Captain America: Civil War as a faculty member of MIT. Now, we have Donald Glover (Aaron Davis in Homecoming) who played Abed’s best friend Troy Barnes in the show.
- There is also a Freaks and Geeks connection. Linda Cardellini, who played Lindsay Weir, portrayed Hawkeye’s wife in Age of Ultron; she also played Velma in the Scooby-Doo movies. John Francis Daley co-wrote the screenplay for Homecoming; he also played the main Geek in the show, Sam Weir. Martin Starr (of Silicon Valley fame) portrayed the decathlon coach in Homecoming, and played Bill Haverchuck in Freaks and Geeks; Starr also portrayed college pizza computer guy/ Amadeus Cho in 2008’s The Incredible Hulk.
Mid-credits scene: An imprisoned Mac Gargan (Scorpion) approaches Adrian Toomes about getting together with other bad guys “on the outside” to take down our hero. Gargan adds, “I heard a rumor you know who he is.” Having his family’s life saved by Parker, Toomes shows no interest and says, “If I knew he was, he would already be dead.” Could this scene set up a Sinister Six story arc in the future? One could only hope.
Post-credits scene: Captain America addresses audiences in a fourth wall scene akin to that of Deadpool (2016)’s post-credits scene. The super soldier makes a short public service announcement referencing moviegoers patiently having to wait till the end of a movie for the post-credits scene. How meta of the writers to have that included…
Are there other Easter Eggs and references that you have found that are not on this list? Missed any? Looking for more? Watch Spider-Man: Homecoming today!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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