Finding a “Home” for the Next ‘Spider-Man’
What’s in a name? A lot apparently.
Spider-Man: Homecoming was a cute little nod of a title, winking at an audience eager to have Spider-Man back in the fold of the Marvel Cinematic Universe while also acknowledging he’s a high school hero. Spider-Man: Far From Home works given the plot driving the movie, but it’s less resonate than Homecoming and started a weird labeling mode in the franchise that straddles Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures. With the second film maintaining “home” in the subtitle, a trend was formed, requiring the third film to follow suit, and producer Amy Pascal has reportedly confirmed that will be the case. The challenge: can director Jon Watts keep with this bizarre naming system and still create thematic consequence?
We say yes. In addition, we also have a few suggestions for those cobbling the script together. Below, you will find our home-based title suggestions for the next live-action Spider-Man feature. Certainly, one of them will eventually make its way to cinemas.
Spider-Man: Homeless
We originally conceived this pitch after worries erupted when Sony and Disney initially seemed to be ending their partnership, and even though their bond appears mended, we still think Spider-Man: Homeless is where the third film should go in the wake of Far From Home. The story picks up immediately after Spider-Man utters “WTF” to J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons), revealing Spidey’s secret identity from the safety of his Times Square jumbotron.
Peter Parker (Tom Holland) barely has a moment to think, let alone breathe, before a bullet rips into his shoulder. Kraven the Hunter grimaces from a nearby rooftop, loading the next round into his high-powered rifle. M.J. (Zendaya) screams. The crowd scatters. Spidey has to flee for his life. The entire film is told in real-time as the cat forever gets closer to the mouse.
Kraven’s Last Hunt is the last iconic Spider-Man story that hasn’t been tackled cinematically. Published in the wake of Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, Marvel Comics were testing the limits of how far they could push their hero. The storyline is bleak, unrelenting, and ultimately triumphant for the wall-crawler.
Spider-Man: Home Sweet Home
Hey! The MCU is sticking with Spidey for a little while longer. As Homecoming acted as a nod to returning the character to the universe where he belongs, Home Sweet Home also behaves like a bit of a nudge-nudge-wink-wink. Peter Parker belongs in the same realm as Tony Stark, especially since how this current version is emotionally tied to Tony’s death in a way he’s never been connected to Uncle Ben. Removing this Peter Parker from Tony Stark feels wrong on multiple levels.
Home Sweet Home should find ways for Peter to dig his heels even further into the MCU. With his identity out in the open, Spider-Man has to align himself with folks who have his back. Guns are gonna come blazing for Peter and his family. They will need protection. He’s an Avenger, so a few of his pals should aid his defense. Time to get Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), Ned (Jacob Batalon), and M.J. in the bunker where they can make a last stand against a set of Sinister Six villains.
Spider-Man: Homewrecker
Aunt May has never been more vulnerable. Her boy has been ousted by J. Jonah Jameson. Peter is on the run. He can’t protect her while he’s struggling to protect himself. This leaves the door open for predators wearing gleaming smiles. Enter: Doctor Octopus.
Another classic storyline from the comics focuses on the romantic relationship between Otto Octavius and Aunt May (see The Amazing Spider-Man #131). During that time, Peter Parker was still reeling from the death of Gwen Stacy, and he didn’t notice that his Aunt had taken up part-time work as a housekeeper to Doc Ock. By the time the revelation hit him, wedding bells were already chiming.
Thankfully, mere minutes before the “I do” was uttered, another Spidey villain, Hammerhead, crashed the shindig. During their battle, it’s revealed that Ock was only after a recent inheritance settlement received by May. To make matters even more insane, the inheritance in question is a Canadian island in which a Nuclear Breeding Reactor resides?!?!?
Okay, so none of that belongs in Spider-Man: Homewrecker, but one could easily use the story frame to re-insert Doctor Octopus into the Spider-Man franchise and give Aunt May a little more to do than be worried about her spandex kid. While we probably never need to see the Green Goblin go up against Spider-Man ever again, Doc Ock is an integral part of the Sinister Six and would also play well when paired against Michael Keaton‘s The Vulture.
Spider-Man: Home Is Where The Heart Is
Think of this entry as a Fantastic Voyage/Innerspace scenario. Peter Parker, the science-whiz, is recruited by the Future Foundation to save the life of the smartest mind on the planet. The subject is a nine-year-old girl named Lunella Lafayette, aka Moon Girl of Devil Dinosaur and Moon Girl. Some unknown force is operating within her, destroying her immune system, tearing the body down from the inside out.
Peter and a small team of young scientists (Franklin Richards, Valerie Richards, Bentley-23, Alex Power, and the android Dragon Man) board a vessel that is to be miniaturized and injected into Lunella’s bloodstream. Within the child’s body, they encounter any number of biological invaders, but when all is said and done, they save the girl’s life and return to the outside world with a better understanding of the system that keeps them walking this Earth. The film ends with Peter meeting Franklin and Val’s father, as well as the owner of the Future Foundation, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four.
Spider-Man: Homeward Bound
After a wild summer vacation, Peter is getting settled back into his NYC digs when J.J.J. had to go and ruin it all by outing him to the public. Now, Spider-Man has to hit the road and find a way to put this genie back in the bottle. If only he had access to a time machine?? Hmmmm…he knows some superhero scientists with such a capability. The trick is convincing them to let him use it for selfish reasons. Cue Bruce Banner to try and explain once again how time travel doesn’t work like the plot of Back to the Future. Good luck trying to convince the kid, cuz he’s desperate.
Spider-Man: Home Invasion
Hey, who says the Secret Invasion storyline has to be reserved for a big Avengers movie event? Like any massive news story, the “Peter Parker is Spider-Man” headline only matters until the next sensational topic comes around. The revelation that Skrulls have invaded nearly every facet of our daily life would force the world to care a little less about Spider-Man’s secret identity, and if Peter’s big brain helped find a way to pull the shapeshifting Skrulls out into the open, then the public would eventually side with the kid. Home Invasion would also bring to light the Kree/Skrull war, paving the way for that cataclysmic battle to arise in an Avengers sequel.
Spider-Man: Phone Home
What if Spider-Man is yanked off the planet the moment his identity is revealed at the end of Far From Home? Peter spent so much time in space during Avengers: Infinity War that his heroism was noticed by the Beyonder. This creep wants to test the metal of the universe’s greatest champions, so he’s kidnapped them and pitted them against each other in gladiatorial combat on his own private Battleworld (he stole the idea from the Grandmaster’s scheme in Thor: Ragnarok). Forced to go toe-to-toe with some of the heaviest cosmic hitters, Spider-Man bulks up using a symbiote suit. That’s right, forget Venom, there are other sentient costumes in the universe, and Peter Parker deserves his own. Spider-Man: Phone Home also works as a set-up for Secret Wars, gathering other Marvel titans during the mid-credits sequences.
Spider-Man: Homefront
Or, maybe, instead of an alien yanking Peter from his planet, another eager wall-crawler pulls Peter from his reality and into theirs. Miles Morales needs help, the only kind that can be delivered by a Spider-Man. The third Spidey sequel goes full Who Framed Roger Rabbit incorporating both live-action and animation. Peter B. Parker, Spider-Gwen, and Peni Parker have been captured by the monstrous Morlun, a ravenous creature who feeds off spider-totems. Together, our Peter and Miles must free their friends and halt Morlun’s dimension-hopping as each jump brings the multiverse closer to annihilation.
Spider-Man: Home Schooled
No more science school for Peter. He’s too busy being on the lam, but that doesn’t mean his education has to stop. It’s time for Aunt May to step up and guide her nephew to his bright future, supplying not just the common sense required to take down dopes like The Spot but also fill his mind with critical thinking. When it comes to Batman, fans often complain about the lack of detective work on display in his films, and Spider-Man has a similar problem. The films must continue to reinforce that big brain on Spidey. He can punch and hop and quip with the best of them, but he’s a science hero, and that aspect of the character should never be traded for a rad action sequence.
Spider-Man: Home Run
With Peter Parker having to skedaddle, Spider-Man: Home Run sounds like a natural fit. The title implies speed, requiring a bombastic score that goes beyond the usual Ramones laced soundtrack. Look to Run Lola Run, Mr. Watts. Slap a techno beat to the action, and give in an extra jolt with Electro. Marc Webb and Jamie Foxx did that character dirty, and he could use some redemption.
Spider-Man: Home Stretch
Peter needs only to survive one film, and then he doesn’t have to worry about that pesky MCU ever again. He can go make mad bucks with Tom Hardy on the Venom Vs. sequel.
Spider-Man: Bring Home the Bacon
Peter Parker is no longer a kid. He’s got to earn his weight around Aunt May’s house. He needs a J.O.B. Life is expensive; you gotta pay up.
Spider-Man: Out of House and Home
Aunt May is pisssssed. How dare Peter Parker go and get his identity outed. He can’t hang with her anymore, time to find a place to call his own.
Spider-Man: Home Alone
Peter Parker had his summer vacation, and now it’s Aunt May’s time to have a little fun. She ditches New York, leaving Peter Parker to fend for himself and make nice with the grumpy old man living next door. He’s not so scary, even if the Green Goblin is his side-hustle.
Spider-Man: Home To Roost
Uncle Ben lives! Peter Parker may have moved on and found a different mentor to mourn over, but when his dead uncle returns from the grave, young Peter must finally reconcile with the shame he’s lived with for the past several years. Without a dead Uncle Ben in his life, can Spider-Man be Spider-Man? Shame is the root of his heroism. Ah, but don’t worry, the new Uncle Ben is just a clone created by The Jackal. Phew. Spidey can go back to punching things.
