Superhero movies often mine the comic books for inspiration, but that’s a much more daunting task than most when dealing with Spider-Man. As one of the most popular comic heroes in the world, Spidey has starred in so many iconic adventures over the past 55 years. Current Peter Parker, Tom Holland, had one era of the character’s comics in particular though that he looked to for inspiration when filming Spider-Man: Homecoming.
When asked about where he looked in the source material while doing his research, here’s what the actor told IGN.
“The comics that sort of resonated with me most and I used for my performance was the Ultimate Spider-Man comics. They’re so modern and up-to-date with what’s happening in the world right now. For me, it was just a really, really strong thing to follow and I have so many screenshots on my phone from like lines that were written that I stole to use for the movie.”
In case you’re not familiar with the series, Ultimate Spider-Man began life in 2000 as part of the Ultimate universe initiative from Marvel – a completely fresh continuity intended to entice new readers aboard. The comics rebooted Peter Parker as a regular teen in the 21st century and also reshuffled his supporting cast of friends and family, just as Homecoming will.
The comics have also been touched on in both Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movies and The Amazing Spider-Man films. Not to mention Disney’s Ultimate Spider-Man TV series. Likewise, they also introduced Peter’s successor Miles Morales, who will soon be getting his own animated movie from Sony. Miles’ best friend, Ganke Lee, also looks to be the inspiration for Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds in Homecoming.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is directed by Jon Watts and swings into cinemas on July 7th.