One moment in 'Spider-Man Homecoming' shows how the movie gave the franchise new life by making its hero vulnerable

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" opened this weekend with a $117 million box office bang, much to the delight of Sony executives, who were rumored to be fraught with anxiety over franchise fatigue. Earnings for the Spider-Man franchise have been dwindling since the premiere of Sam Rami's "Spider-Man" in 2002, but things seem to be turning around.

There's already a lot of speculation as to how this newest iteration of Spider-Man was able to breathe new life into the franchise, but there is one particular moment in the film that points to what differentiates this Spider-Man reboot from its predecessors.

One of the central moments in "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is when Peter Parker's nemesis Vulture (played by Michael Keaton), uses his alien-powered weaponry to drop a floor of a building on Parker, leaving him completely buried in rubble. While stuck under the rubble, Parker calls out for help, and seems beyond hopeless in this moment. In this scene, there is no chest beating, no sense of valor, just a kid stuck in a pile of rubble calling for help.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, John Francis Daley, one of the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" screenwriters discussed this pivotal moment in the film,

"That allusion was something Kevin Feige really wanted to put into this script, because it sort of embodies the internal struggle that Peter Parker is facing throughout, where he is his own greatest enemy in some ways, to have to accept himself before he can do anything helpful for the world. We have him starting the scene with such self-doubt and helplessness, in a way that you really see the kid. You feel for him. He's screaming for help, because he doesn't think he can do it, and then in the context of that flashback, he kind of realizes that that's been his biggest problem. He didn't have the confidence in himself to get himself out of there."

Vulnerability in superhero movies is not new. But Holland manages to expertly portray a Spider-Man whose biggest weakness is himself, and creates a refreshing new hero in the process. No magical backstory, no swoon-worthy romance, no bravado, just a kid from Queens trying to have faith in himself, keep his neighborhood safe, and keep himself from getting expelled at the same time.

One moment in 'Spider-Man Homecoming' shows how the movie gave the franchise new life by making its hero vulnerable

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!