film / 2017
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Peter Parker tries to prove he belongs with the Avengers while a weapons dealer turns alien technology against New York.
Verified facts
- Runtime
- 2h 13m
- Director
- Jon Watts
- Released
- 2017
- Origin
- United States
PlotGeeks explainer signals
Why read this explainer
Peter's school life, Stark's expectations, and the Vulture investigation converge at the homecoming dance. The discovery about Liz's father makes their separation impossible to maintain.
PlotGeeks note
Losing Stark's suit leaves Peter to decide whether he will keep protecting people without its advantages. Saving Toomes supplies an answer before Stark offers Avengers membership.
Connected knowledge
Connected in PlotGeeks
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Timeline
Major events
- Peter returns to Queens
The Berlin mission leaves him eager for Avengers-level work.
- The ferry splits
Peter's unsupervised pursuit endangers civilians and costs him Stark's suit.
- Peter identifies Toomes
Liz's father becomes the criminal Peter has been hunting.
- The plane crashes
Peter stops the theft and saves Toomes without relying on Stark technology.
Story in 60 Seconds
The short version
After fighting with the Avengers in Berlin, teenager Peter Parker returns to Queens and patrols as Spider-Man while waiting for another mission from Tony Stark. He discovers Adrian Toomes selling weapons built from salvaged alien technology, but Stark repeatedly tells him to leave the case to adults. Peter's interference causes a ferry disaster, and Stark confiscates his enhanced suit. During the homecoming dance, Peter realizes that his date Liz is Toomes's daughter. Toomes identifies Peter, threatens his family, and leaves to hijack a plane carrying Avengers equipment.
Spoiler sectionEnding ExplainedShow ending detailsHide ending details
Peter abandons the dance, escapes Toomes's trap, and confronts him in his homemade suit. When Toomes's wing harness explodes after the plane crashes, Peter saves him and leaves him for the police instead of taking revenge. Stark offers Peter Avengers membership and a new suit, but Peter declines, accepting that he still needs to grow as a neighborhood hero. Back home, Aunt May discovers his secret identity when she sees him wearing the returned suit.
Original context
Why it matters
Refusing the promotion he wanted
Peter's decision to decline Avengers membership follows the rescue of Toomes. He accepts neighborhood responsibility before May's discovery creates a new problem within his own home.
Key turning points
Stark takes back the suit
The ferry disaster costs Peter the technology and approval he wanted. Pursuing Toomes afterward requires him to act with the equipment he made himself.
Character links
Who connects to whom
Character motivations
Leaving the dance to protect people
Once Peter recognizes Toomes, attending the dance can no longer keep his school life apart from the investigation. He follows the planned theft despite the personal cost.
Explore the story
Creators, themes, and characters
Reading and watching order
Where this story fits
Films
MCU Spider-Man films in order
Watch the four Tom Holland solo films in release order. Each film directly inherits Peter's relationships, public identity, and consequences from the previous entry.
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