Why the Vulture Car Scene in Spider-Man: Homecoming Is the Perfect Spider-Man Moment

When it comes to Spider-Man films, car scenes actually play a big part in developing and defining what Peter Parker stands for. Whether it's lashing out at Uncle Ben in their last real conversation before his death, seeing his ghost as he quits being Spider-Man, or coming home with Tony from his first real mission, Peter speaking to an elderly mentor figure in a car is something that has appeared at several points throughout multiple Marvel movies. I think this is often used as a framing device because we're so used to seeing Peter swinging through the air with ease as he glides across the city. Bringing him into a confined space with little to no room somewhat encloses the character and means he has to face things head on, unable to run away or escape. It's in these moments that we see what Peter is truly going through, and nowhere is this shown more than in the one during Homecoming.

For the last week I've been racking my brain to think about what my favorite Spider-Man scene is, and I think this one comes out on top for a number of reasons. It shows the difference between Peter and his villains and it works on a lot of levels.

Homecoming Sets Up Adrian Toomes as a Working-Class Metaphor

The movie as a whole has a lot of metaphors for the working-class struggle. We open with Adrian Toomes scavenging for parts in the wake of the Battle of New York. One thing I've always appreciated is that Toomes is a scavenger, and he ends up taking on this mantle in animal form when he becomes the Vulture. This opening should be his ticket out of poverty, but instead the fortune he would be facing is overtaken by Damage Control, headed up by Tony Stark. To Toomes, Stark caused the destruction and now he's profiting from it, further shafting the little guy and adding to his billions while Adrian has to live on the breadline.

There's an amazing shot where we see Stark Tower looming over Central Station, and we pass from that to Toomes and his crew digging in the dirt. On a symbolic level it shows how Stark and people like him tower above everything else while the rest of us have to put our hands in the mud to pick up their scraps.

Toomes Says He Turned to Crime for His Daughter, Not Against Her

The introduction tells us why Adrian is doing all this when he shows us a drawing his daughter made. Though we don't know the pair are related at this point, it's easy to see why he turns to a life of crime. Peter later asks how he could do this, and Toomes says he's not doing it to her, he's doing it for her. Just before we go to the title sequence, Toomes arrives at his headquarters and says business is good. This is a very important line, and the intro basically has its own self-contained arc in which we see a supervillain origin for a working-class man who was beaten by the elite, turning the situation on its side so he can win too. It's important to bear this in mind not only for the car scene but for Peter's character too.

Peter Parker Is Cast Aside by the Avengers Just Like Toomes Was by the Elite

Peter, much like Toomes, was only given things to do when the elite needed him. The airport scene in Civil War would have gone a lot worse had he not been there, but as soon as that was over and Stark no longer wanted his help, he was cast out to do things on his own. The majority of the first hour of Homecoming is Peter attempting to reach out to Tony and Happy, but because they don't need him for anything, he's ghosted and told to stop bothering them. Like Toomes, he's put in a position where he has to do things on his own, because sticking to what they say will simply have him stuck at the bottom rung of the ladder.

Peter is idealistic and desperately wants to be an Avenger, so he attempts to stop Toomes whenever he can. A big gut punch in the film comes when we realize that Toomes is actually the father of Liz, Peter's love interest. There are a couple of clues toward this in the movie, and for me it's up there with the Hydra twist in terms of how unpredictable it was.

The Lighting Change Shows Exactly When Toomes Realizes Peter Is Spider-Man

This leads to one of the most tense scenes in the film, in which Toomes figures out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. In the dialogue, Toomes needles Peter about hanging out with Spider-Man, pointing out that he always disappears, just like he did in D.C. Toomes clearly recognizes Peter but doesn't know where from. He begins to piece it all together when Peter's absences become more and more frequent, and he's left realizing that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. John Watts does a brilliant turn with the lighting here that shows exactly when the penny drops: Toomes is waiting at a red light with it beaming across his face, and then it turns to green right as Adrian realizes what's going on.

Toomes Gives Peter a Chilling Ultimatum After Liz Is Dropped Off

From here, Liz is dropped off and Toomes sits in the car with Peter to give him an ultimatum. "Nothing more important than family. You saved my daughter's life and I could never forget something like that. So I'm going to give you one chance. Are you ready? You walk through those doors, you forget any of this happened, and don't you ever, ever interfere with my business again. Because if you do, I'll kill you and everybody you love. You just live your life, know what I'm saying?"

I'll be completely honest, there have been a couple of times where I've watched this and genuinely thought that if I was in that position I probably would have made a partnership with Toomes and we both could have got rich together. If I'd been a high schooler, I probably would have just kept going out with Liz, made a little business with her dad, and sat chilling, ignoring the fact that my spoiler sense was tingling. I guess it's lucky that I got bitten by a radioactive attention seeker and decided to become a YouTuber, as I would have sucked in this role.

Peter and Toomes Are Direct Parallels of Each Other

Peter and Toomes are very much parallels of one another, and this is why Toomes gives Peter a choice. Toomes was in Peter's position once, and he sees him as a naive teenager simply trying to make his own way in the world, much like how he was. When Peter confronts Toomes later on, Toomes lays it out that people like him are nothing to the elite. Peter says that selling weapons to people is wrong, and Adrian reiterates that this is exactly how Stark made his fortune. He says that people like them have to fight their wars and pick up their scraps, and because of this they don't matter. He is very much warning Peter of what will happen if he doesn't get wise to the program, and it's a very chilling line.

Juxtaposing this, Peter sees Toomes as his own possible future, what will happen if he refuses to do the right thing. He's looking at the older man he could become if he turns against what's true. Though Toomes is living the high life, it's truly doomed to come crashing down if people like him stand up against it.

Peter Chooses to Confront Toomes Even After the Threat to His Family

Toomes threatens to kill him and his family if he interferes with his business again, and this clearly shakes Peter to the core. Most would walk away and go to the dance, and though it initially seems like this is what Peter is going to do, he still decides to take Toomes down even though it could have massive repercussions given that his identity is now out there. That's what true heroes do, and it's a defining moment for the character that almost kills him but ultimately makes him stronger.

I know Tony often overshadows Peter in the MCU, but this moment is very much a learning experience for him too. He realizes that the people he's overlooked are important, and he ends up inviting Peter upstate because of the actions Peter takes here.

The Scene Defines Why Peter Becomes the Hero and Toomes Becomes the Villain

The moment is most important for Peter, a person who up until this point has been cast to the side by the elite, but because of his moral fiber he hasn't taken the darker path Toomes did. Toomes became the villain of the story because he was weaker, whereas Peter, given a similar choice, ends up becoming the hero. This is where the stakes are arguably the highest for the character, and even though a big threat now knows his identity, he still puts his own needs aside to stop him.

The way the scene plays out is perfect because we know Peter could have easily lost, and yet he still charged ahead. This is a Spider-Man without his tech or allies taking someone down because it's the right thing to do. It really defines not only the character of the Vulture but Peter himself, and why with great power comes great responsibility. Peter could easily use his gifts for his own benefit, but instead he applies them for the greater good, and because of this I think it's the perfect Spider-Man scene, one of my favorite moments not only in the MCU but in Spider-Man films in general.

Do you think there's a better Spider-Man scene than this one that speaks more to you?