It didn’t seem like fans would be getting another outing from Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man, but it’s been confirmed that a third film featuring the superhero is on its way. There has been quite a bit of hype surrounding its release due to the many possibilities it carries, although that would be overlooking the flaws from the earlier movies.
Spider-Man: Far From Home, in particular, had several problems that really shouldn’t have been there. While the film did well to overcome these issues in some ways, the third film can’t afford to repeat these mistakes. In order for it to be a success, these are the mistakes that should be avoided.
10 Moving Peter Parker Around Too Much
The previous film lacked that subtle manner of storytelling due to the constant shifts in locations. This made it seem as if Peter Parker was in refresh mode with each area he visited. It prevented the continuity from being as solid as it should have been, especially since Peter’s character development seemed stagnant.
The next movie should have Peter in the same city throughout the movie, as this will allow for each scene to carry on seamlessly from one to next. It would also keep the focus squarely on Peter rather than the surroundings the way Far From Home constantly did.
9 Making MJ A Generic Love Interest
It’s generally agreed that Michelle Jones is a better character than the live-action Mary Jane. However, that was based on how she was in Homecoming, as Far From Home turned her into a rather generic love interest character with nothing to do on her own.
The sequel needs to place MJ in an arc that shapes her characterization independently of Peter. She could take a page out of Gwen Stacy’s role in The Amazing Spider-Man series in this regard. Whatever her role might be, the movie should avoid placing her solely as Peter’s love interest and bring the spunk back to her.
8 Putting Too Much Focus On Iron Man
Much of Spider-Man: Far From Home had to do with characters talking about Iron Man and all his big accomplishments. This could even make viewers forget they’re watching a Spider-Man film. The movie made the mistake of having this as Peter’s main motivation.
It would be best if Iron Man’s influence is downplayed, as this has prevented Spider-Man from being taken seriously as a superhero in his own right. The film should only sporadically refer to Tony, something Far From Home should have done as well.
7 Making Peter Look Like A Wimp
If one were to only watch the MCU movies, they wouldn’t be aware of all the powerful enemies Spider-Man has faced in other media. That’s because the films so far have made Peter out to be a real wimp. So much so, that watching him be belittled and bullied is now a normal occurrence.
Far From Home continued to feature Flash bullying Peter, which didn’t translate well since fans have now seen Spider-Man face the likes of Thanos himself. It’s time for Peter to become assertive in general, so the next movie has to make sure he’s not a wimpy boy anymore.
6 Wasting Time On Needless Romances
Odds are that Ned Leeds and Betty Brant won’t be on the list of best couples from the Spider-Man series. This is due to Far From Home wasting time in setting up a romance that had nothing to do with anything. Even Aunt May and Happy Hogan’s romance was rather needless.
Judging by how the cliffhanger left things at the end of the film, the sequel really shouldn’t have time to deal with any more romances of the sort. Regardless of that, these kinds of pairings were only good as a joke rather than progressing the story forward.
5 Referencing Past MCU Events All The Time
It was fine for Far From Home to bring up the events of Avengers: Endgame since it was a direct sequel. However, the movie made the mistake of bringing back so many former events that it lost quite a bit of its individual identity.
Stuff from Iron Man and Captain America: Civil War was brought forward here, which would make it hard for someone who hasn’t seen those films to understand. The third movie should make events from the Spider-Man movies its focus and leave out other MCU events since they don’t need to be connected.
4 Bringing In Red Herrings & Sudden Reveals
There are already so many fan theories going on about the MCU that it’s redundant for the movies themselves to influence fans to make more. The entire premise of Far From Home was a red herring, as the Elemental villains didn’t actually exist and were built up to reveal Mysterio as the antagonist.
This needs to be left out from the next movie mainly because that surprise was already pretty obvious. Spider-Man fans are aware of what’s to come due to their knowledge of the characters, meaning further red herrings and shock reveals won’t have any impact.
3 Reduced Role For Aunt May
Due to her rather needless role in the MCU, fans can be inclined to forget just how cool she is as a character. Far From Home put her at the back in terms of importance, only bringing her back for minor exposition and to place her in a romance with Happy.
With the next film being her third appearance, Aunt May really needs to have the kind of importance she has in other Spider-Man media. This will prevent fans from thinking of her as a side character and the way to do so is by avoiding the treatment she received in Far From Home by having Aunt May involved in the main plot.
2 Leaving A Cliffhanger In The End Credits
Many viewers weren’t even aware that a new addition had come about in the list of Spider-Man mysteries by the end of Far From Home. The problem is that by introducing J.J.J. in the credits, with his bombshell of Peter’s identity reveal, the impact of this moment was taken away.
This should have been placed in the closing minutes of the core movie, something the sequel can learn from. Ideally, the next film should leave out cliffhangers entirely, as these are rather lazy ways to retain fan interest by forcing them to keep thinking about what’s to come.
1 Making Spider-Man Follow Orders
This has been an issue from Spider-Man: Homecoming, with Peter being forced to follow the authority of someone else in order to prove himself as Spider-Man. While it was understandable in the first movie, Far From Home took it to ridiculous levels with pretty much everyone bossing Peter around.
Spider-Man needs to be his own person, in that his superhero adventures have to be the result of his decisions and flaws from which he learns. The third movie is well placed to do just this and it would be a shame if Spider-Man yet again plays second fiddle to another authority figure.