Spider-Man: Homecoming starts by giving the audience a look at the destruction caused by battle between the Avengers and Loki in New York; the wreckage is initially being cleaned up by Adrian Toomes and his crew before being taken over by Tony Stark’s newly formed Department of Damage Control (D.O.D.C.). Toomes is furious at losing business to Stark, who he feels caused the damage in the first place, and decides to keep and utilize some of the alien technology from the wreckage for his own use.
Eight years later, Peter Parker is returning home after his “test-run” in Berlin with the Avengers; Stark has instructed him to focus on highschool, but instead Parker focuses on fighting crime at night as Spider-Man; also, his best friend Ned soon discovers his secret identity. One night, Parker has a run in with some of Toomes’ men and discovers firsthand just how dangerous their alien-enhanced weaponry is; he is saved by one of Stark’s drones and warned by Stark not to go looking for trouble again. However, he and Ned continue by investigating a device left behind during the fight with Toomes’ crew.
Parker is young and eager to prove himself; however, in focusing on becoming an Avenger, he ignores Stark’s advice and begins to get himself in over his head.
Parker is frustrated that he isn’t making enough of a difference to become a full member of the Avengers team; his impatience is understandable, as we all want to prove ourselves in one way or another. However, listening to the advice of those with more experience than us is important; if we do not, we may end up making more mistakes along the way.
Ned tracks the device’s technology to a facility near Maryland, so they use a school trip to Washington D.C. as an excuse to go there. While there, Spider-Man encounters and fights Toomes (AKA Vulture) on top of a truck, resulting in Parker getting trapped inside and missing the school event they went to D.C. for. He also discovers that the device Ned brought with them is an explosive and rushes to the Washington Monument in order to save his class. When the device explodes, the class is trapped in an elevator, but Spider-Man manages to save everyone, including his classmate and crush Liz.
Encouraged by this success, he continues searching for the source of the weapons back in New York, which leads him to a deal taking place aboard the Staten Island Ferry. Spider-Man is overwhelmed and almost causes the destruction of the ferry; however, Stark was nearby and aware of the threat, and rescues both Parker and everyone on the ferry.
After his first success, Parker thinks that he is ready to take on more on his own. When he finds himself in over his head, he is lucky to have Stark looking out for him; however, had he just listened to Stark earlier, he wouldn’t have found himself in such a situation.
Stark takes his new suit, and Parker resigns himself to going about his normal life ‒ which includes asking Liz to the homecoming dance. When he picks her up, he discovers that her father is none other than Toomes; when the two are alone, Toomes offers him the chance to leave without a fight. Parker decides to go after him donning his old Spider-Man suit. Toomes is initially successful and traps Spider-Man beneath a pile of rubble, leaving Parker to doubt his ability to be Spider-Man without the advanced suit from Stark. Then he remembers Stark’s words to him, “If you’re nothing without this suit, then you shouldn’t have it” which inspires him to break free and continue to go after Toomes. In this final confrontation, Spider-Man ends up saving Toomes’ life, resulting in him keeping his identity as Peter Parker a secret.
Impressed with the recent events, Stark returns the Spider-Man suit to Parker and offers him a spot as an official Avenger. He is surprised when Parker turns him down in favor of remaining in highschool and staying the “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.” Parker’s experiences during the film taught him to appreciate his life now, and to stop trying to race ahead to the future. He understands that he has more to learn, and he’s happy to take his time enjoying being a teenager.
It is easy to focus on future goals and success; however, life is a journey, and it should be about enjoying each day. We can also find wisdom in listening to those who have more experience than us, such as our parents or teachers we have throughout our lives. Like Stark is for Parker, they look out for us and want to help us avoid any errors they may have made in their lives.
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