Far From Home The Uncle Ben Problem

[Deck Rickard]

I wonder if they sidestepped Uncle Ben simply because Sony found a way to ruin his death TWICE (SM3 and ASM) and they didn’t want to take the risk of blowing it a third time.

 

[Webfoot Hero]

I wonder if they sidestepped Uncle Ben simply because Sony found a way to ruin his death TWICE (SM3 and ASM) and they didn’t want to take the risk of blowing it a third time.

To me it just feels as if they decided that Uncle Ben's importance to Peter is an underlying part of who he is so doing it again would have been treading over well-worn territory.

 

[Deck Rickard]

To me it just feels as if they decided that Uncle Ben's importance to Peter is an underlying part of who he is so doing it again would have been treading over well-worn territory.

Yeah they nailed it in SM1.

 

[SpeterMan3]

I think the references in Civil War and Homecoming were a little too vague, but they were there. He existed. Peter did his initial mourning phase before we met him. In HoCo, he doesn't want to stress May because of "everything that's happened," which was imo pretty definitely about Ben. He's taking his suitcase with him in FFH. All that's happened might even reopen old wounds for him in this.

I wish they'd reference him more directly, but they're not acting like he's been a non-factor. They're going with the fair assumption that we know the general story already. They're, so far, also not giving us enough specifics to how *this* Ben affected *this* Peter. I wish we'd had one direct reference before this. But I won't assume that there won't be one in the future- especially with the most direct nod we've seen being in this movie.

 

[Darkprime]

I remember a quote from Tom Holland joking he wanted Tobey Maguire as Uncle Ben in Spider-Man 3 however that could imply we are going to get some flash backs with Uncle Ben in the next movie.

 

[Solaire]

Uncle Ben has been done to...death

Exactly. I never thought people would honestly be complaining about no Uncle Ben. We know his origins, why do people wanna hear about Uncle Ben or see him? We know he raised Peter right when he said what he did in Civil War.

Tbh it's really weird seeing Spider-Man fans hate MCU spidey so much. This is what I have wanted for so long and I have seen every previous movie.

 

[Invader Joker]

I never understood this fascination with needing to reference Uncle Ben all the time. Yea I get it, he's a vital part of why Peter does what he does, but he doesn't need to come up all the time. You pick up a random issue from the comics and chances are there is zero references to Ben. Its the same with Batman, I don't need hear a conversation about his parents or some flashback showing falling pearls every time there's a Batman movie. We all know why he does what he does.

Has anybody else noticed how The Dark Knight has literally zero references to Bruce's parents?

Like, if that was someone's first introduction to Batman it'd be hard to guess what happened to his parents.

And yet everybody loves that movie, including me.

We don't need references to the origin.

 

[Web-Head]

Exactly. I never thought people would honestly be complaining about no Uncle Ben. We know his origins, why do people wanna hear about Uncle Ben or see him? We know he raised Peter right when he said what he did in Civil War.

Tbh it's really weird seeing Spider-Man fans hate MCU spidey so much. This is what I have wanted for so long and I have seen every previous movie.

I wasn't being serious

 

[Herolee10]

Honestly, there is a difference between rehashing the Uncle Ben storyline and not referencing him in name at all.

If you did not know anything about spider-man and had never seen the previous films, then you would never imagine that the death of Peter's uncle is the reason why he became spider-man in the first place.

 

[Spider-Fan]

Honestly, there is a difference between rehashing the Uncle Ben storyline and not referencing him in name at all.

If you did not know anything about spider-man and had never seen the previous films, then you would never imagine that the death of Peter's uncle is the reason why he became spider-man in the first place.

Spider-Man's origin is one of the most iconic in all of comics. I think 95% of everyone could tell you 3 origin stories: Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man. Hence why this is really a non-issue to me. You're right, people may not know what the vague references mean if they were unfamiliar with Spider-Man, but that argument ignores the fact Spider-Man is a pop culture ICON. Everyone knows him. This isn't like Shang-Chi or something where you have to be a little more direct on how he came to be.

 

[UltimateWebhead]

Has anybody else noticed how The Dark Knight has literally zero references to Bruce's parents?

Like, if that was someone's first introduction to Batman it'd be hard to guess what happened to his parents.

And yet everybody loves that movie, including me.

We don't need references to the origin.

The origin of Batman was covered in Begins. It was in that movie, Bruce's motivations for becoming Batman were made perfectly clear. And despite most people's knowledge of Batman and his origin the death of his parents the movie took the time to show how important this is to Bruce and everything he becomes. It is not only the catalyst for him donning the cape, it's also the driving force behind it.

That is what Uncle Ben is to Spider-Man. There have been several iterations of Spider-Man that have not used the origin or at least had the iteration start off with Peter already in the role of Spider-Man but Uncle Ben still was a focus, to some degree. In this iteration, MCU Spider-Man, Ben hasn't even been mentioned by name.

Since Batman was brought up, let's try this example...the movie starts off with Bruce having been Batman for several months. Green Lantern shows up and he's there to fight off some of those yellow dudes (I'm not much of a DC fan, lol). Anyway, the Justice League is also a thing at this point. Hal, goes to recruit Bruce to join the JL. He finds him and they talk.

Hal: So why do this? Why dress up like a Bat and take on the criminal underground?
Bruce: Cause when you go to the theater when you're younger...(tears up) and that's when the bad stuff happens...
Hal: Yeah, I hate it when they don't put extra butter on the popcorn.
Bruce: ....
Hal: Look, I'm here cause we need people like you to take the fight elsewhere...

And that's it. No other mention of Bruce's parents. No mention of their names. And then Bruce becomes enamored with Hal, looks up to him and Hal becomes sort of a surrogate father to him. Then later, Bruce decides to keep on being Batman because of Hal's legacy. I'm no DC fan, but I have a feeling Bat fans would go apes**t.

Origin or no origin, Uncle Ben is an important part of the Spidey mythos. Adaptations make changes but this is one I cannot ignore...I see it as a major fault. I've no problem and never did with Tony being a mentor to Peter. That makes sense especially because Tony/Iron Man existed prior to Spider-Man/Peter in this universe. But Tony should not be Uncle Ben. I get that opinions on this will vary but this is my stance and as a long time Spidey fan, I firmly believe that my criticism of this holds merit.

 

[ragingdemon155]

I’m so glad they didn’t rehash the origin story again. That’s one of the few things MCU Spider-Man has gotten right over other versions of the character. I prefer to hit the ground running. We know the story and we’ve seen it done a million times. I have a lot of issues with the MCU version of the character but the absence of an origin story or lack of Ben Parker personally for me isn’t one of them.

 

[Arachnerd]

Some folks wanting Ben to be mentioned once or twice ≠ rehashing the origin story.

I don't get how some people still misinterpret this.

 

[samsnee]

They've referenced him in both Civil War and Homecoming. You just don't like that they haven't explicitly used his name.

 

[Marvel united]

Some folks wanting Ben to be mentioned once or twice ≠ rehashing the origin story.

I don't get how some people still misinterpret this.

An important distinction. Also the Batman comparison Joker made doesn't work because Bruce's parents were firmly established in Begins which was full on origin story

 

[Arachnerd]

They've referenced him in both Civil War and Homecoming.

Have nothing against the scene in Civil War, as I've stated in the other thread. I actually liked how they "mentioned" Ben without mentioning him. But the reference in Homecoming was very bare-bones in comparison. There's no indication in that movie that May had been in any kind of mourning whatsoever in the past.

You just don't like that they haven't explicitly used his name.

No need to act condescending, mate. Thought we were having a civil discussion here. :/

And Ben being mentioned is a bad thing? I'd agree if they hammered it in like you said, but one single discussion about his presence in Peter and May's lives wouldn't be detrimental.

 

[UltimateWebhead]

I’m so glad they didn’t rehash the origin story again. That’s one of the few things MCU Spider-Man has gotten right over other versions of the character. I prefer to hit the ground running. We know the story and we’ve seen it done a million times. I have a lot of issues with the MCU version of the character but the absence of an origin story or lack of Ben Parker personally for me isn’t one of them.

I'm also glad that they skipped the origin. However, the importance of Ben Parker goes beyond the origin and imo a nameless, minor reference to him isn't appropriate.

They've referenced him in both Civil War and Homecoming. You just don't like that they haven't explicitly used his name.

It's a shame that he still hasn't been mentioned by name but the problem with this goes beyond a reference.

 

[Deck Rickard]

I think I know what they need to do. In a post-credits scene, Peter should appear onstage a la Lady Gaga/Barbara Streisand in A Star Is Born and belt out these lyrics:

Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone, and you, my friend, will see
With great power comes great responsibility

 

[Invader Joker]

The origin of Batman was covered in Begins. It was in that movie, Bruce's motivations for becoming Batman were made perfectly clear. And despite most people's knowledge of Batman and his origin the death of his parents the movie took the time to show how important this is to Bruce and everything he becomes. It is not only the catalyst for him donning the cape, it's also the driving force behind it.

That is what Uncle Ben is to Spider-Man. There have been several iterations of Spider-Man that have not used the origin or at least had the iteration start off with Peter already in the role of Spider-Man but Uncle Ben still was a focus, to some degree. In this iteration, MCU Spider-Man, Ben hasn't even been mentioned by name.

Since Batman was brought up, let's try this example...the movie starts off with Bruce having been Batman for several months. Green Lantern shows up and he's there to fight off some of those yellow dudes (I'm not much of a DC fan, lol). Anyway, the Justice League is also a thing at this point. Hal, goes to recruit Bruce to join the JL. He finds him and they talk.

Hal: So why do this? Why dress up like a Bat and take on the criminal underground?
Bruce: Cause when you go to the theater when you're younger...(tears up) and that's when the bad stuff happens...
Hal: Yeah, I hate it when they don't put extra butter on the popcorn.
Bruce: ....
Hal: Look, I'm here cause we need people like you to take the fight elsewhere...

And that's it. No other mention of Bruce's parents. No mention of their names. And then Bruce becomes enamored with Hal, looks up to him and Hal becomes sort of a surrogate father to him. Then later, Bruce decides to keep on being Batman because of Hal's legacy. I'm no DC fan, but I have a feeling Bat fans would go apes**t.

Origin or no origin, Uncle Ben is an important part of the Spidey mythos. Adaptations make changes but this is one I cannot ignore...I see it as a major fault. I've no problem and never did with Tony being a mentor to Peter. That makes sense especially because Tony/Iron Man existed prior to Spider-Man/Peter in this universe. But Tony should not be Uncle Ben. I get that opinions on this will vary but this is my stance and as a long time Spidey fan, I firmly believe that my criticism of this holds merit.

That's a horrible comparison because Batman isn't a teenager and his skills only exist because he already had a bunch of mentors, people he admired and looked up in the past, he doesn't need mentors anymore, HE'S the mentor. Spiderman is, and it makes sense he'd look up to someone, especially having grown up in a world where Iron Man saved the world multiple times.
If this was 23 year old Spiderman maybe I'd have a problem but this is 15 year old Spiderman... why wouldn't he look up to Iron Man?

 

[Invader Joker]

Also, as a Batman fan I'd be perfectly fine if there were absolutely zero references to Batman's parents death in his new film reboot aside from "something bad happened".

 

[fan4stic]

And Ben being mentioned is a bad thing? I'd agree if they hammered it in like you said, but one single discussion about his presence in Peter and May's lives wouldn't be detrimental.

I think it wouldn't be detrimental.

They've referenced him in both Civil War and Homecoming. You just don't like that they haven't explicitly used his name.

I don't really think of that as a reference to him, because as far as the movies develop, he might not have even had an uncle. We know that because we know the story, but for someone who didn't, they wouldn't get it. As far as the movies say, Peter could've just decided to not stop a car from hitting a random pedestrian and felt bad about it.

That's a horrible comparison because Batman isn't a teenager and his skills only exist because he already had a bunch of mentors, people he admired and looked up in the past, he doesn't need mentors anymore, HE'S the mentor. Spiderman is, and it makes sense he'd look up to someone, especially having grown up in a world where Iron Man saved the world multiple times.
If this was 23 year old Spiderman maybe I'd have a problem but this is 15 year old Spiderman... why wouldn't he look up to Iron Man?

I think the difference here plays into the idea of Iron Man replacing Ben. Tony's death being a reminder of Ben I think plays more in the character, while using it to propel the story forward

 

[jolldan]

I think him and Batman are the only two you can get away with that with. We've seen both of their origins so many times I don't think you need to directly show it again any time soon.

 

[Spidey_62]

I think this film needs to mention Ben by name because

Spoiler

placing the sadness/feelings of responsibility to be a hero entirely on Iron Man's death in Far From Home would miss another component that makes the character who he is: Peter loses father figures. They either die or go bad. It happens all the time. This Peter has already lost his parents, his uncle, and his superhero father figure. That whole needs to be given some lip service at the very least. You can't put it all on Iron Man because Iron Man isn't the only one he's lost in such a short time.

Also, Mysterio has been called by people in the production "Peter's cool uncle" which reads to me as someone Peter looks up to but faces a harsh lesson in the end when Mysterio turns out not being a good role model.

They'll probably use Happy Hogan as the positive father figure he realizes is still in his life.

Just please mention Uncle Ben lmao.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I think him and Batman are the only two you can get away with that with. We've seen both of their origins so many times I don't think you need to directly show it again any time soon.

And Superman, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and we may even include the Flash sometime down the road.

 

[jolldan]

And Superman, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and we may even include the Flash sometime down the road.

Yeah Superman is a good shout as well in terms of the general public I just mean in terms how well known the origin is known in overall pop culture.