Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s Title Explained

When we learned in April that the new Spidey flick would be titled Spider-Man: Homecoming, we were waiting for a bit of an explanation from Sony and Marvel. But none came. So we speculated that it was due to having a high school aged Peter Parker, and 'homecoming' as a nod at that seminal event in a teenager's life (and would likely be a double entendre, as the real homecoming would be something far more life and/or Marvel Cinematic Universe changing.) But this felt pretty thin, and while the cast was rounded out (with a diverse list of great actors who are playing…we still don't know), no one was talking about that title. 

Now we finally know a bit more, thanks to IGN, who got Sony chairman Tom Rothman to explain exactly why it's called Spider-Man: Homecoming, and lo!—it is indeed a double entendre (we swear we thought this all along). "Here’s the thing I can tell you," Rothman said to IGN, "We’re really, really fortunate on this because Marvel and Kevin Feige have really embraced the character and no one knows him as well as Marvel. It is another crown jewel of Sony’s for sure. But Homecoming, the name, is a double entendre on purpose, right? It’s relevant to the story because it takes place in high school and there is a scene — that I guess I can give a little thing — at a homecoming dance. I’ve actually seen the dailies of it because we already did the high school shooting of it in the first couple weeks and it’s fantastic. But it’s also a homecoming to Marvel. And a homecoming to the cinematic universe that Spider-Man belongs in. So it’s a pretty unprecedented deal between two studios, but we’re really proud of it. And all I can tell you is, those guys at Marvel — I think the technical term is — they know their sh-t."

So yes, there's a proper homecoming in the film, but it's also Spidey's homecoming to Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), allowing him to once again pal around with Iron Man, Black Panther, Vision and more. With Tom Holland in the title role, and Marvel's Kevin Feige comparing Homecoming to a John Hughes movie, you get the sense that the lightness of touch and witty banter that has separated Marvel superhero films from DC's will continue. Heck, Peter Parker's all but 15 years old in this film, he can't have a dark outlook on humanity quite yet.