Captain America: Civil War is one of the best superhero films to be released by Marvel. The film provided major stakes for the Avengers, had Captain America and Iron Man leading conflicting teams, and battling each other on screen for the first time. The most interesting thing about the film, however, was its introduction of Spider-Man into the MCU. This was made possible by a deal between Sony and Disney/Marvel Studios. While no Avengers died during the film, we did see War Machine fall from tremendous heights causing severe spinal injuries that left him almost paralyzed. Thus leaving him requiring a prosthesis to help him walk. Surely he will be all healed up by the time Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters, but did his accident have long-ranging effects on the mindset of Tony Stark leading into Spider-Man: Homecoming? The answer is an astounding yes, and here’s a couple of reasons to back it up.
Beware as there are spoilers for Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming below!
A Paralyzing Event
During the airport battle, Tony is noticeably worried about Peter getting injured after being held personally responsible for the death of Miriam Sharpe’s son while he was on a mission trip to Sokovia. To this effect Tony made Peter stay behind when he and Rhodey chased after Captain America and Winter Soldier. During this chase, viewers see a blast from Vision miss Falcon and disable the War Machine armor. After seeing his best friend fall helplessly from the sky, Tony more than likely decided to make some quick updates to the Spider-Man suit before he and Peter returned to New York from Germany.
Deus Ex Machina
Deus ex machina is a Latin term meaning ‘god from the machine’. The term is used in films to describe a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or object. Its purpose can be to resolve an otherwise irresolvable plot situation, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a happy ending, or act as a comedic device. This term is the best description of Spider-man’s parachute in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Also the fact that a remote operated Iron Man suit — a literal machine — saved Peter again after he landed in the ocean doubles down on this term’s application to this event in the film. The parachute was most likely added to Peter Parker’s suit due to Rhode’s accident. Tony wouldn’t want it on his conscience if a teenager, like Peter — as powerful as he is — were to have a possible life-altering accident while fighting crime. Hopefully Tony added a parachute to the Iron Man Mark XLVIII and War Machine Mark IV armors as well. Surely they’ll need one while battling Thanos’ and his Black Order in Avengers: InfinityWar!
Did you enjoy Spider-Man: Homecoming? Do you think Tony Stark added the parachute to Peter’s suit so he didn’t suffer the same fate as Rhodey? Leave your comments below!