Civil War’—and It’s Thanks to This Unexpected Superhero

I have to admit—it took me a while to get into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

I always knew how popular the MCU was—you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing something from it—but I always wondered what made these movies so special.

Although I consider myself a TV and movie buff, I didn’t see any of the Marvel movies until late 2025. Call me stubborn or naive—but I just wasn’t driven to understand. Eventually, I caved; I had to know what the obsession was all about.

So, over the last few months, I dove into the MCU. I started with Iron Man (a.k.a. the first movie in Phase 1 of the MCU) and made my way through the films to the present day. I expected to love the Avengers films above all the other franchises, but I found myself drawn to 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. After watching it (multiple times, I might add), I decided it was my official favorite of all the MCU movies.

As Captain America: Civil War hits its 10-year anniversary, I’ve been thinking about why I love it so much. It has nothing to do with the Avengers who pop up throughout, nor with the main storyline circling Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and his conflict with Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Heck, it’s not even because of the epic fight scenes showing the two camps battling it out against one another!

Captain America: Civil War is the first time I got to meet Tom Holland as Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man … and I fell in love with his character.

Longtime viewers know that Tom isn’t the first to portray Spider-Man on the big screen. In fact, in the last three decades, we’ve seen Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield precede Tom in the role. And while those versions of Peter were iconic, they both carried a sense that the world was on their shoulders. Plus, we got to see their full transformations into the superhero, making us feel like we were carrying the weight along with them.

But Tom’s version of Peter Parker wasn’t like that at all.

First, fans don’t see how Spider-Man came to be in Captain America: Civil War. The first time we meet Peter is when Tony comes to visit his Queens apartment, familiar with the anonymous acts the teen has been doing over the last six months. It gave the impression that something would be different with this version of Peter, and fans got to see the start of both his and Tony’s relationship.

Second, I immediately got the sense that Tom’s version of Peter brought a level of inexperience and eagerness that his predecessors didn’t. Meaning: I watched Peter try to impress Tony by taking on superheroes far bigger and stronger than him—without fully thinking through the consequences. After all, what else did Peter expect when he tried to beat out Sam Wilson/the Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) in a fight smack in the middle of a German airport?

Even though I see Captain America: Civil War as one of the darkest movies in the entire MCU, Tom’s presence hinted at a more wide-eyed, emotionally open version of Spider-Man entering the franchise. That doesn’t necessarily define where the character ultimately goes (as fans will see when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 27, 2026), but Tom makes Peter feel like a longtime friend—someone driven by instinct, loyalty, and a willingness to sacrifice himself for the people he loves. I found that particularly endearing—and he’s the reason why Captain America: Civil War became my favorite Marvel movie.

So, the next time you watch Captain America: Civil War, keep an eye out for Peter Parker, and you’ll notice how a fresh new superhero can make a massive impact on a now-iconic movie franchise.

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