Falcon and Winter Soldier Creator Reveals Why Tom Holland's Spider-Man Didn't Appear

By Pierre Chanliau Updated:
Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Spider-Man

Tom Holland and Anthony Mackie have had a fun rivalry at Marvel press junkets over the years. Now, it will only grow worse as Mackie has become the new Captain America with his own movie currently in development .

What's funny is that the development of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was sparked by the banter between Sam and Bucky as they fought Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War . So, it is only appropriate that Spider-Man was initially pushed to make a cameo in the last episode, “One World, One People.”

However, that cameo didn't happen, and the Star-Spangled series' head writer revealed why...

ORGANIC SUPERHERO CAMEOS ONLY

Spider-Man Tom Holland
Marvel

Speaking with Inverse , The Falcon and the Winter Soldier writer Malcolm Spellman was asked about the possibility of other superheroes, like Tom Holland's Spider-Man, making a cameo appearance in the last episode of series which took place in New York.

Spellman confirmed that Peter Parker swinging in to help Wilson was briefly considered before Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige shut that down, explaining that these sorts of cameos “have to occur organically,” and that they need a place in the story:

“Of course! Then Kevin Feige tells you, 'No. Stop it.' Listen, when you first show up to these projects, in your mind you think you're gonna get to use everybody in the MCU. But Marvel always asks, 'Does this person belong in this story? You cannot just geek out and put all of our characters in your project because you like them. They have to occur organically.' So Spider-Man did not make it.”

SPIDER-MAN CAN'T BE EVERYWHERE

The same problem that plagued Marvel comic books for years will now affect the films, which is superheroes not bothering to ask for help from other superheroes. This was actually a problem in past films like Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier , as both Stark and Rogers didn't bother asking their fellow Avengers for help at any point.

Their absences in those films have been handwaved by fans with explanations like Stark wanting to solve his own problems or Rogers not trusting anyone. The same could be said for Spider-Man not showing up to help Wilson and Barnes, such as stopping a bank robbery across town or just sleeping through it all.

Spider-Man: Far From Home made fun of this very thing when Talos, disguised as Nick Fury, raddled off explanations for why other heroes couldn't help instead. It'll be interesting to see when the movies or shows will eventually have to directly address this as more and more heroes are introduced into the MCU .

Marvel Studios' Assembled: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is currently streaming on Disney+ .

Release Date
March 19, 2021
Platform
- About The Author: Pierre Chanliau
Pierre Chanliau began as a news & feature writer for The Direct at the site's launch in 2020. As a longtime reader of superhero comic books, Pierre's knowledge of Marvel and DC is extensive, informing his reporting and editorial pieces regarding the MCU and DCU.