The topic “Marvel Studios Officially Admits It Screwed Up Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Timeline” has two versions, a written version, and a video version below the written version.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) timeline is a complex and sprawling multimedia franchise with a few continuity errors.
One of the most significant errors was found in the 2017 movie Spider-Man: Homecoming. This error was related to an incorrect time card placed near the start of the film.
Fans quickly noticed this mistake, which has caused frustration amongst them.
Official MCU Timeline Corrects Spider-Man Snafu
In their new book, Marvel Studios’ The Marvel Cinematic Universe – An Official Timeline [click here to buy the book], publisher Dorling Kindersley addresses a mistake in the chronology of the MCU.
It clarifies the opening flashback scene of Spider-Man: Homecoming, where Adrian Toomes and his crew are shown cleaning up the alien technology left behind after the Battle of New York. This battle refers to the fight between the fledgling Avengers and Thor’s villainous brother, Loki, which was depicted in the movie, The Avengers.
It is worth noting that in this particular scene, the events are set in 2012. However, the timecard that appears on the screen after the scene reads “8 years later” and the action jumps to the present day. This seems to be an error as only 4 years have passed since the events of Homecoming, which took place in the fall of 2016.
In the book, the events of Toomes’ flashback and the rest of the film are respectively placed in “Spring 2012” and “Fall 2016.”
Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, explained in 2017 that the timecard was not meant to confuse anyone.
“All of that debate has made us go, ‘Okay, at some point, I’m not sure exactly when, we’re going to publish a timeline and see what it all is.’ It wasn’t meant to flummox anybody exactly, and I’m not sure I’d do it again the same way, but it does all connect to where we placed it.”
Joe Russo, one of the directors of Avengers: Infinity War, commented on an oversight during the film’s press junket, calling it “very incorrect,” according to MCUExchange.
The issue with Homecoming’s sense of time continued as the Vulture stated in the movie’s dialogue that it had been “eight years, not a word from the Feds,” indicating that his criminal activities had gone unnoticed since the Battle of New York.
The timeline book attempts to clarify this issue. On page 173, there is a small text box where the TVA’s Miss Minutes acknowledges the discrepancy and attributes it to a misplaced case file:
“Redline alert! Hi again! Adrien Toomes says the Battle of New York was eight years ago, but that event was only four years prior. This one’s a real head scratcher for us—I reckon an analyst misplaced the case file.”
And if Miss Minutes can’t figure it out, nobody can.
The Spider-Man Plot Error Thickens
In the opening sequence of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, is shown holding a crayon drawing of the Avengers battling the Chitauri. Many viewers pointed out that the drawing was most likely created by Toomes’ daughter Liz, who is 17 years old in the movie. However, the quality of the artwork suggests that it was done by a much younger child. This would make sense if there was an 8-year gap between The Avengers and Homecoming, but there isn’t.
There are a couple of possible explanations for this. One is that Toomes has another child who is younger and could have made the drawing. The other possibility is that Liz isn’t very skilled at drawing. It’s unclear which is the case.
If you want to watch Spider-Man: Homecoming, it’s available for rent and purchase on Amazon [click here to buy or rent].
