WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home, now in theaters.
Spider-Man: Far From Home swung into theaters on July 2, bringing an end to Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe while also setting the stage for what’s sure to be an exciting and unpredictable Phase Four.
Of course, like any good Marvel Studios film, Far From Home is jam-packed with references to the comics, past Spider-Man movies and the greater MCU. That being said, here are the 11 best Easter eggs from Spider-Man: Homecoming:
Peter’s Wrestling Roots
When Peter Parker made his comic book debut in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy #15 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he donned a mask and tested his new superpowers by defeating Joseph “Crusher” Hogan in a wrestling match. In 2002, this moment was replicated in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, this time with Peter challenging Bone Saw McGraw, played by the Macho Man Randy Savage.
In Far From Home, both of these versions of Peter’s origin get a quick shout-out in the form of a poster advertising a match between Crusher Hogan and Bone Saw McGraw, which can be spotted in the background when Happy Hogan is talking to Peter about Nick Fury during Aunt May’s charity event.
Uncle Ben
By now, most fans have accepted that Tony Stark is Peter’s de facto “Uncle Ben” in the MCU in the sense that he’s the one who’s mentoring and subsequent death drive Peter to be Spider-Man. However, that doesn’t mean the real Uncle Ben doesn’t exist.
When Peter is packing for his trip to Europe, the suitcase he uses is engraved with the initials “BFP,” which is clearly a nod to his late uncle, Benjamin Franklin Parker.
Ned and Betty
While on the flight to Europe, it doesn’t take long for Ned Leeds and Betty Brant to become a romantic item, much to the surprise of Peter. However, while the version of Ned in the MCU is a far cry from his comic book counterpart (aka the man who becomes Hobgoblin), his and Betty’s pairing is no accident.
In the comics, Ned and Betty began dating after meeting at the Daily Bugle. In fact, they were even married until Ned’s untimely death (which has since been retconned because comics).
The Elementals
The creatures Quentin Beck, aka Mysterio, creates to help stage his superheroics are based on the Elementals from the comics: Magnum, Zephyr, Hellfire and Magnum. In Far From Home, though, they also take cues from several classic Spider-Man villains: Sandman, Molten Man, Cyclone and Hydro-Man.
Hydro-Man, specifically, is of particular interest because, after he attacks Venice, Flash Thompson says he read the creature was formerly a man named Morris Bench, which is the alias of Hydro-Man in the comics. Of course, Hydro-Man in the film was just a machination, but it’s still a fun connection.
The Multiverse
Speaking of Mysterio, when he and Peter first officially meet, he says he’s from another dimension. We later find out this was all a lie (surprise surprise), but it’s still noteworthy.
Mysterio tells Peter that the Earth they’re on is Earth-616 and that his Earth, which he says was destroyed by the Elementals, was Earth-833. In the comics, Earth-616 is the main Marvel Universe, while Earth-833 is home to the British Spider-Man known as Spider-UK.
Chameleon?
One of the new characters we meet in Far From Home is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Dimitri Smerdyakov. However, aside from driving the bus supplied by Nick Fury, he doesn’t do a whole lot in the film.
In the comics, though, Dmitri Smerdyakov (slightly different spelling) is the alter ego of the villain known as The Chameleon, who’s also the half-brother of Sergei Kravinoff, aka Kraven the Hunter.
So, was this just a clever nod for hardcore Spider-Man fans, or is it a sign of things to come?
The Death of Gw… MJ?
When Peter attempts to reveal Mysterio’s true nature to Nick Fury and Maria Hill, he finds himself trapped in one of Beck’s elaborate illusions. During the confrontation, one of the images the villain uses to torture the teenage superhero is MJ being thrown from a bridge.
While the characters may be different, this certainly feels like a nod to Gerry Conway, Gil Kane and John Romita Sr.’s “The Night Gwen Stacy Died” story arc from the comics, which sees the Green Goblin throw Gwen from the Brooklyn Bridge.
Marvel Zombies
Another one of the images conjured up by Mysterio to haunt Peter is that of a deceased and rotting Iron Man rising from his grave to attack the web-slinger. While it’s a truly terrifying moment in and of itself, it also evokes strong memories of Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips’ Marvel Zombies.
The REAL Iron Spider Suit
At the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tony offers Peter a shiny new costume that fans instantly dubbed the “Iron Spider” suit due to its slight resemblance to the costume of the same name from the comics that Spider-Man wore in the Civil War event. Despite the similarities, though, the armor he went on to wear in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame wasn’t quite the same as its comic book counterpart.
Nevertheless, when Peter is onboard Happy’s jet building his new suit, we get a brief glimpse of the classic Iron Spider costume, albeit in hologram form.
Selfie Time
2018 was a massive year for Spider-Man fans, largely because of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PlayStation 4. The former got something of a nod in Far From Home in the form of the Multiverse, and the latter… well, in the form of a selfie.
In the PS4 game, players are able to use a camera to take selfies throughout the city, which is exactly what Peter does at the end of the film while he’s swinging through Manhattan.
S.W.O.R.D.?
Perhaps even more shocking than J.K. Simmons reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson and outing Spider-Man’s identity to the public is Far From Home’s post-credits scene, which reveals the Nick Fury and Maria Hill we’d seen throughout the film were actually Skrulls (Talos and Soren). Meanwhile, the real Nick Fury has been in space aboard a craft with an interior that has the look and feel of one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s helicarriers.
In the comics, S.H.I.E.L.D. has a cosmic offshoot called S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient World Observation and Response Department), and while we don’t know for sure this is being brought into the MCU, it sure feels like it.