Highlights
- Spider-Man: Homecoming's timeline error has finally been corrected in Marvel Studios' official timeline book, acknowledging that the film takes place 4 years after The Avengers, not 8 years as previously stated.
- Marvel's president Kevin Feige admitted that the time card error wasn't intentional and expressed that they would publish a timeline to clarify things, which they have now done.
- While the explanation of a misplaced case file may not satisfy fans, it is a relief that Marvel Studios has officially addressed and rectified the mistake, bringing clarity to the MCU timeline.
Spider-Man: Homecoming featured one specific glaring error, and fans have been wondering what Marvel Studios will do to fix it. Now fans might finally have their answer.
The MCU's first Spider-Man film was well-received by many but was still met with much criticism from fans. Some fans felt that Iron Man should not have been in the film or had problems with the design of Tom Holland's suit, while others wanted a more classic Spider-Man origin story. Despite fans' criticisms, one error in the film has stood out amongst the rest and even threatened the sacred timeline. Spider-Man: Homecoming opens with a scene set immediately after the events in The Avengers. After the scene ends, a timecard says 8 years later, but the rest of the film takes place 4 years later.
Tom Holland's Spider-Man 4 May Take Longer Than Fans Would Like
Spider-Man fans might be excited about a new film trilogy with Tom Holland's Peter Parker, but they might not be pleased about the timeline.
Luckily for fans, Marvel Studios has finally corrected this egregious Spider-Man: Homecoming error in their new book Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe - An Official Timeline published by Dorling Kindersley. In addition to the title card, Adrien Toomes says that his criminal operation has gone “Eight years, not a word from the Feds.” On page 173 of the book, Loki's Miss Minutes explains this error is due to a missing TVA 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.”
“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,'" Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said of the Spider-Man: Homecoming time card in 2017. "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.” Feige never forgot about this mistake or the timeline, as Marvel Studios finally published it and provided an in-universe explanation to correct the error.
A misplaced case file was probably not the answer fans were hoping for, but at least Marvel Studios has officially acknowledged their mistake. It is also great that Marvel Studios has made it official that the film takes place 4 years after the events of The Avengers rather than 8. With 32 films and 9 streaming series, the MCU timeline can cause enough confusion without Spider-Man Homecoming's slip-up.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is available on Disney Plus.
Source: Marvel Studios' The Marvel Cinematic Universe - An Official Timeline