Spider-Man’s New Gadget Shows How the MCU Can Make Tom Holland’s Next Trilogy Unique (While Staying Comic-Accurate)

Spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #60!In Marvel Comics, the Friendly Neighborhood Superhero that is Spider-Man utilizes his amazing arachnid-based power set to spin, swing, stick, and sense his way around New York City, with his reliance on technology also an important part of his crime-fighting repertoire. Showing off a new gadget in a recent comic book fight against Sandman, Spider-Man demonstrates that when Tom Holland jumps back onto the big screen, his next outing should incorporate some unique gadget-based action.

Getting some much-needed backing in the MCU courtesy of his pseudo-father figure, Iron Man, Tom Holland’s take on Spider-Man had access to costume enhancements that allowed him to fight crime more effectively, with his internal A.I., reconnaissance spider-drone, hilariously intrusive “Insta-Kill” mode, visor and communication upgrades, and eventual Iron Spider suit showing a more high-tech Spider-Man than what’s normally seen.

Showing how Tom Holland can continue his already established tech-based path in the movies, Amazing Spider-Man #60 sees Spidey use a sound wave gadget to defeat Sandman, reminding fans exactly how intellectually adept Peter Parker can be when required.

Spider-Man Uses a Specialized Device To Defeat Sandman, Showing His Smarts as an Inventor

Amazing Spider-Man #60 – 2024 (Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr.)

An epilogue to Spider-Man and Tombstone’s drag-out brawl that’s been smashing its way through Amazing Spider-Man for a few issues now, this final chapter in the current creative team’s run on the title sees Spidey swap Tombstone for Sandman as he does his best to thwart a crime spree gone wrong. Immediately restrained by Sandman’s constantly shifting grip, Spider-Man whips out a small gadget that, when finally activated, acts as a sound-based attack that oscillates “…at a frequency that prevents Sandman from forming.” Exploding Sandman into a drizzle of sandy particles, Spider-Man shows his competence as an inventor and genius.

Reminding fans that outside of his unique superpowers, Spidey is also a gadget guy, the last we saw Tom Holland, he had nixed his Iron Man-provided gear, marking the transition into a more street-level yet no less effective hero who can still utilize scientific and technologically-advanced gear when needed. Without rehashing what happened in Holland’s previous films and by using comic moments like this Sandman fight as inspiration, it would be awesome to see an older, more seasoned, and better-funded live-action Spider-Man who has a handle not only on his super abilities but a select few specialized spider-gadgets as well.

Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Can Use Comic-Accurate Gadgets in His Upcoming MCU Return

Tom Holland Returns in 2026’s Untitled Spider-Man Sequel

Still utilizing one of the very first pieces of tech he ever developed as a hero — Spider-Man’s signature web shooters — Peter Parker is no stranger to developing effective gadgets to combat his ever-growing rouges gallery, with the only contingent being how much funds he has available to pay for the supplies needed to create them. Previously using scores of other gadgets and gizmos during his time as a hero, Spider-Man has designed nano-spiders, spider-tracers, a spider-glider, a Spider-Mobile, Hydro-Man-subduing “cryo cubes,” Electro-neutralizing electricity-proof webbing, and much more, with each new creation giving Spidey the edge he needs on the battlefield.

Though he doesn’t rely on gadgets nearly as much as others in the medium — DC’s Batman being the most obvious example of a hero synonymous with their crime-fighting tools — Peter is still one of the smarter heroes in the Marvel Universe and has provided clutch solutions when a problem that requires thinking rather than punching rears its ugly head. And while Spidey may not be able to match wits with a Reed Richards-level intellect, he has been known to give the likes of Tony Stark a helping hand, making Spider-Man fully capable of developing some inventive tech of his own.

The MCU Can Pull From Multiple Spider-Man Stories to Showcase His Technological Prowess

Parker Industries and Superior Spider-Man Can Be Used for Inspiration

Adding further precedent to Spidey’s tech-based MCU portrayal, Peter once owned and operated a company in the comic space — the aerospace, defense, security, and technology-centric Parker Industries — showing that while Peter may not have been the best at running a business, he does have the smarts to make a mark on the Marvel Universe in helpful ways that benefit everyday citizens as well as his hero career. Introducing the wearable Webware device and developing a lightly armored high-tech suit dubbed the Spider-Armor MK IV, Parker Industries is only one of the avenues Tom Holland’s Spider-Man can pursue in later movies.

It’s worth noting that for a time, the villain Doctor Octopus took over Peter’s mind and body, birthing the Superior Spider-Man, a character who doubled down on the smarts and tech-based gear, proving that there are even more elements steeped in comic continuity that the MCU can build upon and introduce. It’s often forgotten that Spider-Man is a legitimate genius, what with all the quips and thwips he spews at a near-constant rate, but after seeing how he deals with Sandman in this issue, it’s clear that Tom Holland has a lot of gadget potential left for his live-action return.

Amazing Spider-Man #60 is available from Marvel Comics.