Sony Pictures has released the first Spider-Man: Homecoming poster, and it’s a striking little teaser poster. Rather than play up world-ending destruction or life-changing stakes, this poster shows Peter Parker (Tom Holland) taking it easy next to the river. He’s also not too concerned with anyone knowing he’s a teenager as he’s wearing his “Midtown School of Science & Technology” jacket over his Spider-Man costume (expect to see this little augmentation pop up on cosplayers at conventions over the next year or so).

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Image via Sony

It’s interesting to compare this to previous teaser posters for Spider-Man movies. Here’s The Amazing Spider-Man:

 

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It touted “The Untold Story” and was already hinting at a dark and gritty tale as its hero appeared diminutive and cloaked in shadow.

Then there’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which more colorful, but still had storm clouds taking up most of the poster and the tagline threatening, “His Greatest Battle Begins”:

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Spider-Man 3 was similarly morose and downtrodden as a black-suitted Spidey sat in the rain (how were any of us surprised by emo Peter Parker showing up in that film?):

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You’d have to go back to Spider-Man 2 to find something that was depressing. In fact, the teaser poster didn’t have Spider-Man at all. It featured Doc-Ock:

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So this new poster for Homecoming is a nice change of pace and signals a film that’s far more lighthearted and freewheeling than its recent predecessors. While I think they could have done a bit more with the framing (perhaps have Spider-Man chilling but upside down instead of on his back), it still clearly conveys that Homecoming is a clean break from the Spider-Man movies we’ve seen before.

Spider-Man: Homecoming opens July 7th and also stars Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton, Bokeem Woodbine, Donald Glover, Hannibal Buress, Abraham Attah, Martin Starr, Tony Revolori, Michael Barbieri, and Angourie Rice.

Here’s the official synopsis for Spider-Man: Homecoming:

A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who made his sensational debut in Captain America: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging super hero in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Thrilled by his experience with the Avengers, Peter returns home, where he lives with his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), under the watchful eye of his new mentor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). Peter tries to fall back into his normal daily routine – distracted by thoughts of proving himself to be more than just your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man – but when the Vulture (Michael Keaton) emerges as a new villain, everything that Peter holds most important will be threatened. Directed by Jon Watts. Produced by Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal. Screenplay by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley and Jon Watts & Christopher Ford and Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, Based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

Update! Here's another, slightly more dynamic Spider-Man: Homecoming poster for your viewing pleasure:

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Image via Marvel
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Image via Marvel
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Image via Marvel