tl;dr at the bottom
Let me start off by saying I am hyped for Spider-Man 3.
I liked Far From Home and I liked Homecoming overall, but there are quite a few things about them that I dislike. The biggest being that there is just something about these films that don't really make them feel like actual independent standalone Spider-Man films. The MCU is the most magnificent shared film universe there has ever been, and there should be a level of reminders throughout each installment that everything is connected.
But I feel like there is an overwhelming connection to the Iron Man mythos in the Spider-Man films. And for that reason, instead of feeling like Spider-Man installments in the MCU, they feel more like Iron Man spinoffs to me. In Homecoming, Tony Stark himself appears as a supporting character. And that's fine - as I said there should be a level of reminders of connection in these films, and that includes major characters making appearances in other films. But Iron Man's influence in the film goes beyond just his presence. The motivation of the main villain Vulture is to steal weapons from the Avengers, including Stark tech. Happy Hogan who is a recurring supporting character for Iron Man, ends up showing a comparable amount of screen time as a supporting character throughout this film as well.
This same feeling carried into Far From Home too. I understand the film is supposed to be an epilogue chapter to the Infinity Saga and that Peter is grieving because of the mentor relationship he had with Tony, but that element of the film could still have been executed without the presence (or literal missing "presence") of the Iron Man mythos. The main villain Mysterio is an ex-Stark Industries employee. Part of his motivation seems to be revenge, because he hated Tony Stark. Peter was part of an obstacle in the middle of his redemption plan. And it's not just him. Mysterio has been working with a whole team of ex-Stark industries employees. The central plot of the film is Peter struggling with the idea of being Tony's successor - and that includes a pair of glasses with EDITH built in, new Stark tech that Tony intended for his successor to inherit. Once again, Happy Hogan, a supporting character from the Iron Man mythos plays a supporting role - arguably an even more significant role in another Spider-Man film. They took it so far that they even added the running gag of him crushing on Aunt May. Then at the end of the film, Peter manufactures a new suit using Stark tech again. This was a thing dating back to his debut in the MCU in Cap3, but to add insult to injury this time around Peter also has new web-shooters developed for him using Stark tech. Everything material-wise was ready for him because of the now deceased Iron Man.
I don't know if the Iron Man bubble was an executive choice from Sony to Disney, with them believing that the Spider-Man reboot would have the highest chance of success if Iron Man was involved in it as much as creatively possible or if it really was how Marvel Studios wanted to tell Peter Parker's story all along. If this is the result of the former, I understand it but I still don't like it. If it is the latter, then in my opinion it comes across as an example of some weak writing and that the storytelling and narrative could have been done better for Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But like I said, I did enjoy both films...I just found them underwhelming. I believe there are quite a few more issues with this series, but this presentation is the biggest one of all. And I am hyped for Spider-Man 3 with all the rumors about it going around. Hell, against popular opinion I'm hyped to see how Tom Holland as Spider-Man will eventually if ever, cross paths with Tom Hardy as Venom.
tl;dr (best I could do to condense)
I know the MCU is all about connections and that it's common for a main character to appear in another main character's film, but in my opinion there has been too much Iron Man and Iron Man mythos involvement in the Spider-Man films to the point that they just feel like Iron Man spinoff movies. Iron Man himself appears in Homecoming. That's fine, he is Spider-Man's mentor, but Vulture's main objective is to steal weapons from the Avengers, including Stark tech. Happy Hogan is portrayed as a supporting character for Spider-Man in this film almost as much as he is in the Iron Man film series.
Happy is back again in Far From Home in a more significant role and Stark Industries has an even bigger presence in the sequel. I get that this is post-Endgame and Peter's mourning, but they could have had that element of the film without all the rest of Iron Man related involvement but there was a lot of it. The main villain himself Mysterio is an ex-Stark Industries employee, working with a team of ex-Stark Industries employees, trying to obtain a piece of new Stark tech that just happens to be in Spider-Man's possession. In the third act, Spider-Man gets a new suit thanks to Stark Industries that's nothing new but then he also gets new web shooters too. It takes away from capabilities of Spider-Man as the main character making Far From Home less authentic as a Spider-Man film.
To me, there is a lot more wrong with the MCU Spider-Man films than what I made this thread about, but this is my biggest issue with it.
Let me start off by saying I am hyped for Spider-Man 3.
I liked Far From Home and I liked Homecoming overall, but there are quite a few things about them that I dislike. The biggest being that there is just something about these films that don't really make them feel like actual independent standalone Spider-Man films. The MCU is the most magnificent shared film universe there has ever been, and there should be a level of reminders throughout each installment that everything is connected.
But I feel like there is an overwhelming connection to the Iron Man mythos in the Spider-Man films. And for that reason, instead of feeling like Spider-Man installments in the MCU, they feel more like Iron Man spinoffs to me. In Homecoming, Tony Stark himself appears as a supporting character. And that's fine - as I said there should be a level of reminders of connection in these films, and that includes major characters making appearances in other films. But Iron Man's influence in the film goes beyond just his presence. The motivation of the main villain Vulture is to steal weapons from the Avengers, including Stark tech. Happy Hogan who is a recurring supporting character for Iron Man, ends up showing a comparable amount of screen time as a supporting character throughout this film as well.
This same feeling carried into Far From Home too. I understand the film is supposed to be an epilogue chapter to the Infinity Saga and that Peter is grieving because of the mentor relationship he had with Tony, but that element of the film could still have been executed without the presence (or literal missing "presence") of the Iron Man mythos. The main villain Mysterio is an ex-Stark Industries employee. Part of his motivation seems to be revenge, because he hated Tony Stark. Peter was part of an obstacle in the middle of his redemption plan. And it's not just him. Mysterio has been working with a whole team of ex-Stark industries employees. The central plot of the film is Peter struggling with the idea of being Tony's successor - and that includes a pair of glasses with EDITH built in, new Stark tech that Tony intended for his successor to inherit. Once again, Happy Hogan, a supporting character from the Iron Man mythos plays a supporting role - arguably an even more significant role in another Spider-Man film. They took it so far that they even added the running gag of him crushing on Aunt May. Then at the end of the film, Peter manufactures a new suit using Stark tech again. This was a thing dating back to his debut in the MCU in Cap3, but to add insult to injury this time around Peter also has new web-shooters developed for him using Stark tech. Everything material-wise was ready for him because of the now deceased Iron Man.
I don't know if the Iron Man bubble was an executive choice from Sony to Disney, with them believing that the Spider-Man reboot would have the highest chance of success if Iron Man was involved in it as much as creatively possible or if it really was how Marvel Studios wanted to tell Peter Parker's story all along. If this is the result of the former, I understand it but I still don't like it. If it is the latter, then in my opinion it comes across as an example of some weak writing and that the storytelling and narrative could have been done better for Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
But like I said, I did enjoy both films...I just found them underwhelming. I believe there are quite a few more issues with this series, but this presentation is the biggest one of all. And I am hyped for Spider-Man 3 with all the rumors about it going around. Hell, against popular opinion I'm hyped to see how Tom Holland as Spider-Man will eventually if ever, cross paths with Tom Hardy as Venom.
tl;dr (best I could do to condense)
I know the MCU is all about connections and that it's common for a main character to appear in another main character's film, but in my opinion there has been too much Iron Man and Iron Man mythos involvement in the Spider-Man films to the point that they just feel like Iron Man spinoff movies. Iron Man himself appears in Homecoming. That's fine, he is Spider-Man's mentor, but Vulture's main objective is to steal weapons from the Avengers, including Stark tech. Happy Hogan is portrayed as a supporting character for Spider-Man in this film almost as much as he is in the Iron Man film series.
Happy is back again in Far From Home in a more significant role and Stark Industries has an even bigger presence in the sequel. I get that this is post-Endgame and Peter's mourning, but they could have had that element of the film without all the rest of Iron Man related involvement but there was a lot of it. The main villain himself Mysterio is an ex-Stark Industries employee, working with a team of ex-Stark Industries employees, trying to obtain a piece of new Stark tech that just happens to be in Spider-Man's possession. In the third act, Spider-Man gets a new suit thanks to Stark Industries that's nothing new but then he also gets new web shooters too. It takes away from capabilities of Spider-Man as the main character making Far From Home less authentic as a Spider-Man film.
To me, there is a lot more wrong with the MCU Spider-Man films than what I made this thread about, but this is my biggest issue with it.