For those who haven’t noticed, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, has a thing for Nike sneakers.
Tom Holland’s take on the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man has been critically acclaimed with positive rave reviews surrounding every movie he’s appeared in. We can’t fault anyone for loving his portrayal. I mean, we do too. It’s a modern take that manages to be lighthearted while retaining a lot of spirit and traits we love to see in Spidey. Plus, with the nature of Peter Parker being a relatable teenager, it’s only right that like any American teenager in the modern age, he’s going to be decked out with some nice sneakers.
So far, there have been three Spider-Man movies with Tom Holland as the leading man, and the costume design has been superb. One thing eagle-eyed fans can point out is his respectable sneaker choices.
After the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s only right that we track his footwear preferences over the years.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
In Spider–Man: Homecoming, Peter was presumably still growing into his style, so there weren’t many sneakers shown off in the course of the movie. However, there is some nice content that we can respect, even if he hadn’t begun to fully showcase his love for the popular Nike sneaker brand.
Nike SB Zoom Stefan Janoski RM (Black) Sneakers
The Nike SB Zoom Stefan Janoski RM Skate sneakers are worn by Peter Parker and briefly shown in a Spider-Man: Homecoming scene. It wasn’t a clear shot, but the silhouettes are similar and we can presume that skate shoes are a good fit for Peter considering the nature of his work as Spidey.
Being on call for heroic duties requires some adequate preparation. Sure, having Ned around to cause a distraction is useful by itself, but for the moments where Spidey has to quickly arrive on the scene, he requires the footwear that can endure his athletic movements. I don’t think there’s a better choice than to equip a pair of Nike sneakers.
In Homecoming, he didn’t just use any pair of Nikes, but the SB brand. Nike SB sneakers are basically made to get beat up. This is thanks to the fact that they are primarily skating shoes. If there are anything skaters tend to do, it’s give their sneakers a tough time. To help with skater culture, Nike created footwear that can endure that sort of intense footwork. Judging from the scene where the shoes were shown in the movie, Peter has given these sneakers some serious work.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
In Spider-Man: Far From Home, we got to see Peter Parker try on some more familiar Nike kicks. As sneaker hypebeasts, we couldn’t help but cheer in excitement when we noticed the pair he had on.
Sure, people in the theatre were weirded out, but those guys don’t see what we see!
Nike Air Max 1 White Black Wolf Grey Sneakers
In Far From Home, Peter Parker encounters a water elemental while on his field trip in Europe. Consequently, his entire class was in danger of being victims of an attack. As a friendly, neighbourhood Spider-Man out of his regular turf, and with his suit still somewhere in his luggage, Peter had to make do with his regular civilian outfit.
His clothes might not have been the most athletic for that situation, but thankfully he was sporting Nike Air Max sneakers.
The air pockets under the sole of Nike Air Max’s are there to help athletes have a more consistent step on most terrain. They’re also helpful with comfort and wearability.
At that point in time, fighting a water elemental, Peter didn’t really need to worry about slipping off.
But also, there’s another reason we think young Peter might’ve had on the Air Max’s… In Far From Home, we see Parker try his luck at becoming a boyfriend to Mary Jane. Maybe, just maybe, these sneakers were worn to help Pete feel a little less insecure about his height when standing next to her. If there’s one thing Air Max’s can do, it’s to add a little more pep in your step!
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the conclusion to Peter’s high school, coming of age trilogy as he becomes a more seasoned superhero. From a parallel observation, we can also see that Spider-Man has grown into a sneakerhead here.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Retro Neutral Grey/Hyper Crimson Sneakers
In case you don’t know what we are getting at, these sneakers symbolize maturity in Peter Parker. Unlike previous movies where his sneakers flew under the radar, the trailer for No Way Home was hyped up for the nostalgia in seeing the original Spider-Man villains return, and also getting to see some mainstream sneaker culture represented.
The Jordan 1s are already an acclaimed pair of sneakers that come in a variety of colourways. The Retro Highs with red and black are probably the most popular type of Jordans out there. However, there’s a level of respect for sneakerheads that are able to rock unique and more niche colourways, while still looking pretty fly.
In No Way Home, Peter Parker is that sneakerhead that demonstrates a good level of understanding of sneaker culture. Sure, he still has a lot to learn considering that he probably creased his Jordans while getting him and MJ to that rooftop, but still, we can’t help but feel proud of how far he’s come.
Nike Sneakers in Spider-Man movies
Sneaker culture in superhero movies and TV shows will always be celebrated and appreciated, and we can’t help but tip our hats to Sony for the subtle storytelling they’ve presented in Peter Parker’s sneakers over the years… or perhaps we are reading too deep?
