Spider-Man: Homecoming is the superhero version of Devil Wears Prada, with Tom Holland as Anne Hathaway

To toil ceaselessly in the hope of being recognised by the One Who Truly Matters (aka The Boss) — such is the fate of every modern-day intern. And it was a fate remarkably well articulated in David Frankel’s 2006 comedy The Devil Wears Prada.

Years before Anne Hathaway earned herself a 70-year-old intern (Robert De Niro) in Nancy Meyers’ very appropriately named 2015 comedy The Intern, she had to go through the grind herself. She played intern to Meryl Streep, ~boss-from-hell~ a bitter-yet-focused fashion magazine editor in The Devil Wears Prada. For Hathaway’s character, having her presence acknowledged by her impossible-to-please boss was am uphill task, leave aside her work. But then. as we said earlier, that seems to be the life story of every intern: dish out wasted effort in a bid to please the boss, while wallowing at the bottom of the corporate food chain. And we were reminded of it when watching Spider-Man: Homecoming. As Peter Parker in James Watt’s just-released superhero flick, Tom Holland could give all of us major #InternshipGoals. From gearing up to wage Civil War against Captain America to clamping down on a lethal weapon business, Spidey goes to great extents — often without keeping his boss in the loop — during his Stark internship. His enthusiasm, unfortunately, earns him no brownie points. Hathaway’s character in The Devil Wears Prada and Holland’s character in Spider-Man: Homecoming are both driven learners who try all the tricks in the book (or comic book, as the case may be) to ensure that their respective bosses take notice. While Holland’s quest is to help in saving the world, all Hathaway wants, is a word of appreciation from Streep.

Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) could very well be a stand-in for the Iron Lady (Streep). Tony Stark/Iron Man was as cold and difficult — if not more — than Streep’s Miranda Priestly. The indestructible Iron Man suit is as difficult to penetrate as the velvet overcoats of Streep. [Spoiler alert] The climaxes of both films are also uncannily similar. Hathaway walks out right when she is on the verge of getting promoted. Holland also backs out of what he has been struggling for throughout the film, turning down Stark’s offer to be part of the Avengers. Both the characters go beyond their desks (or high-rise buildings in Spidey’s case) and embark on a journey to rediscover themselves.

Their respective bosses also react to the sudden departures in similar fashion. While Streep recommends Hathaway for another job, Stark delivers an upgraded suit to Parker’s place, probably as a ‘well done’ compliment camouflaged as a parting gift. This shows that their steely demeanours hide tender hearts. [Spoiler alert ends] So Spider-Man: Homecoming is really just the superhero version of The Devil Wears Prada. Just that here, the devil wears the Iron Man suit.