Age Recommendation: 8 and up
Alright people, let’s do this one last time.
Everyone has heard Uncle Ben’s famous phrase: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This is another way to say: “To whom much is given, much is expected” (Luke 12:48).
Expectations are a constant theme in Into the Spider-Verse, the animated 2019 film introducing Miles Morales as Spider-Man. Miles is even reading the Charles Dickens novel “Great Expectations” as his first literature assignment in his new school.
Into the Spider-Verse juggles not only the extra-film expectations of the parents and kids watching this movie, who come with their own preconceived ideas of Spider-Man, but the intra-film expectations for both Miles and Peter Parker.
Unfortunately, our protagonists are starting at a bit of a deficit if we look at the typical audience expectation for Spider-Man. Spider-Man is Peter Parker, a white teenage/twenty-something man with a guilt complex, widowed aunt, and approximately three ketchup packets waiting for him in the fridge at home. A half black, half Puerto-Rican kid with two loving parents going to a prep school isn’t exactly your first thought. And that’s just the superficial stuff. The true test of Spider-Man is his courage and determination, which comes from a place deep inside of him.
Unfortunately for Miles, he doesn’t feel very courageous or determined. In fact, he feels a bit suffocated by the weight of the expectations placed on him by his family. He’s the son of a cop and a nurse in New York City, going to a fancy new school where he feels he doesn’t belong. Everyone expects greatness, but he feels like he can’t live up to everyone’s big hopes and dreams for his future. He is, very much, a kid, just like all of the kids who begged their parents to watch this movie.
One day, while working on a graffiti project to blow off steam, Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider. The next morning, he’s much stronger, has grown several inches, and is sticking to everything. Eventually, he pieces together that this must have been caused by the spider bite. While investigating the spider, he stumbles into Spider-Man fighting Kingpin, who is turning on a supercollider which has the ability to open pockets to different dimensions. Spider-Man rescues Miles, which costs the hero precious time and eventually leads to his death, but not before Peter entrusts the mission of destroying the supercollider to Miles.
Now, not only does Miles have to figure out how to finish his essay on Great Expectations, he is expected to figure out how to destroy this thing while mourning the one and only Peter Parker. Except, there isn’t only one Peter Parker.
The supercollider ripped a hole in dimensional space, which brings us to Peter B. Parker, a veteran webhead from a different dimension who has been Spider-Man for over two decades. And he’s not exactly what we expect from Spider-Man, either.
Peter B. Parker has just finalized a divorce from his wife, and while his voiceover might say he’s taking it well, the on-screen visuals tell a different story. Peter is sitting on a sheetless mattress on a tiny apartment floor, crying over seahorses mating for life and eating old pizza. “She wanted kids,” he says, referencing his wife Mary Jane. “And it scared me.” This isn’t Spider-Man. He’s hopeless, scared, and he’s… not getting back up. This is one of Spider-Man’s defining traits, and Peter B. Parker isn’t getting back up.
This brings us to the central point of this film: the virtue of courage, and how that virtue can be for everyone, young and old alike. Spider-Man has worked so well as a character since the 1960s not because of his flashy suit or arachnid powers. The webslinger was introduced to the world at a time when many superheroes from both Marvel and DC were either in large team-ups (like the X-Men), or in duos (like Batman and Robin). Most heroes were also established—Batman and Iron Man were rich, Captain America was backed by the American government, and Thor was a prince in another realm. Enter Spider-Man: a solo superhero who’s very much just some kid from Queens who happened to get a bug bite. He was technically an orphan, being raised by his aunt and uncle, in a modest house going to a modest school with modest ambitions of going to college. Children can easily imagine themselves as Peter, rather than Batman or Robin. Spidey’s just more relatable.
It might be more fun to imagine being Batman, because it’s easy to be a superhero when you have funds, popular support, or magical powers. It’s a lot harder when it’s just… you. But this has always been the point of Spider-Man. He’s supposed to be relatable, and anyone can imagine themselves behind that mask, because unlike many other heroes, Spider-Man doesn’t show his face. Spidey’s best trait is that even when things are difficult, he never, ever gives up. And anyone can have this trait if they decide to cultivate it. This is what truly makes him a hero: he’s just an ordinary guy with extraordinary courage.
Peter’s well of courage is supposed to stem from the loss of his Uncle Ben after he dies at the hands of a thief that Peter failed to stop. Miles doesn’t have such motivation, and he feels out of place inheriting these powers, which is a visual and musical theme throughout the film. When viewing the “real” Spider-Man’s costumes, he feels small, and his reflection in the glass doesn’t quite measure up. He’s several inches shorter. He’s just a kid. So how does Miles get his courage?
One potential source of courage is confidence, which typically arises from mastering a skill. Peter tries to teach Miles the basics of being Spider-Man: “Aim with your hips” (in reference to web-shooting), “square your shoulders, don’t forget to follow through, don’t shoot of your back foot—” but when Miles can’t keep up with the information: “STOP LISTENING TO ME!” Miles has to come into his own by himself (which is shown through the animation—the frame rate increases as he learns how to use the webshooters, resulting in smoother animation that matches Peter’s). But even though he’s learning, he’s still not quite there. Peter webs Miles to a chair when it’s clear that despite all the progress Miles has made, he’s not ready yet because he hasn’t mastered his powers. Miles is upset, because even though he hasn’t mastered everything, he’s confident he can contribute. But this isn’t courage—this is rashness.
Miles is eventually able to master his powers, after his father stops by and tells him through the door, “I see this spark in you, and it’s amazing.” It gives him the motivation to continue to try, which sometimes, is all courage is: the ability to keep trying even when hope is lost. Miles finds one of Spider-Man’s old suits, which is no longer several inches too large. It fits him perfectly. He is going to live up to the expectations of Spider-Man, but he’s going to do it his own way: with a spray painted suit and a hip-hop soundtrack. But how does he know that he’s ready? He’s asked Peter this exact question.
Peter’s answer? “You won’t. That’s all it is, Miles, it’s a leap of faith.” Miles huddles on top of a building, mentally preparing himself to rush into danger. Suddenly, Miles leaps off the building, falling into the street below, but the perspective suddenly flips, showing Miles rising in the frame. But even in this scene, Miles’ fingers shatter the glass, meaning he gripped just a little too hard before leaping out of his comfort zone. Peter is proud that his mentee shows up, and with his confidence rebuilt, he asks himself, “Do I want kids?” Peter is still worried that he’ll mess it up, but Miles reassures him, and Peter gets back up, just like Spider-Man is supposed to.
“Anyone can wear the mask,” Miles says at the end of the movie. That has always been the point of Spider-Man. Because Peter Parker has been around since 1962, we’ve let just Peter Parker be Spider-Man. But anyone can be courageous — all it takes is some willingness to practice, motivation from those you love, and a leap of faith.
Peter Parker will always have a place in my heart. But Miles reminded me that anyone can be courageous. My hope is that kids are able to look up to both and to see that the way to truly be a hero is to never give up, even if your Spidey suit doesn’t fit quite yet.
What possible reason could you have for writing a Spider-Man essay now? 😉 But seriously, this is a very good article.