Spider-Man

Five things I love about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

/ Movies, Superheroes /
spider web

1. The animation is stunning.

The movie uses different animation styles to represent different universes, but it all fits together. Peter B.’s animation is a bit more fluid than the 90s Spider-Man cartoon. Spider-Ham looks like he walked out of Looney Tunes. Peni Parker’s style is anime.

All of it is colorful and detailed without being overwhelming.

2. Kingpin’s motivation is simple and understandable.

We know that Kingpin is a bad guy, but we understand what he’s doing. He wants to get his family back, no matter what the cost is. I like when the villain’s goal is straightforward, so that the story can focus on the characters.

3. Miles is unsure of himself.

Miles wants to stop Kingpin but he isn’t sure he can learn how to use his superpowers in time to save the other Spider-People. I like that Miles can’t immediately use his abilities — he has to learn and it takes time. It’s something I really liked about Spider-Man: Homecoming. Homecoming‘s Peter Parker was scared and unsure of himself, but he was a hero anyway. Miles is like that, too.

4. The essence of Peter Parker is the same, no matter the universe.

Each Spider-Person feels like Spider-Man, even though they are different people with different experiences. They all suffered a loss. They juggle normal lives with superpowers. They have easy-going personalities but they’re serious about stopping bad things from happening. They want to do the right thing, even if it isn’t safe for them. Afraid but also brave. No version is glamorous, but every one is a hero.

5. The movie opens endless possibilities.

Introducing the multi-verse sets the stage for additional movies. We could have sequels about Miles. We could have spin-offs with each Spider-Person. Villains that we’ve met before and new threats from other universes. I want to see all of them.

Photo by Nicolas Picard on Unsplash

11 things I love about Spider-Man: Homecoming

/ Movies, Superheroes /

When Spider-Man Homecoming was originally announced, a lot of people were surprised that the superhero would be rebooted again so soon after The Amazing Spider-Man movies. Spider-Man is one of my favorite characters, so I was excited regardless. Now that I saw Homecoming, there’s a lot to love about the movie.

My list is after the cut. (Spoilers, of course.)

…

11 things I love about Spider-Man: HomecomingRead More »

Does everything a spider can

/ Superheroes, TV shows /

For several weeks in July, August, and September, I watched every episode of Spider-Man, the animated series that was on FOX from 1994 to 1997. I had seen most of the episodes growing up, but seeing them again now, I realize how much this cartoon series respected children as an audience.

I see respect for the audience in several aspects of the show:

1. Complex characters. Peter Parker is consistently an intelligent and flawed character. We see how smart he is in figuring how to defeat villains, and when he makes mistakes it’s because his  arrogance, carelessness, or anger. Everything Peter does makes sense, though. His actions are logical reactions to what happens to him and around him. The villains are relatively flat compared to Peter, but even they have logical motivations. Doc Ock needs resources for his research. The Green Goblin sabotages the King Pin’s work so that Norman Osbourne can keep a clean reputation.

2. Multiple story lines at the same time. Episodes often contain one problem for Peter Parker and one for Spider-Man. Besides those, we see plot developments with Mary Jane, Harry, and Aunt May.

3. Multi-episode stories. Spider-Man often carried a story over several episodes. Recaps at the beginning of every episode probably helped children follow along, but even so, children had to pay close attention to make sense of the larger story. Characters and other elements from early seasons came back in the final season of the show. That’s a lot of detail to ask children to remember.

4. Crossovers. I’m impressed with the number of Marvel characters Spider-Man features. I started keeping track after I realized crossovers were a recurring theme. The X-Men, Punisher, Daredevil, Iron Man, War Machine, Captain America, Blade, Red Skull, and Fantastic Four all teamed up with or fought against Spider-Man in the series.

Spider-Man respected its child audience by offering entertaining, complex stories. The banter and action scenes so typical of superhero cartoons are there, but so are deeply emotional scenes, like when Peter loses Mary Jane. The creators of the series must have felt that children could follow and enjoy these stories. Or else, why would they bother writing such developed plots and characters?

I feel like today’s creators of children’s television have much lower expectations for their audience. Children today are lucky to watch characters who behave rationally, let alone see complicated and satisfying story lines.

Venom to his Spiderman

/ Superheroes, TV shows / ,

Since Netflix added Spider-Man, the animated series (1994-1998), to instant streaming, I’ve been watching season 1 and remembering what a great show it was.

“The Alien Costume” is a three-part story in the middle of season one. The symbiote comes to Earth with a space shuttle and attaches to Spider-Man. Peter fights it off, and it takes over Eddie Brock to become Venom. This story is the animated version of everything Spider-Man 3 should have been. But I don’t want to talk about the film’s emo Peter Parker.

I want to talk about how Venom is a reflection of Spider-Man and why that makes him such an interesting villain.

I’m going off the animated series here (which I expect is close to the original story in the comics). Venom knows everything about Spider-Man and Peter Parker because the symbiote tried to bond with Peter first. This gives Venom a few advantages.

1. Venom can block Spider-Man’s spidey sense. Venom is the only thing that can sneak up on Peter, and we see how jumpy and paranoid Peter feels because of that.

2. Venom has Peter’s memories, so he knows Mary Jane Watson and Aunt May.

3. Venom has all the same powers as Spider-Man, except he’s stronger.

Venom matches and beats Spider-Man in strength and ability. He plays mind games. He threatens to expose Spider-Man and hurt his loved ones. Venom is dangerous because he knows how to fight Peter Parker and Spider-Man. He can attack both identities.

This idea of a villain who is a reflection of the hero reminded me of “Amy’s Choice,” a series 5 episode of Doctor Who. The Dream Lord is a mocking version of the Doctor (Time Lord) that comes from the Doctor’s mind. He hates the Doctor, he taunts Amy, and he puts Amy, Rory, and the Doctor in a cruel test of distinguishing dreams from reality.

But there’s an important difference between the Dream Lord and Venom. Venom is a reflection of Spider-Man, but a separate entity. The Dream Lord is part the Doctor, the dark thoughts about issues the Doctor doesn’t want to face. Venom’s threat is in being able to match Spider-Man. The Dream Lord’s threat is in the Doctor torturing himself.

These types of villains are compelling because they aren’t simply evil: they’re evil that comes from the hero. That complexity shows a flawed side of the hero, and that’s good storytelling.

Scroll to Top