Between this movie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, I think this year’s animated movies are literally the belle of the ball. These were two of the best animated movies I have seen in a while. Yes, that includes Moana, all the Frozens, and Encanto. Also, while we’re here, GIVE OSCAR ISAAC HIS THINGS! He was phenomenal in this film and I’m just hearing his voice! This and Moon Knight are my favorite things from him, and yes, I know he’s acted in more things that are probably better but c’mon!
Back to why I made this a “Deep Dive.” After being amazed in the theater and seeing that Sony is making me wait a whole 75 years for the second half of the film, I got to thinking. This movie, while a thrill ride for all who come to see it, has an important message for the adolescent that are in the theaters—identity.
I have a few nephews who are under ten, so they might miss this theme. They love Spider-Man and Miles so they are there for that, but my ten year-old nephew should be paying attention to the struggle Miles has with who he wants to be. Especially, when he comes face-to-face with The Prowler from Earth 42.
When we start the film, Miles is still living this double life of being Spider-Man and being the student and child. Then, when he thinks he’s defeated The Spot, he goes to school to have his college meeting with his parents. Now, most parents want their kid to go to college, and Miles also wants to go, too. However, his mom wants to keep him in Brooklyn (ma’am, let that boy get some fresh air and see some trees.). Typical mom behavior but Miles is set on wanting to go to Princeton in New Jersey, which is a neighboring state, Miles’ mom! Anyway, he remarks often about the fact that he’s not a kid and wants to be treated as a growing 15 year-old who can make decisions for himself. Most of us felt like that at his age. Now look at us. Adults that don’t want to make any more decisions.
Fast forward to Miles being invited to HQ. With all these other Spider-People who have a set identity or role they play as their own version of Spider-Man, who is Miles now? You can see the fascination he has with all the Spider-People he encounters, but you can also see that he’s a bit lost while walking through. He’s still thinking about how he fits in and why he wasn’t invited in the first place.
Now, I’m going to fast forward a little farther. We find out that Miles wasn’t invited to this secret Spider-Man organization because the organization is capturing anomalies like him. It catch my attention when Miguel says that Miles was never supposed to be and he didn’t belong. Here comes my soapbox moment. For years, little minority kids, I speak here a Black woman, have been told that they don’t belong in certain spaces or that they don’t have a place somewhere they long to be. Once upon a time, I’m sure black kids were not allowed at Princeton, and now we have an Afro-Latino superhero who dreams of studying Dark Matter at that exact school. Once upon a time, there were no Black or brown faces as President, and now there has been. There has been an entire Black family in the White House. Once upon a time, we didn’t see Black princesses on screen, and now little girls of all races get to see them and buy the toy.
As a nerd, I’m like, “Yeah, Miguel. You do have a point.” But as a Black woman, this burned my soul. Throughout this movie, people have been telling Miles who he’s supposed to be. His parents want him to be this perfect son and student, to an extent, and Miguel either wants him eliminated or wants him to follow this Spider-Man code which will result in his father dying and his standing by to watch.
As a viewer, I asked the same question that Gwen did. How do you know that breaking canon will destroy everything just because it happened to you? I mean, you would think that would be a good enough excuse, but not everyone’s story is the same. Plus, Miles, as he said, isn’t supposed to even be Spider-Man, so who knows what could happen.
As an aside, Spider Punk is the only Spider character with a solid identity, and I think this is why he likes Miles. Miles literally fighting to exist is what Spider Punk is all about. Fighting the status quo of the establishment is his thing! Unbeknownst to Miles, this is what he’s doing by just existing. Part of his identity, now, is rebellion.
Another Spider person forging their own identity is Spider-Woman. Spider-Woman is not only the better half of the duo that seems to be her and Miguel, but she’s also pregnant as she fights crime. Now, you may say, “What does this have to do with Miles?” Follow me here. Miles is an anomaly, and is told he’s not supposed to be here. I would argue that neither is Spider-Woman. Personally, I have never seen a pregnant woman as a superhero actively fighting crime. She might have been a superhero and had a baby, but she wasn’t fighting crime while with child. We see Peter does the same thing with his new baby. Their identity as parents doesn’t stop them from being Spider people, so why should Miles’ anomaly status stop him? Is he not keeping his Brooklyn safe? Is he not doing the best job by himself? I and the citizens of Brooklyn in his world would say so. He almost got a free beef patty for getting rid of The Spot.
Speaking of The Spot, he and Miles are one in the same. Because of Miles, Jonathan Ohnn is now The Spot and has to deal with this new identity that he didn’t want or ask for. Sound familiar? Both have decided that they have these powers and they should use them for something. Miles decides to use them to protect Brooklyn. Jonathan decides to try stealing an ATM out of a bodega granting him the label of “villain of the week.” Because of this unwanted title, he sets his mind on bigger villainy. Miles does the same. In the first movie, he started with low level villain and was still getting used to his own strength and powers. This second movie is about proving himself, and I’m not sure who he’s proving himself to—himself or everyone else. This is why he saves the captain in India. This is why he follows Gwen into the portal. He wants so badly to let everyone know, and himself, that his is a good Spider-Man. Miguel has now put a battery in his back to prove that.
Moving on to the last scene of the film. Well, almost the last scene—The Prowler. Identity is strong with this one! The spider from Earth 42 ended up in Miles world so there was no Spider-Man to save Jeff in this world, so this Miles now has no father and is left with Uncle Aaron to raise him in this life of crime. Jeff, in Miles’ world, was the reason Miles wasn’t involved too much with Aaron’s life of crime. This Miles doesn’t have that luxury. Aaron is his father now and it’s hard to know if he got to make the choice to be Prowler or if it’s a product of the cards he’s been dealt. It seems as though this Miles wants to be Prowler. Miles has both his parents and Uncle Aaron and was allowed to be able to make the choice, though he did have some help from his dad, to be where he is now or to join his uncle in crime. I think in the next film Miles will appreciate how hard his parents are on him because he will now have seen who he could have been without their influence.
The next film is slated for 2024 and I hate Sony for this. I agree with a podcaster I follow. If we had cut just a couple of things from this movie, I would have gladly stayed that theater eating my tater tots for three whole hours and would not have complained. I will be seeing this film 12 more times just because!
But tell me, do you agree with Miguel? Does you really think Miles’ existence is a disruption to the Spider-Verse? I’m not calling it that long technical name Miguel called it.
