Across the Spider-Verse and the Rejection of Fatalism

Spoiler Warning: This nonfiction contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and speculation astir the imaginable ending of The Flash, based connected the comic Flashpoint.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was, similar its 2018 predecessor, a masterpiece. A breathtaking ocular feast, it is simply a emotion missive to comics, animation, New York City, Spider-Man, superheroes successful general, and everyone who loves them. I could spot it a 100 times and ne'er get sick of it.

But 1 of the things that struck maine astir the movie was the mode that it subverts and outright defies 1 of my precise slightest favourite tropes successful comics.

Across the Spider-Verse introduces Miles (and us) to the Spider-Society, an interdimensional enactment of Spider-People dedicated to preserving the sanctity of the multiverse and tally by Miguel O’Hara, AKA Spider-Man 2099. During Miles Morales’s archetypal travel to an alternate universe, helium meets the Spider-Man of Earth-50101, Pavitr Prabhakar, and saves the beingness of Pavitr’s girlfriend’s father, a constabulary captain.

However, erstwhile Miles arrives astatine Spider-Society headquarters, Miguel tells him that redeeming the skipper had catastrophic consequences, due to the fact that the captain’s decease was expected to beryllium a “canon event.” Canon events, Miguel explains, are things that hap to each Spiders and specify them arsenic characters: being bitten by radioactive spiders, the motivating decease of a adjacent loved 1 similar Peter’s Uncle Ben oregon Miles’s Uncle Aaron, etc. The decease of Pavitr’s girlfriend’s begetter was expected to echo the iconic decease of the archetypal Captain Stacy, the archetypal Gwen Stacy’s father, successful the seminal Amazing Spider-Man #90. Miguel explains that each Spider-People are meant to suffer a constabulary skipper adjacent to them — and due to the fact that Miles stopped Pavitr’s constabulary skipper from dying, Pavitr’s beingness whitethorn disintegrate.

Miles realizes to his fearfulness that his ain father, Jeff, has conscionable been promoted to skipper — and that the movie’s villain, the Spot, is connected his mode backmost to Miles’s location beingness to termination his loved ones. But erstwhile Miles tries to spell home, each of the assembled members of the Spider-Society bash their champion to halt him. Even Peter B. Parker, Miles’s mentor from the archetypal film, tries to marque him recognize their constituent of presumption — though nary 1 wants Miles to suffer his father, if Jeff doesn’t die, Miles’s full beingness could beryllium destroyed.

But Miles refuses to basal backmost and fto his begetter dice due to the fact that that’s what’s “supposed” to happen. That’s the full constituent of being Spider-Man, helium argues. Finding different way. Saving everyone.

Watching Miles reason against destiny and the rules of the multiverse, I couldn’t assistance reasoning of different superhero movie releasing this June: The Flash. I won’t beryllium seeing The Flash, due to the fact that I’m appalled that it adjacent continues to beryllium successful the look of the many, galore allegations against Ezra Miller. But I astir apt wouldn’t person seen it anyway, due to the fact that The Flash is simply a riff connected the 2011 comic Flashpoint, and Flashpoint is my nemesis.

In Flashpoint, Barry Allen decides to usage his powers to spell backmost successful clip and prevention his mother, Nora, from being murdered by Professor Zoom. Instead, helium breaks the timestream, creating a overmuch worse alternate reality, and tin lone repair things by undoing his archetypal alteration and allowing Nora to die. (He doesn’t rather negociate to enactment things backmost the mode they were — Flashpoint is what created the New 52, my different nemesis.)

DC is inexplicably enamored with Flashpoint, which is not a peculiarly well-loved communicative among the fans. They adapted it into an animated movie, they riffed connected it multiple times successful the CW show, and present they’ve made it into a diagnostic film. And adjacent though I won’t beryllium seeing that film, I’m reasonably assured that it volition extremity with Nora Allen having to dice for the involvement of the universe.

(Which, broadside note: Nora’s execution wasn’t introduced arsenic an constituent of Barry’s backstory until 2009, 2 years earlier Flashpoint and 53 years aft Barry was archetypal introduced. This isn’t Uncle Ben. This isn’t the execution of the Waynes, oregon the demolition of Krypton. It’s wholly gratuitous.)

Across the Spider-Verse ends connected a cliffhanger, truthful we won’t cognize until March of 2024 what Miles Morales’s father’s eventual destiny is. But fixed the benignant of movie Spider-Verse is, and fixed however precise wide it’s made that Miguel is incorrect astir Miles successful general, I fishy Jeff is going to beryllium conscionable fine.

Why does that matter? Well, I’m not large connected comic publication stories astir fatalism. After all, what’s the constituent of having ace speed, oregon the proportionate spot of a spider, oregon whatever, if you can’t ever halt a atrocious happening from happening?

(And yes, I cognize that Uncle Ben’s decease is simply a cardinal constituent of the Spider-mythos — but the important constituent determination is choice. Uncle Ben didn’t dice due to the fact that The Universe Needed Him To. Uncle Ben died due to the fact that Peter chose not to usage his large powerfulness responsibly. That’s the opposite of fatalism.)

But 1 of the things I’ve noticed astir Your Loved One Must Die To Present The Timeline arsenic a trope (YLOMDTPTT for, uh, short) is that said loved 1 astir ne'er seems to beryllium a achromatic man. It’s usually a woman, truthful that a antheral tin mourn her — a parent similar Nora oregon a woman similar Gwen. Sometimes it’s a antheral of color, truthful that a achromatic quality tin mourn him — the comic publication miniseries Stargirl and the Lost Children conscionable concluded with this trope, sidesplitting disconnected the Scarlet Avenger’s Chinese teenage sidekick Wing, to the dismay of (white) Stargirl. (This is not a immense shock; this seems to beryllium a favourite trope of Stargirl writer Geoff Johns, who besides wrote Flashpoint.) Marginalized characters must enactment successful their lane arsenic canon fodder to guardant the narratives of the real heroes, this trope seems to say, oregon chaos volition ensue!

There are truthful fewer achromatic characters, peculiarly achromatic men, successful the Spider-Verse, uh, verse, that it would beryllium hard to play this trope consecutive to statesman with. But Across the Spider-Verse rejects it entirely. (There’s a batch to beryllium said, though astir apt not by a achromatic woman similar me, astir however the movie rejects the presumption of BIPOC suffering successful general, from the guidance counselor’s insistence that Miles’s household must beryllium struggling, to however the acceptance versus rejection of calamity plays retired generationally with Miguel and Jessica Drew versus Miles. I privation to work a 1000 essays astir this movie, and besides spot it a 1000 much times.)

And look, there’s merit successful stories astir accepting and processing grief. And a definite measurement of calamity has ever been a captious constituent of Spider-Man’s DNA. But I deliberation it’s important to admit which kinds of characters get to grieve, and which kinds are utilized arsenic props to let that grief to play out.

By rejecting YLOMDTPTT, Across the Spider-Verse besides rejects that dichotomy. No beingness is worthy sacrificing for a full universe, it says, and thing is acceptable successful stone. Your choices matter. Spider-Man tin prevention everyone, due to the fact that everyone deserves to beryllium saved.

I don’t cognize astir you, but I deliberation that’s a beauteous darn bully connection for a superhero movie.