Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: Writing Your Own Story
When looking back on 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse there is a lot to admire. The animation made a massive impact on the genre from a stylistic standpoint. It’s blown open the doors on what is possible in animation and has added a whole new element of creativity. Same can be said for the tone and style of the film. Into the Spider-Verse brought a lot of culture to the screen, immersing the audience in hip-hop and that fusion brought an energy with it. Full stop, it's an incredible film. Not only one of the better animated films of that year but one of the standout films of that decade.
Standing out not just for its innovative animation, culture or impeccable filmmaking but for its meaning. The thematic elements of that film are incredibly strong. Pushing forward the idea that anyone can be behind the mask, some of the aforementioned aspects but also with the evolution of the characters on screen. That film resonates, and it does so because everyone could connect with it on a much deeper level. Ultimately, that is its legacy. For its sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, the question is how do you do it again?
Several weeks have passed since its release and there is no secret that they did do it again. The film is incredible. Across the Spider-Verse expands in all the ways that a sequel can expand on its predecessor. The filmmaking and animation are somehow better, the voice cast is better and the tone and style of the film is more expansive and interesting. But the story is the most impactful. The filmmakers behind this film (written by Chris Lord and Phil Miller, and Directed by Steven Caple Jr.) brilliantly expand on the inclusive and powerful idea of the first film. By taking the natural progression of the original idea, we are more invested in what is happening because we remain tied to it.
Across the Spider-Verse isn’t just the characters evolving and growing, we are growing with them. The first film is about the idea that anyone can be behind the mask. This idea brought pride and happiness to so many people. It’s inclusive in the best ways and at the perfect time. The natural progression from that then becomes as individual as the original theme is universal. We are the author’s of our own stories, the masters of our fates. It’s our choices that make us who we are, and we have to walk in that individuality so we can be the best versions of ourselves.
This idea is best embodied in our lead character, Miles Morales (voicework by Shameik Moore). Miles is in a different place than most superheroes in a sequel. He’s embraced the role of Spider-Man. There is a refreshing level of comfort and acceptance here. His struggle is less about the responsibilities or pressures and more about the experience that led him there. The events of Into the Spider-Verse gave Miles a sense of belonging. Whether in his family or at school, Miles did not seem to fit. But with his Spider friends he found acceptance and understanding. Even briefly that acceptance created a bond that he wears like a weighted vest. He misses it, longs for it and feels more out of place than ever. Everyone is pushing him in different directions, and Miles is trying to grasp the bond that gave him the briefest moment of clarity.
This is solely a coming of age experience. While that is the package in the first film, anyone can relate to the sense of belonging when you find the right group of friends. Then how desperately you fight to hold on to that. Much like Miles, we are willing to reroute our lives and do anything to have it for just a bit longer. Miles' journey through Across the Spider-Verse is one of self-discovery. Those relationships are powerful and necessary, it's self-actualization driving you where you need to go. Miles learns through what is a devastating set of reveals that he can’t rely on those around him to help him find himself, he must do that on his own. He has to be the author of his own story.
Where this story elevates to a higher plane is in reference to Miles’ family. A place that is full of love but there is a disconnect. One that is all too familiar in all families, particularly (while not exclusively) around his age. He hasn’t fit in here for awhile and the trauma of losing Uncle Aaron, the only person that he really connected to, still heavily weighs on him. The greater familial strain is in his secret. He believes he can’t reveal that he is Spider-Man to his parents because it risks further isolation.
A fear that can only come from love but a fear that forces poor choices. It’s the same self-actualization that fuels him in this area as well. Stepping into your individuality is scary because it places at risk all of the relationships you hold dearest. But it’s not until you step into your full self that you realize there was never really a risk. True love is greater than all of that. A revelation that Miles comes to and subsequently helps Gwen come to herself.
The film opens with Gwen Stacy (voicework by Hailee Steinfeld) in her beautifully animated world that also reveals a tortured reality. One that sets Gwen at odds with one of the last remaining people in her life that she loves. After accidentally killing her world's Peter Parker, her dad (a Police Chief) is on the hunt for her, as Spider-Woman. What starts as a relatively standard superhero plot becomes much greater when she reveals herself to her dad and her worst fears become reality. Instead of facing it, she runs. Running and hiding from the tough confrontations of her reality become the standard. The opposite side of the coin of Miles in a way, Gwen is scared of what happens to those who love her because of who she is.
It isn’t until she see’s Miles fully step into himself, and with the fullest of convictions tell his own story that she does the same. A beautiful representation of the power of relationship that at its best and most powerful allows us to be who we are. The unconditional love and acceptance of another person allows you to be the best version of yourself. When Gwen steps into that she finds the courage to face her fears and finds on the other end the relationship with her dad that she always longed for.
These are heavy and complex themes and the execution of these themes (amongst several others) are what sets it apart. It may sound ridiculous that an animated film about spider powered superheroes in the multiverse is actually a deep ruminating character study on the idea of self-actualization, but it is. This film is powerful, beautiful in its exploration of its characters, ideas, relationships and themes. Most importantly it makes you connect to it in a deep and meaningful way. You feel this film. Every aspect of it, from beginning to end.
Across the Spider-Verse is art at its best. It’s a reminder that we are to always be the best versions of ourselves. Walk the path that we see for ourselves and to not let another person determine our fate. We get to tell our story. If the first film is right and anyone can be behind the mask, then there is no cannon. There is no blueprint, no prophecy, nothing that determines how we are to navigate our story. We get to do our own thing, and that is beautiful.
