Across The Spider-Verse Is A Multi-Verse Full With Amazingly Written Characters

Watching Across the Spider-verse for the second time was an unexpected choice, considering I hate everything Marvel and rewatching films. Swamped in extremely mediocre and uninspired writing, Tom Holland’s Spiderman films just weren’t my thing, but I had always had a sweet spot for Spiderman as a character. Peter Parker just being a simple dorky high school kid was the foundation that grounded his character and made his growth believable and fun to watch. This was why I didn’t roll my eyes at another rendition of his character, because of this potential because Miles Morales is 100% the most well-developed and lovable superhero we have seen in ages. It does help that Across the Spider-Verse is an extremely character-driven film. But Liv, every film has characters with backstories, motives and story arcs, yes but it’s the quality of these aspects that breathe life into the world they inhabit. It’s still smelly New York, but Miles, Gwen and everyone else feels like real people with lives that interact with the world they live in. I’d like to delve into a few of these characters and showcase how this film excels in its character writing.

The first character to take centre stage is Gwen Stacey, the second film spends a generous amount of time setting up the backstory and struggles embedded in this character, as we see how she lost her Peter Parker and the struggle with identity when it comes to her dad. This struggle in identity was the stand-out factor for me and was for many people as people took to the internet to explain why Gwen was a representation of Transgender people. Evidence included Transgender flags adorning her bedroom walls, and more strikingly, her father’s police jacket. Of course, with a great passion for representation, there come people who just can’t fathom the possibility of a young girl being anything but straight and CIS, because why have a trans woman when I can relate to her? This isn’t including me, they’re just checking off their list. God people really wanna hear themselves because their argument is bursting with irony. Their suggestion that people are obsessed with representation highlights how they are obsessed with only wanting to see themselves and what is ‘normal’. It could be far-fetched and exaggerated, but why can’t there be flexibility in what we see, a viewer’s perspective is unique and what breathes life into the discourse of media. I stand by those who view Gwen as trans, not just because of the flags dotted here and there, but because of the beautiful way, it ties into Gwen’s overarching problem with asserting her power as herself.

This can be seen in how she doubts herself in siding with Miles and going against Miguel when Miles decides to go against the canon. This doubt in herself as a person, and the need she feels to obey older and authoritative figures such as Miguel and her father, portrays Gwen as insecure and fragile in what she believes. This is an underlying theme that begins to break free in the second film, as when she is around Miles she is portrayed as the confident Spider-women that is a part of a special strike force, Miles looks up to Gwen, but she is a figure that is laced with fear. This whole identity arc can seamlessly play into Gwen being a transgender figure, as it’s this childhood fear and need to be accepted by her dad that explains why Gwen is the way she is. Now you could argue that it's her fear of being accepted as Spider-woman that is the focal point, not her being Transgender, but I ask you why the creators made the conscious decision to assign Gwen the colours of the Trans flag. But Liv, it’s just cuz they’re pretty girly colours no big deal. WRONG. The way acceptance and love are conveyed through the colour change in the hug between Gwen and her father highlights the mutual acceptance of who Gwen is as a person, whether that be as Spider-woman or a transgender woman.

Another character, which stuck out to me due to his complicated background (which leads to a very intense conflict in the second half of the film) is that of Miguel O’Hara, or Spider-man 99. There is a contrast between Miguel’s underlying comedic side (which can be argued that every character has in this film) and the intense hatred and trauma that is brewing in him. From our first meeting, he is pictured as a serious businessman that is there to do his job, but we see weakness in allowing Gwen, a child to join his Spider Strike force. This aspect of his character allows the viewer to think he’s just some angsty dude with a past. But as more is uncovered, I have many questions as to the corruption of his character and what that has shaped him into.

The focal point for Miguel’s character arc is that he leaves his own universe in pursuit of one that gives him a family, specifically a daughter called Gabi. The original Miguel of that universe dies, so our Miguel struts in like whose you’re a daddy. A partner is never seen but let’s just assume that there is one. However, this disrupts the canon, rips the universe into a new arsehole and destroys it. now this is pretty traumatising, the man watches his daughter get ripped from in and dissolve into pixels. That’s rough buddy. But when you think about this plot point for a while, you begin to realise how it’s a little bit messed up. Consider that these universes are completely different landscapes, with different people that follow a basic outline. They aren’t the exact same people so the Miguel and Spidermen in each universe are a mould to fit into, but essentially have their own personalities and beings. When considering this, it brings forth the idea that Miguel is an imposter in this new universe. He takes advantage of the death of his other self and settles into a completely new family. The messed up part (if it isn’t already) is the idea that he is manipulating and tricking a family that isn’t his. He gives into the selfish desire to have his own partner and child, but at what cost? Now this is a theme I expect to ever be looked into or developed in the film’s discourse, but I just like to imagine how the whole imposter syndrome worked and why Miguel isn’t just some poor baby who lost everything. He rips a universe apart because he indulges in fantasy, effectively ruining the lives of people who have just been lied to.

I could be looking too deeply into these characters, points that are barely hinted at and have no evidence of really being realised. Of course, Gwen being trans is much more plausible than a whole imposter-syndrome plotline, but the overall message for me is the same. Across the Spider-Verse characters are rich and multi-layered to the point that their environments and emotions explain little titbits of info that some people may never think about. Its this discourse surrounding characters in media that elevates them to the status of incredibly written characters, and Gwen and Miguel are only a couple of examples of what Spider-Verse provides in its stellar writing.