There is no doubt that the newest installment of the Spider-Man franchise took the world by storm, from Box Office to personal conversations even to TikTok’s “for you pages.” It seemed like anywhere and everywhere, Spider-Man No Way Home was the biggest thing in the world. But why is this? How did this one movie create so much traction? Was it just a trend? For some individuals they might have just seen the movie solely based on hype, not knowing a thing about Spider-Man. But for many others, No Way Home was made special because of the connection we have to the character who is Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
The origin of Peter Parker is a very popular one; a young child gets bit by a radioactive spider, gets powers, and becomes this cool superhero everyone wishes they could be. Pretty simple right? Except it’s not as clear-cut as it may seem. You see, once Peter Parker started to gain his powers, he started using these “gifts” for his own selfish needs. (Like any young teenager would.) This was until his Uncle Ben would be killed, causing his whole outlook on his powers to change. Causing Peter to have to live with the regret of not being the hero who could’ve been there to save Uncle Ben. This can relate to all of us, we all have to carry regret around in our life whether it’s something as simple as not studying for a test or as deep as not saying a final goodbye to a loved one. Regret is with us all as it was with Peter, obviously the death of his uncle changed his whole viewpoint on his powers. “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.” Those words would drive him every step of the way because although he was too late to save Uncle Ben he could still save everyone else. No matter how bad things got, it was this idea that kept him going.
If I was to ask what Spider-Man’s greatest asset is, many of you may say his suit or his webs or even his ability to crawl on the walls. But the truth is Spider-Man’s greatest power is his ability to be so optimistic and altruistic. Because that’s what makes Peter Parker “Spider-Man” – the way he is able to put everyone else besides him first while suffering so much. Just like in No Way Home: at the end of the movie in order to save the world, they must wipe all memory of Peter Parker from everyone in the world, meaning Peter would in turn have no one at all. After a few months, he would have a chance to try and reintroduce himself to his loved ones. But as he would walk in ready to do it, he saw how happy and safe they truly were. In that moment Peter would realize he couldn’t put them in danger. So even after losing his uncle, his aunt, his father figure in Tony Stark, and pretty much the entire world, he was still fine with sacrificing even more to keep the ones he loved safe. This is the reason why we have such a strong connection to Spider-Man, because he is the best in all of us. He is a fictional character that we all strive to be, not because of his cool powers but because of his selfless characteristics. Some of us struggle to give up certain items or activities for the greater good. It’s hard to make sacrifices at times but at some point in our lifetime, we will have to make selfless acts whether for a family member, a pet, or even a random individual. We must try and have the same mindset as Spider-Man, because “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”.
That is why Spider-Man is the perfect superhero because he is the best in all of us and is the best we should all strive to become!