Into the Spider-Verse, in my opinion, was probably one of the best cinematic experiences to ever exist. Not only was the animation a remarkable work of art, but the plot was one great adventure. And all this, plus a killer playlist.
The basis of Into the Spider-Verse, or for that matter, Marvel, is the fact that the existence of alternate and parallel universes is canon. One of the main factors that keeps the story going is the different portrayals of the same character; in this case, Spider Man…or Woman.
The main theme is that every detail of our universe is not the same as that of all the alternate universes. They could vary by something very miniscule – like how a certain phrase is spoken – or by something huge. I felt that this really brought out the changing nature of reality, its state of flux, through the means of alternate universes.
Okay, so, let’s do this one last time. (reference!)
We start off with this guy:
His name is Peter Parker (wow, surprise). FUN FACT: At the animation studio, to remember which character they were talking about, they called this one (SPOILER ALERT!) RIPeter, because, you know… he’s dead. Anyway, he was the original Spider-Man in this universe.
Due to certain things that may or may not involve a MASSIVE machine that opens up portals into other universes, we are introduced to our 6 Spider people.
Now, coming to the next, we have: Peter B. Parker. FUN FACT: During production, they called him Burrito Parker. He represents me. That’s it.
If those images are not proof, I don’t know what is.
Our third spider-MAN, is Spider-Noir.
He’s in black and white comic style. There seems to be wind in the basement, because his cape seems to keep flowing. Our favourite, black-and-white, comic-style, Nazi-fighting, detective-from-the-fifties, Spider Noir.
Our Fourth Spider Person, is: Gwen Stacy, AKA Spider-Woman.
She is a total badass. I love her. She basically saved two Spider-Men(?) in her first appearance as Spider-Woman.
Our fifth Spider-Person is Peni Parker, who is from an alternate future. And she is also friends with her spider. He lives in a robot and helps her fight!
Isn’t that amazing?!?!!! Adorable, adorable, but deadly Peni!
Our sixth, and last Spider-Person (guess we’re going with this term, then) from an alternate universe is: Peter Porker AKA Spider-Ham. Yes, you did read that right. No, this is not a joke. Played by John Mulaney, he is an amazingly funny character, as expected.
Probably my favourite line from the entire movie was when he said, “I’m right here”, in response to Gwen calling the villain ‘a pig’.
You thought that was the end?! You’re wrong. We still have our last Spider Person, and he is from the same universe that the original Peter Parker was from. Let me introduce y’all to: Miles Morales.
Again, it all started with a spider-bite, from a radioactive spider. In the end, from being the rookie Spider-Kid, he turned into the Spider-Man, who took that leap of faith. Plus, this guy didn’t know the lyrics to the song he was singing throughout the movie. How is that not relatable?!
Now, all of these characters represent the same person: Spider-Man/Woman/Ham. But in reality, all of them are from different universes and are totally different.
Reality is fluid, it changes all the time, and this was just one example of it. In theory, alternate universes could exist. So, here’s something to ponder about: what is different in the infinite universes that exist beside yours?
The concept of existence and reality itself is sketchy and hard to grasp. Maybe we could soon be living in a world where travelling to alternate dimensions may be possible.
This is probably the best concept for writers. Well, it’s known to them already. A world where everything they create is true and is brought to life.
Also, don’t forget to watch Into the Spider-Verse, if you haven’t. It’s really great!
Ps: I love Aunt May. She’s amazing.
~Rimjhim Sayana, Class-12, Amity International School Noida
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