Why Spiderman across the spider-verse is the most relatable animation out now

Spiderman Across the Spider-verse is the latest Marvel release based on a Puerto Rican, African American teenager Miles Morales, and his adolescent struggle to juggle school and his Spiderman duties. The film is a sequel to Spiderman Into the Spider-verse, where we see a slightly younger Miles Morales united with a team of other Spidermen and Spiderwomen against their opponent Kingpin.

In the sequel, we embark on Miles’s journey to maturity as a teen, struggling to keep up his grades and fulfill his parent’s wishes, to a young adult making independent decisions that juxtapose the traditional ‘destiny’ of Spiderman to remain true to himself. We sat down with lead actor Shameik Moore, who plays Miles Morales, and Daniel Kaluuya, the voice of Spiderman Brit, to further unpack their feelings towards their characters and more.

The cultural relevance and reliability of the film to teenagers of black and Hispanic heritage is a massive deal for the representation of Marvel’s youngest audience. For example, in the movie, there is a scene where we see Miles in a school meeting with his parents about his future. We see his principal wanting to “help” by fabricating a fake sob story about his immigrant struggling to get him into a high-performing school. The principal plays on stereotypical and untrue facts about Miles and his family based on their race. Such subtle stereotypes and microaggressions are the reality that many black and Hispanic students face from similar helpful teachers today.

Overall, the film is a recommended one to watch with friends, family, or by yourself, as it is relatable, thrilling, and engaging for all ages.

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Words by Grace Nyamekye