I genuinely love the Tom Holland Spiderman movies. I also like the older films, but the Holland arc has been the Spiderman I remember from my childhood. It begins with an awkward teenager finding his way through gaining power. Even the Tony Stark quip to stay a “friendly neighborhood Spiderman” was fun. But the arc of this Peter Parker has some of the deepest looks at what it means to be human when faced with trauma.
The story takes a turn in Spiderman: No Way Home when Peter asks Dr. Strange for a spell to make everyone forget Peter Parker and Spiderman to protect them. Like with all spells involving memory and humanity, it goes awry. Spiderman is suddenly facing villains from other timelines. It is a brilliant story bringing together the three actors who have played Spiderman/Peter Parker in the modern movies.
But more than the story we get the amazing Spidermen working together to prevent the trauma they experienced from harming Holland’s Parker. The other Spidermen killed the villains they faced, but they know all too well the cost of taking a life - even the life of a villain. In a moment when the current Peter has to make a decision, the other Peters surround him and encourage him to see another way. That courage in the face of the easy way heals them all and prevents Peter from causing himself the pain of knowing he has killed intentionally.
Which brings us to Spiderman: Brand New Day. New York is beset by a force Peter cannot see. Someone is able to possess others and carry out crimes working toward a plan. Peter is struggling himself with his powers and his “Spidey senses.” As tends to happen, Peter attempts to control the changing of his power and body. This inadvertently creates a method of controlling others with power. He learns that his foe is Jean Grey, an incredibly powerful mutant with powers of the mind. If you are not familiar, Jean Grey is part of the X-Men and it is awesome as a fan to see the Marvel properties beginning to come together.
Jean is captured by the organization who would use her as a weapon. We learn that they killed her sister. Jean, angry and hurting breaks her containment and threatens to destroy a parge portion of New York. Peter has a decision to make and his decision is one informed by his entire story arc. In fact, Peter is only able to help Jean once he realizes that it is all of who he is that makes him whole. Even the part he is afraid of. The events of No Way Home become a part of who Peter is and his choice is to reach out in compassion to Jean. Peter’s courage, much like the courage of the other Peters is the courage that drives compassion. That compassion saves the city and ultimately Jean Grey.
The one phrase that is famous regardless of the Spiderman medium is “with great power comes great responsibility.” Brand New Day is the epitome of using power responsibly. I can’t help thinking how different the world would be if more human beings followed the adage. What if, when faced with having great power, more people chose to look at that as an opportunity to be responsible, compassionate, or even kind?
In the future, when historians write about the American Evangelical church, I wonder about their assessment. Will it be one of a people who possessed an unbelievable amount of cultural power who chose to wield their power in the oursuit of more power? Will the eulogy for American Evangelicals include the fact that instead of seeing power as something to be laid down, they saw it as something to be seized and it destroyed the very place they claimed to love?
Maybe I am too hopeful, but I think there could still be a change. It will take a large does of humility and the ability to repent of seeking power, but it is possible. We wil also need to see ourselves in the example of Jesus and not our favorite politician.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, assuming human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God exalted him even more highly and gave him the name that is above every other name, so that at the name given to Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Php 2:3-11 NRSVue)
Maybe, just maybe...
