'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' and the significance of the Black identity portrayed in fiction
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” became Sony’s highest grossing animated release 12 days after it debuted in theaters, but developing the animated action movie that presents a multi-ethnic "verse" was a painstaking process.
With the recent increase of positive Black representation in media, a different demographic is opened up to it: communities that have historically been disregarded within fiction. To portray a diverse and an authentic cast of characters and storyline, bigger audiences are garnered, new perspectives are cherished, and communities come together, which makes the audience enthralled in the piece of media.
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" promotional movie poster that features the main character, Miles Morales, the secondary character, Gwen Stacy, and various other Spider-People in the background. (Courtesy of Marvel)
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" promotional movie poster that features the main character, Miles Morales, the secondary character, Gwen Stacy, and various other Spider-People in the background. (Courtesy of Marvel)
The acclaim the film has received, is due to its unapologetic use of representation, especially Black representation.
Miles Morales, an African-American and Afro-Latino, is the main character, Hobart (Hobie) Brown (Spider-Punk), a Black-British supporting character; and other characters of color, such as Pavitr Prabhakar (Spider-Man India), an Indian supporting character; and Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099), a Mexican-Irish character that round out the cast. This inclusion of fictional characters that otherwise aren't shown has allowed for more diverse and relatable media for a larger audience to enjoy.
"We have a representation of this beautiful Black and Latino family where the father is there for his son and cares for his son, that, beyond being a Spider-Man, [his son] is exceptional and loved. These families exist, these are representative of the families that I know. And so it's really nice to see the superhero being cared for by a family like this.
Why is representation in fiction important?
When people (especially youth) see themselves portrayed in a positive and complex light, it allows them to relate to and identify with the media.
Representation also creates new opportunities and work experience for those willing to share aspects of themselves and their culture.
“Across the Spider-Verse” directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson said they had a hard time making the character Pavitr Prabhakar authentic. The Indian members of their team and sources such as Karan Soni and Hasan Minaj worked with them to create a truly authentic character.
Still of Spider-Man India (Pavitr Prabhakar) from "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
Still of Spider-Man India (Pavitr Prabhakar) from "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
“You have to be open in this process to criticism and to good ideas from wherever they come. And that really speaks to the amount of problem solving that we had to go through to make sure that that character who’s supposed to represent a very specific part of the world felt authentic to people from that part of the world.”
Voice actors such as Luna Lauren Vélez (Afro-Latina voice actor of Rio Morales, Miles Morales’ mother) and Daniel Kaluuya (Black-British voice actor of Spider-Punk) also created a more authentic feel to their respective Black characters, showcasing their culture and customs. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kaluuya went into detail about how tapping into “himself” allowed for his character Hobie to feel more authentic.
Still of character Hobart (Hobie) Brown (Spider-Punk) and Miles Morales from "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
Still of character Hobart (Hobie) Brown (Spider-Punk) and Miles Morales from "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
“Well, I’m from the area that Hobie is from. Hobie is from Camden, and that’s where I was born. So I just dipped into that. Camden is a very interesting place. I mean, it’s where punk was born, so it’s very counterculture at times. So I knew the essence and the vibe, because I’ve been around it my whole life. So it’s great to show that side of where I’m from.”
Many viewers expressed their gratitude, showing the importance of representation, in posts on social media.
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is now showing in theaters.
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