Peter Parker is a nerd. A dweeb. A loser. A geek. A poindexter. Any word used to describe a guy who is so nerdy that you can’t help but stuff him in lockers and give him swirlies. And it’s the act of being bitten by a radioactive spider and gaining superpowers that brings him out of his shell and turns him into a bigger, more confident person. But beneath all of that, he is still a bit of a loser. This character is at its best when creators aren’t afraid to explore that side of Parker.
Tom Holland and Andrew Garfield were too charming and conventionally attractive to come across as convincing in their respective films, but Tobey Maguire was able to strike a neat balance between good-natured nerd and somewhat creepy social outcast. He was a lovable weirdo that you couldn’t help but root for. Despite that beloved precedent, not everyone is pleased that Petey P from Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man on Disney Plus, is embracing the cringe.
Yes, I know Peter Parker eventually settles down with kids and has dated plenty of incredible people over the years in the comics and so on, but this piece is about a silly little nerd in high school. With that out of the way…
Even In Animated Form, Peter Parker Is A Big Ol’ Nerd
Set to premiere on January 31, the animated series has been highly anticipated since it was first teased several years ago. It promised to translate the classic comic book style and most of its character designs into the modern era with a slick, timeless aesthetic. The end result is not what people expected, with many taking issue over the stilted nature of its 3D animation, and its swinging sequences that resemble a human body filled with bricks flying all over the place rather than a superhero zooming in to save the day. This is a valid criticism, but when it comes to the dialogue and character designs, the show feels right on the money.
Harry Osborn is also depicted as a Black teenager in this adaptation (voiced by Zeno Robinson), with his father sporting his classic cornrows from the comics. Here’s hoping this new take on the character doesn’t bring out the usual suspects that love to scream tired rhetoric from the rooftops.
Let’s start with Peter Parker’s looks, which are pulled straight from the original comic run with immaculately coiffed hair and archaic spectacles. As the trailer begins, a sudden cry for help from Harry Osborne has him sneaking out of class while making a terrible joke about dropping a deuce. It isn’t funny, and everyone in class looks at him like a weirdo.
Then he’s on the scene beating up young offenders with blunt objects before livestreaming his victory online. Some believe this attempt at exploring youth culture is cringe and forced, but with this iteration of Peter Parker being a kid in high school, what else would he be doing?
Spider-Man Embracing The Habits Of Modern Youth Makes Perfect Sense
He tries to impress girls, pulls bizarre hand gestures, and only has a small circle of friends because most of the people in his school think he’s a massive loser and don’t know that he’s actually a superhero when he’s not hitting the books.
He can’t let that slip, and judging by the trailer, a lot of the show will be about grappling with the conflict inherent in his secret identity; with the need to do good by the city he calls home without putting the people he loves in harm’s way. With great power, there must also come great responsibility and all that jazz. But bad faith critics don’t seem to accept this is fundamental to Spider-Man’s identity and just because it now reflects the here and now, or what many have come to view as ‘woke’ doesn’t make it any more cringe.
Insomniac’s Spider-Man is older and wiser, and the picture we can paint of his much younger self is too brief to get a proper idea of the person he used to be. Even so, it’s way more on the money than most of the films have been.
People are also drawing conclusions from the trailer without much of anything to go on. It will take us on an adventure where it tries to build up its own version of this iconic cast of characters and try to make us fall in love with them by telling a story that is both new and familiar. The title gives me the impression that it is largely going to remain confined to New York as Peter gets to grips with being Spider-Man, curating his first suit, and getting closer with the few key players that will go on to define him.
In past adaptations, both animated or live action, Peter has frequently felt too old, or not reflective of the person he would be as a kid in high school, simply trying to get by. Now he has to deal with superpowers on top of just about everything else. It’s meant to be cringe, and I hope the show nails that feeling.