Miguel is different. Different to all the Spider people. He isn't funny, his powers are different, his priorities are different. This is important in the movie, because of his confrontation with Miles. He says Miles doesn't belong there, doesn't fit in, but in great irony, he doesn't fit in either.

Whenever Peter B thinks about the collapse caused from "Canon Events" you can see that he immediately looks to his daughter. He wants to move forward, and supports Miles fully... but hes scared of losing his family that he finally has. And hes even more torn because he knows its Miles that gave him that gift.

I love how Hobie tries to convince Miles not to join by ALSO telling him he's not like the other Spiderpeople. "Why do you want to join? You got a good life, a good family."

I think an important thing to remember about Miles two cakes is that when both cakes get to the party both are messed up. And Pav says “I can do both” about saving his girlfriend and the Inspector, but he actually couldn’t. Without Miles one of the people Pav wanted to save would have died. I think Beyond will show that you can “do both” but not alone. Miles will need the help of the other Spider People that he’s friends with. He may even end up teaming up with Prowler Miles as well. Miles isn’t afraid to go his own way, but maybe he doesn’t have to do it alone.

Miguel has fangs, claws, and stuff cause he got his powers when he was spliced with the dna of a spider. He didn’t get bit by a spider, he is literally 50% spider.

Miguel and Gabriel? Like the archangels? Maybe their mother wants them to be that perfect version she imagines. Has he inherited some of those ideas?

So what you’re REALLY saying is that what makes Miles unique is that, unlike every single other spider person, he learned to cope with and process his grief and trauma in a healthy way

I like how you mention that because Miles' story is different, it truly embodies the ideal that it really can be anyone behind the mask. Stan Lee literally said the reason he created Spider-Man with a mask was so that ANY kid could imagine themselves behind the mask and not a single kid has the same backstory.

How the hell do writers create stories like this with so many different layers? It’s like rocket science to me. Seriously how?!

I think I slightly disagree about Spot and a couple of his lines. He's future focused, but ONLY as recompense for the past such that Miles can suffer as he suffered. He acts with reckless abandon for "self-improvement" but only for the purpose of destroying the enemy from his past. What do you do when you want to fix that agonizing hole in your past, but you're not good enough to do it? He feels his entire life is just be the weird holes guy with no family, while Miles gets to be a proper spiderman. I wonder if that's related to how Miguel "isnt like the others" and also thinks its unfair Miles gets to be spiderman. Spot is right, we all have holes. So what is his answer? Fill it with more holes. Lean in to the tragedy. Go beyond allowing it to happen like Miguel, and go beyond trying to keep going and get better like Miles. Fuel your tragedy so much that it consumes the world. Become big enough of a problem that everyone will take you seriously, literally become the canon event that they dread. This is...Spots version of "doing both"

The huge thing about the ending scene is that like, Miles was told he wasn't supposed to even be spiderman, and his spider was supposed to be for a different world entirely, but that's the first time he actually sees it. It was easy to cast it aside when it was Miguel yelling at him about it, but when he actually sees it for himself, you can see the shift in his eyes to the "Oh fck, I caused this-"

So interestingly, you mention about how Uncle Ben dying is about the message behind him dying rather than the actual event. It's almost like Miguel is trying to preserve the messages and lessons Spider Society receive which crafts them into the Spider people they are. I reckon it's not so much about 'preserving canon' by having characters experience bad things, it's more so that Miguel is so short sighted he can't see a better way to impart those important lessons and he's mad that Miles is doing great at being Spider-Man without them

Wow what an abusive mom. Huh, Peter triggered him twice by bringing up mothers.

what I love about miguel is how he takes “with great power comes great responsibility” to the extreme. how he handle the spider society, how he treats miles, how he treats himself. his spider powers are even more extreme than the other spidermen turning him into this vampire esque spiderman. he is such a perfect foil to miles, him and spot are really.

I dont think youre giving Hobie enough credit. The stuff he steals is heavily implied to be used to build the watches he and Gwen have at the end of the movie. He recognises his own strengths and limitations. He is smart enough to reverse engineer the watches, and places them with the people who have a more solid vision for what they want the future to look like. He knows his part ti play and helps others play theirs

FINALLY someone who doesn't fixate on "this person is wrong" or "this person is right" and instead says "they're BOTH wrong and they're BOTH right, they just have to meet in the middle."

To me, Miles' story sounds like a "kid decides to fix generational trauma" story. Something I'm working towards, and yeah, you do end up defined by your past, but you also strive to make the future better (and sometimes it makes living in the Now hard)

I think that Miguel only giving Gwen the watch after she asks herself whether she can "fix this" is him coming to the conclusion that she's in a state to accept the idea of canon events. Gwen thinks her relationship with her police captain is lost, so Miguel- recognising that she's a very capable spider woman- thinks he can say to her "You're right, you can't fix it, but accepting your loss now is going to make what's coming easier." and I think it works on her, until she reconnects with Miles for all the reasons you outline here. I think, and this might be a bit of a stretch, that it also ties in with the motif of having your two cakes, and doing both. Gwen is, in that moment, having to reckon with the fact that she's failed to be both the Spider Woman of her world and the daughter of her world's Captain Stacy, and she doesn't know what to do. Miguel, in offering her the watch gives her a literal and metaphorical way out. She can do neither, leave her world and her father behind, and these people, people like her, will accept her for it.

This would kinda be cliche, but what if Miguel saves Miles dad? That would round off Miguel’s arc (which he’ll obviously have) and serve as a way to prove to Miguel that maybe his universe wasn’t destroyed by his actions. So now he’s on a journey to find a different solution, a different way to save people.

This video essay contextualizes what makes this miles so distinct. Such a tasteful way of separating Miles’ story from the classic Peter story. I’m very for this

Ok but can we talk about something here? Yes, Uncle Ben was a great father figure, and after he was killed, by that time most versions of the spider-people were learning how to do their spiderman thing and internalizing what he said completely alone. Completely. Alone. People alone during or after a tragedy aren't in the best of states, don't necessarily take away or internalize the proper things, and in general possess lingering trauma. You know who doesn't have that? Miles. Yes, he comes from a mixed race family, but his father is CONSTANTLY trying to connect with him, and his mother is FIERCELY focused on him no matter what they do - They are a family. When the collider incident happens and he witnesses someone give their life for him, it's less than a day or two until he finds himself a support network in the form of the spider people. These traumas that were inflicted on the rest of the spider-folk *arent'*, with Miles, purely by virtue of him having a support network in both lives to balance things out. The spider-people were there for him when his parents couldn't be, and Uncle Aaron AND his parents were there for him when his uncle discovered what was going on. Uncle Aaron, a criminal, was looking up to Miles because he was doing what was 'right and just'. Because the circumstances that led to the tragedy and that turned Miles INTO spider-man weren't because he was turning a blind eye to crime, it was because he was trying to do the right thing. As a hero, he needs no other reason. He didn't need to be guilted by Ben, he didn't need to hold everything in, he was "On his way." He just "Needed to keep going." Miles doesn't need to atone for anything, and that's exactly why he stands in opposition to EVERYTHING Miguel stands for. The collider? Not his fault. Aaron's death? Not his choices. Even the Spot is a hilarious analogue for the original criminal that shot and killed Ben, because not only did Miles not have anything to do with him, Spot also chose of his own free will to stay and try to collect things instead of run away. From a writing perspective, Miles Morales in the Spider-verse movies are a huge take-that to the comic book artists that continually pile misery on Spider-people for no other reason than pure drama, and he's also a giant middle finger to the people that think a Spider-man story requires certain tropes and themes such as atonement. I'm getting a little wordy here, but my last little thought: "With great ability comes great accountability." Accountability has a WILDLY different connotation than responsibility. Responsibility is oftentimes read as "Duty". It can be a solemn oath, but typically the vibe is that for whatever reason, a character with responsibilities MUST see to them no matter what. Accountability is a much more neutral connotation, however; less calling, and more watching if that makes sense. Having accountability and being accountable, unlike responsibility, is more about managing and being careful with yourself. There's no "Calling" to accountability, there's "Looking out for yourself." tl;dr Miles is, unironically, the most emotionally sane and available spider-man to ever exist.

Off-Note: I like how Miguel's story being a Mirror to Miles. While Miles is eager to prove he is Spider-Man (and some people questioning his validity on it too), Miguel also faces People questioning his validity as Spider-Man. - Cops thinking he's a bad guy - Gwen asking who he is, then not caring - Peter saying how different he is to other Spider-Men - Miles questioning if he's sure he's even Spider-Man

i feel like people brush over the actual content we're provided in the film. his dialogue, his facial expressions, his voice; i dont understand how people can limit his whole character to just this controlling villain. the words "you can't have it all, kid, trust me i tried" and the "this whole time, ive been the one keeping it all together" alone give a lot of insight into the context of his actions. the desperation and fear on his face when he talks to miles about the consequences, the longing on his face when he watched that video of his daughter. i mean its literally all there, and yet i still see "hot takes" minimising his entire character into 'bad guy stopping miles from saving dad ):"

Watching this video it really reminded me of when Mary Jane said “there’s no plan for being someone like you. You just have to make the right adjustments at halftime”. I think that’s the story they’re trying to get across.

Lyla theory: Lyla is a reflection of Miguel. She is what he was before. In the after credit scene of Into the Spiderverse we see Miguel begining his journey across dimensions. He's obviously way more like peter at this point, represented by him calling the watch a Goober. It also may hint to him watching the events of the first movie from a 3rd person perspective. But what I want to focus on is that Lyla makes a joke by poking fun at the name Goober, and yet in the future she makes fun of Miguel for being so serious all the time. Miguel was funny, he was optimistic, and Lyla reflects that, but she's always been the side of him that isn't expressed outright. She uses insult humor when he is making a joke. She tries to get him to lighten up when he's being a buzzkill. Lyla is Miguel's repressed thoughts.

So about Lyla, she's like JARVIS. A sentient AI who has a mind and personality of her own. Regardless of if she may or may not get a character development arc of her own, its important to remember that she's ultimately always in one way or another a reflection of her creator, who is Miguel. He intentionally created her personality, her sassy quips and comebacks, and her functions & mannerisms, to be the way that it is for a reason.

I think Miguel is so mad at miles is because he sees his younger self in miles and he hates his younger self so much for destroying and killing billions of lives because of his selfish desires. This is what miles wants to do and Miguel cannot let himself let this ever happen again.

As far as I'm concerned, Lyla is just an AI assistant. She does everything Miguel says but doesn't have a will of her own. Now, here's what I think is interesting: There was a time in the comics in wich Lyla kinda confesses her "feelings" towards Miguel (because he asked her to be honest) and some time later she went psycho and almost killed Miguel's gf. Eventually she got fixed and everything was ok. It's kinda common to see him command her to do something without much thinking and then regreting it afterwards. Lyla, even tho she's an IA, has an actual personality. She can be sarcastic, playful, dramatic, funny, it's not uncomon to see her mocking Miguel in varius ways while being unconditionally obedient to him, and that is because Miguel allows her to be this way. And I think that plays into his character by showing that he's not as much as an extremist as he seems. He is willing to accept a prankster secretary as much as he is willing to accept that some things cannot be changed or fixed, but when the pranks get too mean or specific changes cause entire universes to dissapear, that's when he knows he has to step in

Miguel is one of the most compelling Antagonists that I've seen in any form of media over the past few years. I think what makes him so compelling is that I could totally see almost everyone fully agreeing with his goals and his actions if the movie chose to make him the main character/protagonist, now of course you could do that with a ton of different antagonists but with Miguel if they chose to make the movie from his perspective I feel like the writers wouldn't need to show Miles' actions in a negative light and make Miles seem like a villain if that makes any sense. In the end there is just so much about this movie that is different and uniquely compelling, I feel like this movie is going to be pretty influential when it comes to character driven stories which in all honesty this movie deserves because it's a masterpiece.

domapine go brrrr no seriously, watching your content after watching hours of video essays just rehashing and reiterating same ideas without any actual analysis of the movie (any movie, in fact) feels like a breath of the freshest air

Miguel is a lot easier to analyze when you consider his fatal error; his obsession towards resolving canon events as a result of his own actions. He views the world with a cold, scrutinizing glare, but what Gwen said struck a cord close enough to home that it penetrated that attitude. She was in his position; facing down the barrel of a gun called 'consequences'. And, he saw a chance to do what nobody else could in his own situation; removing said consequences. Or, at least, delaying them. Fixing his error is his motif, as you go on to describe, but I think this should be taken into account too. I think the reason why we don't know too much about canons and other such things yet is because Miguel himself doesn't entirely understand the forces he's working with. But, instead of seeing what Miles is doing as another path, he sees him going down the same road he did, but worse; taking _others_ down that road. My guess is that, in the next movie or two, they'll begin to truly understand the forces behind canon events in a way Miguel was too afraid of exploring, that he pretended to know more about than he actually did. I haven't finished the video yet, but I paused upon seeing you being unable to understand the character. I don't know how literal you were about it or which element you specifically referred to, probably in the context of his unknown level of knowledge, but the one thing many people fail to consider is the most basic kinds of psychology; the kinds that surround behavior, masking, putting up a front. Somehow, I get the impression that Miguel isn't nearly as in control as he would like to make it seem.

The importance of Canon events is this (and you can see it through Spider-Man India in comparison to both Miles and Miguel): A Spider-Man who does not know the price of being Spider-Man thinks the job is easy. Miles skipped that step because him becoming Spider-Man caused his universe's Spider-Man to die. (Skipping that step is strike one against Miles). A Spider-Man who thinks the job is about Justice is an immature Spider-Man because the vagueness of the goal insinuates he doesn't have a deeper reason. A Spider-man who thinks that being Spider-Man is fun does not know the difficulty of hard choices (I.e. saving his girlfriend, or the police chief he is close to) and will inevitably make the selfish choice (and will likely lose the girlfriend later as a result). And a spider-man who hasn't had a significant moral failing doesn't understand the responsibility of being spider-man, and therefore does not fully understand the adage "with great power comes great responsibility" Miles IS right for his stage of being Spider-Man, and Miguel IS right for his stage. And they are wrong for eachothers' stage.

The reason Peter B was in his universe is that he was helping to try and stop the universe collapse. You see other spidermen also in that scene to help. You also see on Peter Bs wrist the watch. Which plays into the fact of why so many Spidermen follow him because some have seen it with their own eyes

I think the point that you made saying that Miguel prioritize thinking instead of following his gut is extremely on point, and it makes even more sense when you remember that Miguel is the only spider-person without a spider-sense, meaning he does not only doesn't follow his "gut" he doesn't even have one to follow, so in a fundamental level his character is almost forced to follow his head, and that can be interpreted as him being crippled by his past and overly rational thinking, what makes him unable to see any other side of the story.

Dude, I thought I understood this movie but your essays made me realise it's even deeper than I thought. The idea that Miles isn't like other Spider-Mans, because he is defined by his future, while everyone else is define by the past is such an amazing concept I completely overlooked. It also makes me even more impressed with the writing skills the creators of Spider-Verse have

The "I can do both" motif is the iconic spiderman conflict of whether to tell his parents, ruining his chance to have a normal life to go back to outside of being spiderman, or keep it hidden, "doing both", but with both constantly pulling him away from the other, making both his personal life and his work as spiderman tougher.

Since I've heard "If not for Uncle Ben, most of us wouldn't be here" from Peter B. Parker, I began to think how sad it is that Spider-Man's superhero work isn't founded mainly on wanting to make the world a better place or unconditional care for others, but on a sense of guilt that can washed away by helping people. Spider-Man in his most depressing form does not help people only because it's the right thing to do, but because of the burden of responsibility that rests on him. As a result, he isn't like Superman or Captain America - he's closer to Batman (it's not without reason that Bruce Wayne also has a problem with accepting relationships in his life and opening up to people). Pavitr in Across the Spider-Verse works great in this context. In his quick recap, we don't hear about his uncle's death, even though it could have happened. What really matters is that Pavitr just wants to help people, feed dogs, fight crime, and at the same time have a relationship with his aunt or girlfriend. He's not bound by any oath, he just wants to do it. Sure, Pavitr has something to learn here too, but he's still that positive, optimistic superhero who does good because it's right and beautiful, not because some trauma from the past forces him to do so. That's why I wouldn't be surprised if Beyond the Spider-Verse's tagline was something like "Why do you wear a mask?". Btw, I love the use of "Beyond" in the title of the finale of this trilogy. And it's not about some stupid move of Miles and Gwen to live-action, but about "going beyond the known rules of Spider-Verse and being Spider-Man". It's time to lead Spider-Man to new and better paths.

The things that you can't seem to figure out? They're all related to parenting. Miguel is a dad. That's the image we see of him. Peter B Parker. Also a new dad. Gwen has a dad. Miles "spreading his wings" is about his relationship with his dad. And his relationship with his mom is all part of this too. Heck, Spiderwoman is a pregnant mom! There's a whole parent and kid connection here. All the parents are struggling with control vs letting go. Gwen's dad is so obsessed with protecting his daughter that it comes out as wanting to control her life. In the end, he lets go of that control and recognizes that her life is going to be different than he expected, but that she will be her own person who he loves. Miles's Dad is also trying to protect his son by controlling him. If he can ground Miles (literally keep him from flying), than Miles will be safe and mature. His mom realizes that they need to let go and have Miles be his own person in order for him to be an adult. Miguel is a parent. He lost his family, stole another one, lost them, and is now trying to control all the other spiderpeople in the name of protection. He's being very paternalistic, treating them all as lost children he must protect from themselves. He does this by trapping anomalies, controlling differences. He has not learned to let go of control and let things be different than he expected. He is holding tight and Miles says, "Nah, Imma do my own thing." Miles breaks free and is ready to move into adulthood, even if this parent figure still hasn't let go of control. Peter B Parker is a new dad. He's just starting to realize this fear, the desire to protect May, and Miles. But he's already making different choices. He chooses to let Miles be his own adult, even if it looks different than he thought. Anyway, Spiderwoman will be interesting to watch in the next movie with her position as a mom. And Alt Miles too, as a kid without a father and with a mom who doesn't have the same power.

I've also been thinking about the frequent "I can do both" statements from multiple characters and I think it strongly relates to canon events. The idea of Spiderman trying to "do both" happens frequently in every spiderman story and in every case a choice has to be made that ends up in a canon event. For example, Pativr Prabhakar saying that he can do both when trying to save his girlfriend as well as the captain. A huge theme in spiderman is that they are constantly trying to "do both" and taking on so much, and it isn't always possible. I agree with your idea that these statements are moving toward the idea of anything is possible and I can because I want to. I thought a very poignant moment was when Miles learned about canon events and said to Gwen that she wasn't trying to protect him, she was trying to protect the "spiderverse" (when she tried to stop Miles intervening in Spiderman India's canon event). She turned to him and said "I was doing both". I think this is a huge foreshadowing that both cannot be done. Miles cannot be protected while canon events and the "spiderverse" are also protected. I think the idea of anything is possible will be held up because there will be some sort of change with the "spiderverse", canon events, or his relationship with 42 Miles/world that allows everything to be possible - the existence of Miles, the safety of his father, and the "spiderverse" not collapsing.

It’s interesting that you said that Miguel is in a fixed mindset for this movie, since that’s how he started out in the comics too. Personally, I view Miguel’s conflict in ATSV to mirror his conflict in the comics where he relies on a system based on control (working for Alchemax, upholding canon events theory) to gain stability due to his past trauma based on instability (his childhood abuse, alternate dimension collapse). Also for Lyla, I think she’s meant to reminiscent of Xina Kwan, Miguel’s ex-girlfriend that he has lingering feelings for in the 90’s comics. These lingering feelings are shown in Lyla’s design such as her being East Asian and having heart eyed sunglasses, along with her function of both keeping Miguel in check and being his best friend, roles that Xina played. If anything, Lyla acts as a reminder of his past life and relationships in the comics as in the film, Miguel hides his real comic book origins, likely due to how traumatic it was.

I wonder if he thinks he's saving the Spidermen some pain in a way, like if/when they fail the one they love, its devastating. You think of everything that went wrong, what you could have done differently, etc. But if they don't even TRY to save them, and have time to accept the loss before it even happens, Maybe he thinks it would hurt them less. Its not an accident, and you didnt fail: it was fate. Absolving all the Spiders of any responsibility (wink wink) they had in the 'canon' situations

I have a theory about Miguel. Miguel is not an echo of Peter Parker / Spiderman. He is an echo of Kingpin. If you look at what we know of his backstory, they parallel the actions Kingpin takes in the first movie. They both break outside their narrative reality to grasp at the thing they want, which the story of their lives denied. This is also why there is a bitter anger towards Miles breaking "Canon" and rejecting the Spider Society ethos. Miguel cannot accept that Miles can escape the Spiderman story, because that acceptance would shatter the lie he has constructed for himself.

problem is when you only think about the future, you'll never learn form past mistakes. miles can move forward, but his past(spot/miles 42) will catch up to him eventually, and miles will have to learn responsibility from consequences. Miguel probably only thought moving forward aswell when he was in a separate universe, and it all his consequences followed him.

If a whole UNIVERSE gets destroyed because I want to have the perfect life then I think it’s pretty easy to see who’s wrong

Peter - "With great power comes great responsibility" Miles - "Just keep going." Miguel - "With great power comes great GUILT."

Shnee: follows the themes and character motivations to make this spectrum of the ideology of moving forward and fixing stuff. Hobie: I dont believe in Shnee's ideology spectrum Truly the punk spider

A balance between the future and past is the answer, to live in the present. We've seen the consequences of Miguel's actions that made him cautious of changing the future, the dangerously uncertain future that miles ended up in wasn't exactly right either. Too much of anything is bad, which is why both Miles and Miguel were wrong, with the extreme example of no turning back being spot. That's probably what the third movie will lean towards, since the characters are still in the opposite sides of the spectrum. They're still good guys at heart with good intentions, so they will eventually meet in the middle, it's like Miles' mom's advice to move forward without forgetting the past.

To me, Miguel is all about stability. He and his team do their best to keep all the worlds functioning the way they should the only way they know how - removing anomalies. He doesn't want to interfere with Canon Events - not because he *wants* them to happen, but because it's the only surefire way he *knows* to keep the worlds from unraveling. He does not compromise the Canon Events with alternative solutions or other such measures - not because he doesn't want the best for everyone, but because he *cannot afford the risk* of the attempts not working. The solution has to be 100% certain to work, or it's a stupid, meaningless risk. One could argue that 'status quo' and 'stability' stand for one and the same here, personally, I think there's a subtle difference.

I always though the two cakes motif was Miles's refusal to choose between being Spiderman and his family (being Miles). While all the other Spiderverse people have simply accepted this as truth, Miles is actively rebelling against it. He's refusing to accept the binary and instead is "doing his own thing." He's going to find a way to have his cake and eat it too, even if that means baking two cakes. Also I ADORE your videos; thank you so much for all the great insight and hard work you put into these!

One of my two current ideas with Lyla is that she may be the one to finally prove to Miguel that he’s going about everything wrong. The only “evidence” I have towards this is that sense she is able to track the spot and is almost computerized in a way that she may be able to show Miguel proof from how Miles and Gwen’s team react to things that there is a better way to live. My other idea is that she may be the one who is keeping Miguel’s idea that he is going about it in the correct way. Maybe she’s a villain who sits on his shoulder and reminds him of how he’s failed. I don’t know if either of those made much sense, but they are the ideas I came up with

0:16 “Awful?” That scene was incredible. It was so heartbreaking.

"Anything is possible should terrify you as much as it gives you hope" is an excellent quote.

I’m really curious on how Miguel’s story will conclude in BTSV, I hope he doesn’t die and is able to see what truly caused the universe of his alternate variant collapsed and gets some closure from it.

It's so insane how you always manage to make every line, every detail in the movie meaningful in the bigger picture, or different aspects of narrative

Listen. I just have to say that this is the best breakdown for a movie I have seen for Spiderman in a longggg time! The minor details you put in just shows how hard you worked and shows how great the writing is. I love videos like this. Please do more. You sir earned my respect, attention, and subscription!!

this video uncovered answers to questions i didn't even know i had and you put those answers into words that make perfect sense and it makes me so happy. THANK YOU for knowing how to say words right, my brain very much enjoys seeing concepts it knows put into words

- i think Beter was literally physically there bc Miguel was seeing the beginning of that disaster, maybe a couple of dissolving buildings, and calling in a skilled spider or spiders to help him save people. - Theres a deleted scene from the first movie where beter explicitly tells miles NOT to focus on saving the whole world, but on saving one specific person, and in one of the games, Peter is angry and yelling at Miguel for even considering letting a woman die, even if it means everyone else would be saved. Trying to do both, and specifically focusing on a loved one in peril is a core aspect of the character of Spiderman. He doesnt consider there being backlash to doing this, he always goes in expecting/willing himself to do it all, and is totally caught off guard if/when it goes wrong. And in order to have that core spiderman belief change so drastically, only seeing the backlash first hand, being in the middle of a huge disaster that could/would happen again if you try to fight it, could do that. If beter wasnt personally there to see it, he would almost certainly still be in the "there must be another way" camp.

Miguel didn't get bit by a spider to get his powers it was an experiment that went wrong but he does have his fangs has paralyzing venom his fingers and toes has retractable used for climbing walls and rending substances as durable as cinderblock. Both forearms contain spinerettes capable of releasing adhesive strands of a webbing-like substance from the backs of his wrists. Miguel has an enhanced fast-healing metabolism, and enhanced sensory acuity enabling him to see in the dark, at great distances, and track fast-moving objects clearly; however, he is more sensitive to light than normal humans

As far as the questions go, I think the ending of the film *can* be seen as a conclusion to Miles' arc, and you even touched on it here. Before being sent to U42, he makes a stand in his philosophy, against all the other spiders, and this final sequence puts that to the test in a major way. His perception of what he is, and what he is separate from Spiderman. When he's tied to the punching bag and threatened with his life, he's faced with a dark mirror of himself. He's notably in shock, before composing himself with a very similar expression he had just before jumping off the rocket earlier. Now set in his beliefs. Even when faced with his *worst nightmare,* when *everything* falls apart, he's *gonna do his own thing.*

The future vs the past is what I think defines Miles as "ultimate spider-man"

ATSV has truly matched Arcane levels of depth. The fact that you can take a couple of 10 second scenes and write an entire 30 minute essay on them with extremely well crafted ideas and deep thoughts on life... Magnificent.

My biggest fear for SPiderverse's impact on the movie industry is the takeaway movie execs will get from it. On the one hand, it's a superhero movie that is culturally relevant. I'm hoping the execs can see past that and recognize that audiences love the Spiderverse movies because they are good stories with rich characters.

Yo this in dept dive goes crazy wth everything is connecting like crazy hella good job, props bro

this was such a thorough video, absolutely loved every second!! so well done :)

I actually think Hobie is perfectly in the center the entire time. While Hobie is all about tearing down the old, it's being done in a way to build for the future. Yeah he's stealing bits from Miguel (the past) but doing so as a means to help Gwen (The Future). He learns about how to break the barriers (the past) so that one can break free from it and continue moving forward (the future) He talks shit about the Spider Society (the past) so that Miles isn't held back by it and can advance his own goals (the future) Hobie knows he's not the main character, he knows no one actually is. Everything Hobie is doing is about tearing down the past while simultaneously building a future. Just as an Anarchist will go out smash windows, protest the cops, do graffiti etc... so too will they help tend to a community garden, squat unused buildings to secure places for people to sleep, cook food and hand it out. Hobie's goals are to be part of a bigger community pushing towards the future, a future that understands the past, gets rid of that which is unnecessary or bad, but keeps that which is necessary or good. I also think that plays into his false dichotomy in his intro, where he simultaneously makes a serious point, but undercuts it. He is both serious and funny, he is both focused on the past, but hungry for the future. He steals the show, by playing a supporting role for everyone else.

This is an absolutely fantastic analysis of not just Miguel and Miles but the underlying base motivation of Spiderpeople. I’m getting a huge vibe that this trilogy could open us up to a brand new kind of Spider-Man. That we can tell stories that don’t start with tragedy.

I love that, by being a movie about Spiderman (aka a movie that discusses what it means to be Spiderman), ATSV is also a movie against that stands very strongly against fatality. It goes to say "no, Spiderman's story doesn't have to be about loss, and grief, and sacrifice, and guilt, and being stuck in the past. It can be a different story." And I think it's especially interesting because that's what the character has been struggling with for a while in the comics. Peter Parker was supposed to retire and be replaced by Ben Riley, but that didn't work out. Peter sacrificed his marriage with MJ to get Aunt May back from the dead, which most fans hated. And those problems happened because the writers and the producers don't know how to make the character change. Spiderman has to be Peter Parker, and he has to be a struggling young man, and he has to be stuck in his past mistakes. And because they don't know how to write a Spiderman that doesn't stick with those criteria, they reset him, to keep the status quo. He can't keep his marriage, he can't accept Aunt May's death, he can't grow up, he can't retire, because then he would stop following the Spiderman formula, and he would stop being Spiderman. This movie is, of course, on top of everything else, a very meta commentary about the concept of Spiderman, about what it means to be Spiderman. And what it does is expand the definition of it. Just as you said, it's not just that anyone can be behind the mask and live Peter Parker's story, it's that any story can become that of Spiderman. And that's why I believe, very strongly, that Miles' dad will survive, that Gwen will survive, that Miles will get his happy ending. Because this is a story that claims that suffering is not an intrinsic part of Spiderman.

This entire analysis is so in depth and it really helps understand the characters, their motivations, their very ideaology. It also helps me theorize about what happens in the next movie. This video is just amazing. I love rhis video. I’m very excited for the next video.

The line that I always remember when I think of Miguel is “I’ve given up too much to stop now.” In the Spiderverse canon, giving up/sacrificing/losing something is what the good guys do. Does Miguel believe if he started thinking of what he wanted as an individual it would make him a villain? Because he did think for himself, and it had the world-ending effect that is expected from “bad guys.”

Here's my take on the "Two Cakes" Every Spider-person tends to struggle to find balance. They want to succeed in their normal life, and they want to succeed as Spider-man/woman/pig. They want to be with the people they love, but they also want to protect those people and keep them safe. They feel a huge responsibility to those around them but they hate the sacrifices that responsibility demands. Ultimately, every Spider-person seems to reach a point where they feel like the balance is impossible to maintain and they need to make a choice. Peter (Tobey Maguire) gives up on MJ, Gwen stops making friends, Miguel becomes so obsessed with protecting the multiverse that he attempts to represse ank kind of personal desire. They've all learned that they can't do both. They can't have their cake and eat it too. They can't save everyone. But Miles hasn't learned that lesson yet. He still thinks that there's a way to have it all, save everyone, be both himself AND Spider-man. Dispite a nearly infitite number of Spider-people and their experience telling him otherwise. He rejects everything their telling him about the way things have to be and resolved himself to try to find a way. Now this can go a couple different ways in the 3rd movie. He can fail and finally accept that great responsibility comes with great sacrifice, saving the multiverse at the cost of his own father, and thus following in the footsteps of almost every other Spider-man story. Or he can do his own thing. Find a 3rd option, try something no Spider-person's ever done before. The movie seems to be setting up the latter, but if Miles' is able to succeed then that raises another question. Why him? Countless Spider-people before him must have tried, and failed, so why would he manage to pull it off? Well, I think Miles has 3 things going for him that previous Spider-men lacked. 1) He's willing to come clean and tell his parents about his identity relatively early in his career. Most either never take that step, wait too long, or manage to hit reset and undo the confession. 2) He has warning of what's coming while there's still a chance to do something about it. The others all blindsided by the need to make a choice too late to act on it, so they never got the chance to find their third option. 3) Most importantly, he's not doing this alone. He's got Gwen, Hobie, Peter, Pennie... etc coming to support him. Maybe Miles is the one that's going to show the Spider-verse that Responsibility and Self Sacrifice are not the same thing

I started watching your videos a couple hours ago and they are great so I subscribed. Keep up the great work

You’re the first channel ive watched that has been able to keep me captivated the whole video. Loveeee watching these videos and listening to your analyses!! 🖤🤞

After reading a bunch of other comments on Lyla here are some thoughts: When Lyla was first made she was witty and snarky just as she is now, but Miguel was as well. In the after credits scene of ItS they are having a fun convo which also involves a bit of jabs and banter but you do get the vibe that they're having fun and Miguel is chipper. Now after his trauma he is sad and serious and changed and very much not enjoying himself but Lyla is still the same, she is still throwing banter, still having fun, but Miguel just seems annoyed and irritated at her. He's trying to keep the status quo and revert any changes but Lyla, in staying the same, shows that he himself has irreversibly changed and now has to deal with the reminder of his past.

Very interesting analysis on Miguel and the spectrum of past / future focus! I found your analysis of Hobie's mindset on the past / future spectrum most interesting. In your Hobie video, you mentioned that Hobie doesn't see himself as a role model, and instead supports other people like Miles or Gwen who can serve as that inspirational / role model, which explains why he plays a supporting role instead of a central role in leading some kind of revolt against the spider society. However, it's pretty clear that the people around Hobie respect him a lot, and he naturally becomes a focal point around which other characters gather around, which begs the question - Why isn't he a central leader? Why is he a supporting character? Your point on Hobie only being focused on tearing down the past and not really having a clear view on the future beyond "you don't need all of this!" or "make your own watch" clarifies a lot of things. He could be a defacto leader in many ways, but perhaps he's self aware enough to know that while he's great at tearing down the current status quo, he doesn't have a clear vision for a better future, and thus can't spark enough idealism or inspiration in the people around him on his own. He can’t start a revolution with just a few friends that respect him for the revolutionary he is. However, when he does encounter a person like Miles, who's entirely focused on the future and is held back by the status quo, he's able to inspire and help Miles to break free of the status quo and fully embrace the forward-thinking vision that he himself doesn't have. In that sense, Miles is the idealistic beacon of hope and future focus that Hobie can’t be that directly inspires multiple characters, most notably Gwen, to believe that anything is possible and that we don’t have to be held back by the past. Miles’, and subsequently Gwen’s stand against the spider society is subsequently much more effective at convincing spideys to leave the society than if he had tried to lead the revolution himself. Notably, he doesn’t even stay behind to try and convince anyone else to leave the society, partially because he has confidence that Miles’ (and Gwen’s) stand against the society are enough to convince people to leave and partially because he’s busy assembling multiversal watches to start a revolution. This also (partially) explains why it’s Gwen who assembles the new spider band at the end of the movie and not Hobie - you’d expect at first glance that it would be Hobie, the revolutionary, leading the charge against Miguel. However, having been inspired by Miles (“One thing I’ve learnt from Miles - it's all possible”), Gwen now has the same determination and idealism that Miles has, and that makes her more inspirational as the leader of the new spider-band in leading the charge to save Miles and counter Miguel as compared to Hobie. After all, who better to lead all of Miles' friends to save him and stop Miguel and The Spot than the person who will stop at nothing and fight the entire multiverse if it means reuniting with the person she cares more about than anyone else? (There’s also the story reason that she’s a major character while Hobie is a supporting character, but I think that the way the characters are designed makes their roles feel natural even within the context of the story.) As such, Hobie is most useful as an enabler - He can't give people hope for a better future on his own, but he can inspire people who already have that hope and are trapped in the present the tools to break free of their circumstances and achieve the goals they want to achieve, who can then likewise inspire others around them. In essence, he's the perfect supporting character for more inspirational, forward oriented figures like our main protagonists at the end of the movie. I’m interested to see how the third movie develops Hobie further in this regard, maybe it will turn out that he does have some interesting ideas on what should replace the current status quo, or that he’s more future oriented than his current characterisation lets on!

Wow what thorough breakdown of the characters and their journeys excellent job. You do it justice this is one of the great trilogies

I swear the more videos I watch about this movie the more I love it. Really great video!

Miguel isn't a "spider man" as well. He is quite different. So both Miguel and Miles are quite similar in that regard. They are similar in that they are quite different, if that makes sense.

Peter B isn't the only spiderman there, if you rewind the scene and look carefully or pause at the right time you can see other spider people there. it would also make more sense narratively as how most of the spiders are so loyal to Miguel as they in person had seen what happens when you break the canon in person.

This was such a good analysis man. It's really helping me appreciate the movie and heck even teaching me a little bit about myself. I prob shouldn't take life advice from a youtube video but between Miles and Miguel you're right, one of them is only focused on returning to the past while the other can see nothing but the future. And while both of these have their rough spots I think I WANT to be more like Miles but the past few years I think I've trended more towards Miguel in terms of where I want my life to be. No notes on that it's just interesting that I can pick that out of an analysis about two opposed characters, so good work

I swear you're one of the Analysis UKpostsrs I enjoy watching/listening to the most, thank you for all the great content you share with the world.

So about the "I don't know how to fix this" line you brought up I'd like to bring a new perspective to it. I think that Miguel related completely to Gwen's feeling and that statement she made. Miguel *doesn't know* how to fix the issue of canon events and having to let them happen, nor does he know how to *fix* what he had done when destroying a whole multiverse, but he still desires a *solution* for/a way to *fix* the problem- which is similar to Gwen's situation in a way. Since Miguel wants for Gwen not to have to experience this same pain of having a situation that they both deeply want to solve but seemingly can't, he then decides to invite her to the spider society to prevent her from that pain. Which kind of leads me to disagree with the statement that he doesn't care and tears everything down at 23:28 . Miguel himself says that he 'doesn't like what he has to do, but does it because it's necessary' (Check out a scene pack of him, because I can't seem to find a solo video of him saying that). Miguel takes on a role where yes he does tear things down, but he also doesn't tear things down with the a malice, but does it because he does care. He doesn't want other people to experience his pain, so what he does instead is try to prevent them having the same happen to them, which is his way of fixing things, even if cruel. Heck, I think that Miguel genuinely wants a better solution based off what he's said. He currently has the Fix it mentality, but wants the Moving Forward mentality of there being a better way, but until that can be shown and proven, he can't bring himself to let another people take the risk that he took and destroy another universe. He's still stuck in trying to "fix" this issue by not letting the same actions he did be committed Yes, he brings destruction, *but*, he doesn't want other people to be destroyed and torn down the way he was and he also doesn't want to bring that destruction either. He cares, but the way he does it isn't in a way that he or anyone else would like for it be shown, and he wishes that he could change the things the way they are, but until then, he has to be the necessary evil. Anyways, I really enjoy your videos, and as a writer, they're also very helpful for me to learn from, so thank you!

Congratulations on reaching enough theory content to be longer than the movie!

This is really incredibly written. Amazing video, thank you

I like how I found someone who made a long video about this then other videos on the topic and great video man :]

I guess Lyla could be seen as a present reminder of Miguel's life before he ever tried to live the life he wished he had. Despite how much of an effect losing his alternate self's family had on Miguel (and by extension, other spider-people who saw it/heard about it) Lyla is still the same witty character she was in the first film's after credits scene. She is Miguel's sidekick/assistant, the same thing she was before he lost everything. And Miguel, and other spider-people potentially, want to be the same thing they were before multiverse nonsense upended their lives. I don't know if that helps with the unanswered Lyla question, but that's what I got out of it.

He literally doesn't miss. I feel like I'm back in class and I'm taking notes for my own story writing

didnt think an awesome video about an awesome movie would be so philosophical good stuff dude!

i am so incredibly enthralled with this movie and every video you make analyzing it makes me love it even more. please keep up the videos, i really enjoy them :) (but please take care of yourself and take your time lol)

Your final point reminded me of a really great quote from a UKposts channel I love. “Change, after all, is neither innately benevolent or malevolent, but it sure as shittingly was the same as before.” And that’s the message both characters have to learn. Miles has to know that change can be terrible. His father dying would be a terrible change to his life and outlook, and he has to understand that actions have unforeseen consequences. Miguel, on the other hand, needs to learn that change is valuable. Without Miles, Gwen and Peter B would still be struggling with themselves and their families. Without Miles breaking the cannon, their lives would have arguably been substantially worse.

I think the "I don't know" is just as important as "how to fix this." Gwen has been presented with what is, in her eyes, an unwinnable scenario. I completely agree with your analysis of the importance of attempting to fix things in Miguel's eyes (especially the part about his fixation on the past casts him as a destructive force, I have never thought about it that way!), but I think ignoring the first part of the statement makes for an incomplete reading. Her father knows she is spider-woman now and she thinks he will always hate her for it. Those are bad facts that she just has to live with. That is core to Miguel's character, he tried to have what he wanted and was confronted with what he thinks is the reality of the multiverse. A bad fact that he just has to live with. Fighting it, attempting to fix it, all of that is just going to do more damage in his eyes. This is in contrast to Miles "Justice" answer. "Justice" is literally an ideal not grounded in reality, it's the antithesis of accepting those bad facts, it's reaching for what could be in the face of reality. It claims that everything can be perfect if you just keep trying. That's part of what the whole conflict between Miguel and Miles is centered around. Miguel says there is no perfect answer, that sacrifices have to be made, where Miles does not agree and wants to save both. That's why the whole statement "I don't know how to fix this." is important, it is an acknowledgement from Gwen that there are some things she just can't fix. Which is perfectly in line with Miguel's ideology and situation.

bravo👏🏾 that was an amazing analysis

This is by far my favorite analysis of this movie so far. It is so succinct and cuts through to the movie's core. Thank you for unwrapping this.

i think it's really interesting how most other spider-people are artists in some form: artists, musicians, photographers (it's reasonable to assume that since Beter is an aged up spiderman, he must have gone through all the motions of spiderman, and so, would've been into photography at some point), and Miguel (from what i know) is almost exclusively a stem guy. it kinda gives him a "stronger, faster, better" mentality, and reinforces his capability and desire to fix things by destroying them, or to build things to destroy other things.

This is definitely one of my favorite video essays about the Spiderverse movies. It made me all the characters in a different way, and I can't wait to rewatch ATSV with this in mind. I also can't wait to see how Miguel and Miles will meet in the middle and defeat The Spot in the third movie because it really seems like it's what the writers are trying to set up.

I love how you think about stuff. I've watched this ep so many times now to see how you think about stories. Very smart man.

Before seeing this, I always wondered why Miguel was so adament about Miles not preventing his dad's death, since Uncle Aaron's death should've been Miles' canon event and we don't know for certain if preventing these events leads to destruction. But now I see its not just about the event itself but its lasting effects. Miguel genuinely believes that being a protector can only come from the immense guilt/self-loathing that comes from a past tragedy - which is all the more ironic as Miguel will only fix what is already destroyed instead of preserving the peace like what Miles said in that deleted scene ("Justice").

Your thoughtful and curious approach to film analysis really fuels my desire to write stories worth studying like this. I don't comment often but I wanted to make sure you're aware that your work is appreciated. Keep it up mate!

I think the "i can do both" thing is to emphasize that spiderman is always supposed to chose between what he wants and what he has to do for others

Love love loving this video. The idea of a hybrid “wanting to have the cake and then also eat it”. The core of moving forward excites me so much and I thoroughly enjoyed the deep and thoughtful depth of this video. Great work, man.

Amazing video. Honestly changed my outlook on my life in recent times. Thank you.