Many of you will have noticed that ComicBookMovie.com's writers use "we" in our articles as a means of speaking to you on behalf of the website (plus, we're not a blog or whatever Elon Musk is calling Twitter this week). However, for this next paragraph, "we" is about to become "I."
I have been a Spider-Man fan longer than I can remember. From growing up watching Spider-Man: The Animated Series in the mid-1990s to suffering through the tail end of Howard Mackie's Amazing Spider-Man run and being left in awe while watching Spider-Man in theaters as a wide-eyed 11-year-old, the character defined my childhood. Peter Parker has followed me into adulthood as well (he even got a mention in my wedding vows) and, to me, there's not a better character in all of fiction. So, with all that in mind, I feel like I can ask, what the f*** has happened to Spider-Man fans?
Now, we're (back to that) not lumping everyone into that question, but the web-slinger's fanbase has become increasingly toxic in recent years. For proof of that, look no further than Zeb Wells' current Amazing Spider-Man series. While by no means perfect, the fact Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson aren't an item has created a borderline fanatical hatred of anything and everything that occurs in the title...even when it's been pretty damned great at times!
A quick look on the r/SpiderMan Subreddit reveals post after post demanding Marvel Comics reinstate Peter and MJ's marriage, despite them having been apart almost as long as they were married. Yes, "One More Day" remains a disaster of a story and it would be no bad thing to see the web-slinger become a husband (and father) again. The character has been treading water for a while now and needs to transition from his 20s to 30s, ditching what's become an often unlikeable persona as a "loveable loser" who can't hold down a job or pay his rent on time.
However, was the end of Peter and MJ's marriage any worse than a certain writer vicariously living out his own fantasies through the Superior Spider-Man or even the upset and anger Gwen Stacy's death caused decades ago? Instead of wanting this character to move forward, there are many people who want to see him take a step back, returning to an all-too-familiar status quo. We're not saying either opinion is necessarily right or wrong, but this belief Spider-Man should be portrayed in a certain way is what's fuelling the "fans" unable to accept anything that differs from it.
It's not just on the page the tide seems to have turned. While Marvel Studios' decision to have the MCU's Peter Parker embrace technology as Iron Man's mentee remains divisive, there's a narrative now that Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home were all terrible movies. Again, this isn't everyone, but it seems the joy accompanying Sony Pictures' decision to let Kevin Feige take charge of the web-spinner has been all too easily forgotten, with some demanding The Amazing Spider-Man 3 be released in place of Spider-Man 4 (it's like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and the myriad of dumb plans Sony had at the time never happened).
The idea Marvel Studios doesn't know what it's doing played a big role in the creation of Spider-Man: Lotus, a fan film with a six-figure budget we later learned was being helmed by a racist, sexist director alongside a racist and homophobic lead star. These fans set out to make the movie under the belief only they knew what was best for the character. The result was a film that's not only horrendously acted but a demented interpretation of what Spider-Man "should" and "deserves" to be (from a ludicrous comic-accurate Green Goblin to a predictable take on "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man"). It's a project made out of spite, not love, with Far From Home the focal point for that rage. Why? Because MJ isn't a buxom redhead?
The fact is, we all have our own ideas of how best to portray our favourite comic book heroes and villains on screen but it's starting to feel like Spidey is becoming embroiled in yet another toxic fandom. Honestly, it feels like no one hates Spider-Man more than the people who supposedly love him.
Perhaps we can blame it on what appears to be a desperation for Spider-Man to return to his glory days. On the other hand, maybe the internet has just given people like the creators of Spider-Man: Lotus a platform they shouldn't have. Either way, it's sad to see such a high level of divisiveness surround such an inspirational character and we're already bracing ourselves for the inevitable backlash that will follow Spider-Man 2's new interpretation of Peter and the Venom Symbiote.
Maybe you'd like to see Peter and MJ married again and perhaps you feel the MCU's Spider-Man movies will never touch the greatness delivered by Sam Raimi. There will be opinions expressed here you may strongly disagree with, and that's fine! However, this Spider-Man fan just hopes we can all remember that, beyond any creative decision made by comic books or on the big screen, Peter is a character who should bring fans together, not divide them. Let's not allow him to head the way of Star Wars and the DCEU, two fanbases whose respective members are constantly at war with each other!