What's Up Danger?

A Father, A Son, & A Hero's Ascension

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Charlie Don’t Surf and what the future holds for this Substack. Ultimately, I would love for this thing to blow up at bit and have a large base of readers. It doesn’t matter to me if people pay to subscribe or read for free. I just want to be read. With the goal of boosting readership, I’m going to try to pump out more content than usual over the next few months. The goal will be one or two articles a week if the inspiration is there. I’m trying to put some articles out into the ether and see if they grab people’s attention. Here are a few upcoming projects that I’m very excited about:

• Making the Case for Rocky V

• Mad Max: Fury Road

• The Best Movie That Never Got a Theatrical Release

• “The Only True Currency in this Bankrupt World…”

• Trailers That are Better Than the Actual Movie

• The Lost Boys (this one will be a Halloween special)

The Hall of Fame of Super Hero Movies

Today’s movie is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Let’s imagine for a second that we have a Hall of Fame of Super Hero Movies. I’m picturing it as a temple, similar to what they had in Ancient Greece for their gods and goddesses….white marble, columns, statues, cauldrons of fire, and the whole shebang. This Hall of Super Heroes is GIGANTIC as it keeps a record of all Super Hero movies. Unfortunately, ALL literally means ALL of them, even the bad ones. So at the bottom of our Hall of Fame will be movies like Batman & Robin, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, and the very recent Madame Web. The movies get progressively better as we navigate further up the museum. I don’t want to spend time on the middling masses because I want to take this tour to the Pantheon. The Pantheon is the ultimate exhibit of the museum. It is where the BEST of the BEST super hero movies are located. This is a special exhibit as it is truly a temple built for our super gods. Only a select few are in the Pantheon. In fact, this Pantheon only has three films: The Dark Knight, Logan, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Remember, you have to be special to find yourself in the Pantheon.

Into The Spider-Verse

Around 2016 or 2017, I started hearing about this new Spider-Man movie that was coming out. It would be about Miles Morales, a Black and Puerto Rican teenager in New York who becomes Spider-Man. My initial reaction to the announcement was a lackluster, “Oh that’s cool” and that was about it until the movie premiered in December of 2018. I was interested in the film because it was a different take on Spider-Man, but hearing that the film would be animated subdued my enthusiasm. Boy, was I wrong. The visual animation is part of what makes this movie great!

I just had a “holy shit” moment because I realized my son was born the same month that Spider-Verse was released. I’m in my mid-30s and I am constantly busy so my memory is not what it used to be, but let me try to recount that month leading up to Spider-Verse. As I mentioned, my son was born. That was early December and I had a couple weeks of paternity leave. I went back to work for a week before winter break, then I had another two weeks off. Spider-Verse officially released on December 14th and obviously Christmas was a little over a week later. I’m going to guess I saw it right before or after Christmas. I remember the theater I was at and the friend I saw it with. We’re both huge geeks and were excited to see Spider-Verse, especially because of the positive press it was receiving. Both of us were blown away…

So, what do you get when you watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse? You get a Hero’s Journey of a young man trying to figure out his place in the world. Miles is a thirteen year old prototypical teenager that is super gifted but hasn’t figured out how to use those gifts yet. His life gets even more complicated when he is bit by a radioactive spider, his universe’s Spider-Man dies right before his eyes, and then other Spider-People (and a pig) from other dimensions show up to his world. Through all of this and a tragedy, he learns how to carry the mantle of the hero known as Spider-Man.

Not only is the movie very visually appealing, it has a story that connects with the viewer. You may be young, a parent, someone trying to find their place in the world, someone struggling to live up to expectations, a Nicolas Cage fan, or a geek for creativity…this movie has something for everyone. It is the only movie I’ve seen that drops you right into the middle of the comic book. You are experiencing the panels inside the Spider-Verse. There’s a good reason why it won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.

Becoming Spider-Man

The scene that I want to write about today is THE moment when Miles becomes Spider-Man. Not only is it in the Pantheon of hero ascension scenes, but it’s also in the Pantheon of Father & Son scenes (accompanied by Field of Dreams and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Check it out…

What we don’t see is the scene before this. Miles’ Spider-Friends have decided that he’s not ready to take on the big challenge that is facing them. He wants to be Spider-Man, he feels like he’s ready, he wants revenge against the movie’s villain but his friends that have been there before don’t yet believe in Miles. He is pretty discouraged by their words and by being left behind. Then, his dad appears outside his boarding school dorm room.

Dad is dealing with the grief of the film’s central tragedy. It’s a tragedy that deeply affects both him and Miles. They lost someone very close to them. Realizing that he and Miles have a strained relationship, he makes a move to reach out to his son. He says powerful words that many parents feel about their children: “I see this spark in you. It’s amazing. It’s why I push you, but it’s yours. Whatever you chose to do with it, you’ll be great.” These words from his father are enough to give Miles the belief that he can be Spider-Man.

*Play the music*

Miles visits Aunt May. He gets HIS Spidey suit. He remembers quotes from his family and mentor. Then…..he takes the leap of faith and becomes the hero.

Oof, I’m fired up rewatching that for the billionth time in my life! Heck of a scene! WHAT’S UP DANGER?!?!?!?!?!

A Few Thoughts About Across The Spider-Verse

Shortly after the success of the Oscar winning, Into The Spider-Verse, we received the announcement that the film would be followed by two sequels to give us a Spider-Verse Trilogy. Across The Spider-Verse came out in 2023. It is a darker and more mature film, but still maintains the fun of its predecessor. It is a worthy addition to the Miles Morales story. Without giving spoilers, the movie ends with a stressful cliffhanger with no resolution coming till at least 2026. Across the Spider-Verse introduces us to a new roster of Spider-Homies, my favorite being Hobie Brown aka Spider-Punk. I basically wrote this paragraph just so I could show my guy some love.

I’ve always considered myself a bit of a punk, a rebel that likes to break the rules when they serve a purpose against the greater good. Hobie Brown is that type of character. He’s just supporting character to Miles’ bigger journey, but plays a huge role in helping Miles out. Miles has to contend with more rejection and doubt in Across The Spider-Verse, but he’s lucky to have a guy like Hobie Brown in his corning and rooting for him.

A Couple Quick Notes on The Pantheon

• Batman came out 35 years ago yesterday (6/23/1989). The Tim Burton/Michael/Keaton/Jack Nicholson Batman is in my personal Pantheon. It’s the most important movie to my upbringing. Is it in THE Pantheon though? I’m not sure, but it was definitely a game changer when it first came out.

  

• I would hear the argument that Superman from 1978 deserves to be in the Pantheon. Christopher Reeves defined a hero for generations. Plus, how can you have a Super Hero Movie Hall of Fame Pantheon without Superman? I just don’t have the personal connection to this one as the films I elected so it’s a little hard to judge.

  

  That’s a wrap for today. I started writing this late morning and am finishing up late afternoon. Super Heroes hold a very important place in our modern day mythology. There are so many super hero films out there. There are some that we’d rather forget their existence and others that are fine enough to see just once. However, many others inspire and dazzle us with amazement. A select few are epics worthy of the highest praise. I believe that Into The Spider-Verse deserves that level of recognition.