Across the Spider-Verse Was Really Gwen Stacy’s Movie
After a long wait of five years, the highly anticipated sequel to the fan-favorite “Into the Spider-Verse” has finally arrived, and “Across the Spider-Verse” is even bigger and better than the first. It is perhaps the best superhero sequel ever made and one of the finest Spider-Man films to date. The film is a masterpiece that expands on everything that made the first one so famous, with an incredible display of visual effects wizardry and a natural continuation of the original story, with perfectly developed characters.
One of the most significant developments in “Across the Spider-Verse” is the transformation of Ghost Spider, also known as Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), from a supporting character to a fully-fledged protagonist. In the first film, Gwen served as the love interest to the protagonist, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), and was only a witty partner for Miles to bounce quips on and an obvious confident love interest for our fumbling hero, with not much else to offer.
However, in “Across the Spider-Verse,” Gwen is a co-lead character, with the film being as much about her as it is about Miles. The story follows the struggles of both Miles and Gwen as they try to balance their superhero duties and the responsibilities of being a son or daughter to their parents. The Spider Society, which monitors the Spider-Verse, reveals that both their fathers are going to die, and to stop their deaths would destroy their entire dimensions. Miles wants to change the future, while Gwen accepts it and tries to stop Miles. Throughout the film, Gwen develops herself, driving the story forward and providing a counterview to Miles, making her as important to the film as Miles himself.
The film is narrated by Gwen, and most of it is told through her perspective. In every important scene featuring Gwen, we see everything around her in pastels of purples, golds, and neons that pop the entire screen, often surrounding her and other characters in colors that represent them and their feelings. The colors follow her and her story throughout the movie, showing us Gwen’s perspective and mind all the way through “Across the Spider-Verse,” so we see more of Gwen and her feelings and thoughts than we do even of Miles.
The first ten minutes of the film focus exclusively on Gwen, and we learn so much more about her in that time than we did over the last five years. The weight of her struggles carries on all the way through the film, as we see her transform from a hopeful hero to a depressed vigilante trying to do good while hiding herself from her only family. However, by the end of the film, she reconnects with her dad, and for the first time, we see that Gwen is the main character of “Across the Spider-Verse.” We are following her story, and we hear her words at the end of the film; she gathers with her old Spidey buddies from the first flick, starting her own band, looks to the screen, and asks us, “Care to join?” Gwen has grown, and we can’t wait to see how she continues to evolve in “Beyond the Spider-Verse.”
The highly anticipated sequel to the fan-favorite Into the Spider-Verse has finally arrived after five long years, and Across the Spider-Verse is bigger and better than the first. Probably the best superhero sequel ever and one of the best Spider-Man films, Across the Spider-Verse amazingly built and expanded on everything about Into the Spider-Versedisplaying even more incredible visual effects wizardry that made the first so famous, building a natural continuation of the original story with absolutely perfect development of characters.
Specifically, the development of Ghost Spider, also known as Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld). Originally only a supporting character that served as the love interest to the protagonist in Into the Spider-Verseshe is now a fully-fledged protagonist herself in Across the Spider-Verseas the film is as much about Gwen as it is about the titular Spider-Man Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). Really, Across the Spider-Verse is Gwen’s movie, her time to shine, and here’s why.
From Supporting Character to Co-Lead
Miles met Gwen as a fellow student in his school in Into the Spider-Versenot knowing she was a Spider-Woman from another dimension. We learned almost nothing about Gwen in the first film, as she was simply a witty partner for Miles to bounce quips on and obviously be the confident love interest for our fumbling hero, and not much else.
When we see Miles again in Across the Spider-Versehe’s a confident neighborhood web-slinger. On the streets, at least. Miles faces trouble at home, trying to balance the duties of a hero and the responsibilities of a son to his parents. Gwen has the same problems in her dimension with her dad. How does a person, a kid, use such incredible power for good and keep secrets from loved ones? They have the same problem but different answers. Miles wants to keep it secret, trying to keep them all safe and together. Gwen reveals herself and leaves when it doesn’t work.
Both Gwen and Miles learn the fates of their father from the Spider Society, which monitors the Spider-Verse. Both of their fathers are going to die, and to stop their deaths would destroy their whole dimensions. Miles refuses to just let this happen and tries to change it. Gwen accepts it and tries to stop him. Gwen goes from a supporting love interest to a co-lead, a veiled antagonist for most of the film, until the end when she finally learns from Miles and meets her father to reconcile with him.
Gwen actually has a purpose in Across the Spider-Verse that is uniquely hers, developing herself throughout the runtime, driving the story forward, and providing a counterview to Miles, making her as important to the film as Miles himself.
Told Through Gwen’s Perspective
Gwen narrates the beginning and the ending of the film, and most of the film is told through her perspective. We not only hear the story through her voice but also see the world through her eyes. In every important scene featuring Gwenwe see everything around her in pastels of purples, golds, and neons that pop the entire screen, often surrounding her and other characters in colors that represent them and their feelings.
When Gwen talks to her father, she’s surrounded by a dark shroud of purples and pinks, showing her inward desperation, trying to find her way back in the dark. Her father has a bright halo of yellow and gold, showing his inward desperation, trying to help her back from the darkness. The colors follow her and her story throughout the movie, showing us Gwen’s perspective and mind all the way through Across the Spider-Verseso we see more of Gwen and her feeling and her thoughts than we do even of Miles.
It Starts and Ends With Gwen’s Story
The first ten minutes of Across the Spider-Verse focus exclusively on Gwen, as we learn so much more about her in that time than we did over the last five years. Gwen quit her rock band and has no friends. She was the Spider of her dimension, giving everything of herself to protect others, even sacrificing her best friend as Ghost Spider, the Peter Parker of her dimension, a friend of her family and her love, to save others.
Gwen then bore the guilt of her father’s hatred for Ghost Spider, thinking the vigilante web-slinger who killed his daughter’s only friend and love. When he learns that his daughter is the Spider, he’s not willing to forgive her; he treats her as a criminal, not as a daughter, so she leaves her only family to find a new one in the Spider Society. This is how we begin the film, and the weight of this carries on all the way through.
Throughout the film, we see Gwen change. From a hopeful hero to a depressed vigilante trying to do good while hiding herself from her only family. Because this is how she starts, she tries to stop Miles. But when she is kicked out of Spider Society for failing, she reconnects with her dad, knowing he’s likely to die. But he’s changed. He forgives her.
Her dark, pastel shadows melt into his golden rays. For the first time, we see that Gwen is the main character of Across the Spider-Versethat we are following her story, and we hear her words at the end of the film; she gathers with her old Spidey buddies from the first flick, starting her own band, looks to the screen, and asks us, “Care to join?”
Gwen changed; she grew. Gwen was the focus of Across the Spider-Verseas we saw her story through her perspective from beginning to end, and we’re anxious to see how she continues to grow in Beyond the Spider-Verse.
