{"id":72,"date":"2025-11-22T10:58:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T10:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/?page_id=72"},"modified":"2025-12-09T03:57:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T03:57:52","slug":"charisse","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/apocalypse-and-the-non-physical-power-of-superheroes\/charisse\/","title":{"rendered":"Spider-Verse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Reconstruction of Hope in Spider-Verse Films<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By: Too Charisse<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Contemporary superhero cinema operates according to what Coogan identifies as a \u201cheroic character with a selfless, prosocial mission\u201d. In such texts, hope typically functions as faith in the restoration of disorder, or a sense of optimism toward a possible, albeit uncertain, outcome that the superheroes desire (Gorichanaz, 2022; Bloeser & Stahl, 2017). Such a hope is thought to be relatively unproblematic, and even productive, for it drives superheroes to act for the greater good. Spidermen texts are, in that sense, no different. However, something unique to the franchise is what fans and creators alike term\u00a0canon events<\/em>\u2014\u201cchapters that are part of each Spider\u2019s story, every time\u201d (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse)\u2014predetermined moments that constitute the making of every Spider-Man (The Amazing Spider-Man<\/em>, 2012;\u00a0Spider-Man: No Way Home<\/em>, 2021), where any change in the\u00a0canon<\/em>\u00a0would risk the collapse of the\u00a0Multiverse<\/em>\u00a0(essentially parallel universes).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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Spider-Man jumping out of a glitching\/collapsing Spider-Verse<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
On the surface, the Spider-Verse movies\u2014Into the Spider-Verse<\/em>\u00a0(2018) and\u00a0Across the Spider-Verse<\/em>\u00a0(2023) appear to subscribe to the same aforementioned superhero narrative of hope, and abide by the same Spider-Man\u00a0canon<\/em>. In these texts, the protagonist, Miles Morales holds on to a hope for a safer Earth-42 (his world) saving it from villains. However, upon further scrutiny of the Spider-Verse movies, we realise that the introduction of Miles Morales serves to disrupt the conventional pattern of hope in the typical Spider-Man text\u2014for he was an \u201canomaly\u201d and never meant to experience\u00a0canon events<\/em>, thus allowing for Miles to be the new locus of hope in the Spider-Man franchise: not one \u2018bitten\u2019 of destiny, but one carved from defiance against the\u00a0canon<\/em>. In doing so, Miles embodies hope as a drive for resistance\u2014to enact an alternative path in the face of a seemingly fixed future. Thus, this essay serves to show the reconstruction of hope in the Spider-Verse movies, showing hope as a double-edged sword in Miles defiance against the fatalistic outcomes that the\u00a0Multiverse\u2019s canon<\/em>\u00a0puts him through\u2014while hope is his fuel to form his own desired future, he inadvertently puts himself and the whole world at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reconstruction of Hope embodied by Miles Morales in the Spider-Verse<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This short article explains how hope is reconstructed in the Spider-Verse films, which begets the need for an analysis of how hope is typically portrayed, and subsequently how the Spider-Verse films work to reshape it into one that helps Miles escape a predetermined trajectory. In contemporary superhero texts, hope is frequently constructed as a driving force bridging despair and resilience to a better future. In doing so, it provides an optimistic lens through which the characters see a possibility in restoration after catastrophe. For instance, in films like Avengers: Endgame, hope manifests through acts of self-sacrifice that signify faith in a future worth saving \u2013 a virtue represented by heroes like Captain America and Iron Man, who embody perseverance and idealism even amid loss. However, this drive to save the world paradoxically becomes hope\u2019s hamartia in traditional superhero narratives. When hope is tied exclusively to sacrifice and restoration, it risks normalizing trauma as necessary rather than tragic. In their pursuit of better futures driven by hope, superhero texts inadvertently frame hope as a justification for repeated trauma, romanticising unnecessary loss. Under these circumstances, the hero holds on to hope despite losses as they believe that their sacrifice is meaningful \u2013 an example being Batman\u2019s continuous fight against Gotham\u2019s criminality even as it repeatedly destroys him. Traditional superhero hope, thus operates within a fatalistic framework that paradoxically demands suffering as the price of salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, as evinced in the introduction, the relationship between Miles and canon events<\/em> set Spider-Verse texts apart from the typical superhero fare. In the Spider-Verse series, Miles’s origin story deviates from the standard Spider-Man trajectory, positioning him as what Miguel O\u2019 Hara[1]<\/sup><\/a> calls “an anomaly”\u2014someone who “[doesn’t] get it” precisely because he was never supposed to be Spider-Man at all. This deviation is crucial because it liberates Miles from the canonical logic that binds other Spider-People to predetermined suffering. Since Miles exists outside the canonical structure, the catastrophic consequences that follow when Spider-Man defies canon events, such as the Multiverse falling apart, do not materialize when he breaks the rules. The narrative thus constructs Miles as an interloper within a Multiverse that insists upon order and keeping to the canon<\/em>. Through Miles, the fatalistic structure of the canon<\/em> in the Spider-Verse is unsettled as we are offered with an alternative perspective into challenging the rules of the canon<\/em>. Miles does not allow himself to be limited by the fatalistic structure of the canon<\/em>, much less sacrifice anything for the canon<\/em>, which works out given his different identity as an \u201canomaly\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n
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\u2018Nah, I\u2019ma do my own thing\u2019<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Through his defiance against the canon<\/em>, he embodies hope as a moral grounding \u2013 albeit one that was na\u00efve and rash, putting himself at risk of danger. Miles embodied hope differently, as a conviction to change the trajectory of his future and pushes him to form his own identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Problematising Hope: Recklessness in Hope<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
With that, we can now address the problem of Miles\u2019s reckless hope\u2014a hope that drives him forward, yet simultaneously puts him in harm\u2019s way. As aforementioned, hope is typically portrayed as optimistic and empowering in superhero narratives, and can be also seen as problematic when hope drives characters through unnecessary pain in their pursuit of a future they desire. However, Miles reveals how hope can become dangerous when divorced from careful judgement. Hope ultimately endangers because his intense desire to create the future he desires blinds him to the very real risks he faces. When hope becomes fixated on a desired future without a care for possible risks, it transforms from a motivational drive into a reckless force. This problematic nature of hope manifests throughout Miles\u2019s journey as he repeatedly ignores warnings and his own limitations in the pursuit of his ideal future\u2014mainly premised on his goal to save his father. McGeer identifies this exact phenomenon, arguing that hope becomes dangerous when the hoper miscalculates hope and abilities, failing to \u201ctake a regulative \u2026 stance\u201d and instead prioritizing their fantasies over their abilities. This is supported by Milona\u2019s chapter on the\u00a0Philosophy of Hope<\/em>, as he discusses hope as a \u201cmotivational force\u201d that functions well only when properly attuned to reasons and realities \u2013 without this force, the character\u2019s drive becomes reduced to a mere agency without any direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Similarly, reckless hope throughout his Spider-Man journey demonstrates how hope divorced from careful judgement becomes dangerously reckless. When hope fixates on a desired outcome without evaluating one\u2019s actual capabilities or the warnings of others, it transforms from an empowering force into a hazardous impulse. His determination to defy the canon and save everyone (including his father) despite Miguel\u2019s repeated warnings exemplifies what McGeer cautions against\u2014the pursuit of a future-fixated fantasy driven by sheer hope with uncalculated risk. The danger of Miles\u2019s hope-driven actions becomes even more pronounced when we consider his admitted inexperience with his Spider-powers. Throughout the film, Miles constantly acknowledges his unfamiliarity with his abilities yet simultaneously engages in extraordinarily risky behaviour: swinging from trees, leaping across buildings, and traversing the Multiverse to battle villains\u2014all while operating on hope rather than mastery of skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
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Miles Morales jumping off of a building.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Miles\u2019s father captures this recklessness when he remarks that Miles \u201cdoes these things that are so stupid\u201d, a statement that underscores how Miles\u2019s hope operates faster than his judgement. This pattern reveals that hope, even when directed towards noble goals like saving the world or resisting fatalistic systems, can become problematic when it overrides rational thinking and risk assessment. Hence, Miles’s complete disregard for his limitations and others’ warnings suggests his hope has become untethered from reality, making him vulnerable rather than empowered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hope\u2019s Role in Defying the Canon<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
With that, Miles’s hope, though reckless and na\u00efve, becomes the necessary catalyst for disobeying the canon’s fatalistic constraints. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Spider-Verse films, Miles\u2019s narrative arc centres around his refusal to allow inevitability to dictate his circumstances. <\/p>\n\n\n
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Miles Morales staring at the intersections of events in the Spider-Verse \u2013 the canon<\/em><\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
He clutches onto a hope for a future he desires, not limiting himself to the boundaries of the canon<\/em>. Despite Miguel O’Hara’s insistence that he cannot do anything to change what is predetermined by the canon<\/em>, Miles maintains his determination to forge his own path. This unwavering commitment to a desired future, even when told it is impossible, distinguishes Miles\u2019s approach to hope from traditional superhero narratives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here, Miles\u2019s journey aligns with the concept of cruel optimism<\/em> (Berlant, 2011), where he becomes attached to a fantasy that promises fulfilment but simultaneously forecloses it. Berlant theorises cruel optimism<\/em> where a subject\u2019s hope drives their pursuit of a desired object or future, while simultaneously obstructing the very goal the subject is trying to reach. The idea of cruelty<\/em> is manifested when the subject has to endure constraints or even sacrifice in reaching the utopia that they envision, which may not even happen given obstructions in their way. For Berlant, this cruelly optimistic<\/em> subject continues striving towards the utopian life that is systematically unattainable, driven by a sheer hope in reaching their ideal future and in defying the odds stacked up against them, In the Spider-Verse, the canon is precisely this obstructive system that limits Spidermen\u2019s mobility, foreclosing alternative pathways for Spidermen, even forcing the Spidermen to stomach sacrifices (in the case of Uncle Ben, Aunt May, Gwen Stacy\u2019s deaths).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miles\u2019s determination in saving his father exemplified cruel optimism<\/em> most clearly as it represent the films\u2019 central conflict between attachment to an impossible goal and systemic forces insisting on its impossibility. This is premised on the fact that all Spidermen had to lose a loved one who played a huge role in their life to fulfil the canon in the Multiverse, as evinced by the limbo-state shown to Miles, where he found out that his father would die in two days. Miles faces the ultimate manifestation of cruel optimism<\/em> here \u2013 he risks completely unravelling the Multiverse, yet cannot bear to let his father die. When Miguel makes Miles \u201cchoose between saving one person and saving every world\u201d (essentially between saving his father and the world), Miles insisted \u201cI can do both!\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n
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\u2018I can do both!\u2019<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Even when Miguel tries to stop him, Miles refuses the binary, asserting \u201cI\u2019m not asking. You can\u2019t ask me not to save my father\u201d. Here, the significance of\u00a0cruel optimism<\/em>\u00a0rests in the idea of a pursuit driven by hope\u2014Miles\u2019s journey reveals the\u00a0cruelty<\/em>\u00a0of clinging onto supposedly impossible dreams may be precisely what enabled his resistance against such deterministic systems. As such, Miles\u2019s hope drives his determination to carve out a future that he wants, rather than to follow the other Spidermen and abide by the structural limits of the canon, though he knew the risks of going against it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In conclusion, the Spider-Verse films present hope as a paradoxical force unlike the usual superhero narrative of saving the world and self-sacrifice. Instead, they serve to demonstrate how hope empowers Miles to resist the determinism of\u00a0canon<\/em>, yet a problematised view of hope simultaneously exposes Miles\u2019s recklessness. His belief that he can escape a pre-scripted fate risks unravelling the Multiverse itself, exemplifying how hope can verge on cruel optimism when it blinds its subject to material consequences. However, Miles transforms that optimism into agency. As the show progresses, Miles realises the conflict between his ideals and the\u00a0canon<\/em>. Alas, \u201cWith great power comes great responsibility\u201d\u2014Miles starts understanding his responsibility given his new identity as Spider-Man: he needs to protect both his and the world\u2019s needs. Given his Spider-powers, he eventually manages to leverage this drive fuelled by hope to \u2018do both\u2019: to save his father from impending death and to save Brooklyn, to juggle the responsibility of himself, his family and his world. Hope (when tethered to action) in the Spider-Verse can thus be aptly summed as a means of rewriting the structures that claim to be unchangeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Return to Main Menu<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Bibliography <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Aronson, R. (1991). [Review of the book The principle of hope<\/em>, by E. Bloch]. History and Theory<\/em>, 30<\/em>(2), 220\u2013232. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2307\/2505540<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Berlant, L. (2011). Cruel optimism<\/em>. Duke University Press. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2307\/j.ctv1220p4w<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coogan, P. (2006). Superhero: The secret origin of a genre<\/em>. MonkeyBrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dos Santos, J., Powers, K., & Thompson, J.K. (Directors). (2023). Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse<\/em> [Film]. Columbia Pictures; Marvel Entertainment; Sony Pictures Animation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gorichanaz, T. (2022, May 30). Theorizing information sources for hope: Belief, desire, imagination, and metacognition<\/em> [Paper presentation]. CoLIS 11 Conceptions of Library & Information Science conference, Oslo, Norway.  https:\/\/arxiv.org\/abs\/2206.03311<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lewis, T. G. (2016, March 24). The ageless appeal of superheroes: What effect do superhero stories have on audiences?<\/em> Deseret news. https:\/\/www.deseret.com\/2016\/3\/24\/20585419\/the-ageless-appeal-of-superheroes-what-effect-do-superhero-stories-have-on-audiences\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
McGeer, V. (2004). The art of good hope.<\/em> The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science<\/em>, 592<\/em>(1), 100\u2013127. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/0002716203261781<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Milona, M. (2020). The philosophy of hope. In S. C. van den Heuvel (Ed.), Historical and multidisciplinary perspectives on hope<\/em> (pp. 99\u2013116). Springer.  https:\/\/link.springer.com\/chapter\/10.1007\/978-3-030-46489-9_6<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miles Morales (Earth-1610)\/quotes. (n.d.). Into the Spider-Verse Wiki. Retrieved February 10, 2025, from https:\/\/intothespiderverse.fandom.com\/wiki\/Miles_Morales_(Earth-1610)\/Quotes<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Persichetti, P., Ramsey, P., & Rothman, R. (Directors). (2018). Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse<\/em> [Film]. Columbia Pictures; Marvel Entertainment; Sony Pictures Animation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scott, A. O. (2018, December 12). \u2018<\/em>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse\u2019 review: A fresh take on a venerable hero<\/em>. The New York Times. https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/12\/12\/movies\/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse-review.html<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Watts, J. (Director). (2021). Spider-Man<\/em>: No way home<\/em> [Film]. Columbia Pictures; Marvel Studios.
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[1]<\/sup><\/a> Spider-Man of 2099, also leader of the Spider-society that ensures the safety of the Spider-people through making sure that the Multiverse and its canon events are not compromised or broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction Contemporary superhero cinema operates according to what Coogan identifies as a \u201cheroic character with a selfless, prosocial mission\u201d. In such texts, hope typically functions as faith in the restoration of disorder, or a sense of optimism toward a possible, albeit uncertain, outcome that the superheroes desire (Gorichanaz, 2022; Bloeser & Stahl, 2017). Such a<\/p>\n
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"parent":61,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-72","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/72","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/72\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":503,"href":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/72\/revisions\/503"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/61"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/issues.digitalpatmos.com\/vol7issue3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}