One of the many mottoes in Into The Spider verse is that anyone can wear the mask, which is an admirable admonition to be the best person you can be. However, it is also a warning that you cannot be a hero alone; you need help from others to save the day.
Unlike the six live action films that have come before it, this one is a self-contained, standalone story that doesn’t rehash the same exposition of radioactive spider bites, Uncle Ben and “With great power comes great responsibility.” It instead gives us Miles Morales, an Afro-Latino kid with a complicated family dynamic who struggles to balance his moral righteousness with his street art and find himself in between the hardlined ethos of his policeman father and his laidback friend Aaron.
It’s also a movie about the importance of diversity in superheroes; while it doesn’t directly touch on this theme, its characters are all very different from the typical white superhero tropes that we are used to seeing in movies and TV. For example, Miles’ mentors are all people of color who offer him different perspectives on being a hero and how to navigate the multiverse. He also encounters a version of Spider-Woman (played by Hailee Steinfeld) who doesn’t hide her face and doesn’t need to use a tiara or make sweeping declarations in order to take down villains.
This Spider verse mask allows kids ages 5 and up to imagine suiting up as the wall-crawler from across the multiverse. Featuring a flexible band that fits most aspiring heroes, it’s the perfect way for kids to step into heart-pounding adventure. Spider verse mask