Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Reveals the Perfect Spider-Person (2024)

The beauty of the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and its predecessor are rooted in the power of an ever-expanding Spider-Verse, full to the rim with an exciting array of Spider-People of all types. Given the expansive nature of it all, it is no surprise that an example of the perfect Spider-Person can be found within this collection of individuals. What might be surprising is just how close to the spotlight this particular Spider-Person sits.

While the franchise's leads can all hold their own in a fight and all bring unique perspectives and abilities to the table, there is one among them who deserves a special shoutout for defying the odds and displaying what it really means to be a Spider-Person. Miles Morales does this almost effortlessly, but as the main protagonist of the movie, his strengths and weaknesses are at the forefront. Meanwhile characters like Miguel O'Hara and Peter B. Parker have their own arguments for the "most powerful Spider-Person" practically pre-written for them. But the true shining example of the Spider-Verse can be found in none other than Gwen Stacy, the illusive Spider-Woman.

The Physical Stats of the Spider-Verse

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On the most basic level, analyzing the perfect Spider-Person starts with an analysis of physicality. A good starting point for this analysis would be to figure out what the average Spider-Person brings to the table so that the unique nature of specific individuals can be treated with the respect they deserve. First and foremost, almost every Spider-Person either shoots organic webs from their wrists or has web shooters that enable the same thing. Gwen has web shooters herself, and although the following has yet to be confirmed in the Spider-Verse canon, Gwen's comic book counterpart has access to unlimited webbing thanks to the innovations of Janet Van Dyne. Again, this hasn't been confirmed within the Spider-Verse films, but fans have yet to see Gwen run out of webbing, so it can be assumed that she has her fair share even if her supply is not infinite.

The next most discussed aspect of a Spider-Person's arsenal of abilities is their agility. It is intrinsic to a Spider-Person to be able to leap, flip, and swing with little to no resistance. This is the "standard Spider-Person ability" that Gwen perhaps has the strongest grasp on. More than almost anyone else within Spider-Society, Gwen is an incredibly skilled acrobat who is able to traverse long distances and evade almost anything the multiverse throws at her with a grace otherwise unseen. Part of this derives from her history with ballet, which offers a compelling answer to how she's significantly above average in the acrobat department, even among her Spider-Person peers. Gwen also has superhuman strength, which is found to be a consistent trait across all of Spider-Society.

Gwen's physicality is pretty standard for a Spider-Person, with some unique talent being set aside for her acrobatics. What remains unexplored is what unique traits she brings to the table, and this is where things get incredibly interesting. Because of her years behind the mask, Gwen is more skilled than the average Spider-Person, even at the things they all have in common. She's able to navigate the most difficult and harrowing fights with a balletic grave otherwise unheard of, and while she does, on occasion, mess up and display her human nature, she has rarely shown any signs of giving up. This resilience is already navigating away from the physical category, and herein lies the real strength of the character. Because while Gwen is above average as a fighter, acrobat, and crime-fighter, it is her personality that cements her as the Spider-Verse's strongest and most powerful Spider-Person.

Gwen's Inherent Balancing Act of Responsibility

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Gwen Stacy played a pivotal role in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, providing a nice foil to Miles' character and journey and doubling down on the film's themes of self-forgiveness and opening up to new friends and opportunities. To paraphrase, she exemplified the power and the responsibility of self-care. Even with such a great character arc on the sidelines of the franchise debut, it is in Across the Spider-Verse where Gwen truly shines and is able to flourish as the powerful Spider-Person she is. The sequel opens with a recount of Gwen's tragic backstory, highlighting the tragic loss of her version of Peter Parker that instilled in her a desire to take up the mantle of Spider-Woman and depend on the responsibility she previously shied away from.

The core struggle that Gwen wrestles with in Across the Spider-Verse is in her relationship with her father, Captain George Stacy. In the opening moments of the film, the moment that shatters Gwen's perception and separation of her two lives is displayed as George discovers the truth: that the vigilante known as Spider-Woman that he and his crew have been chasing is none other than his own daughter. This is a tough pill for him to swallow, but it also sends Gwen reeling and into a fit of denial that all Spider-People seem to wrestle with in their own unique ways. While Gwen initially reacts with hostility, her signature resistance becoming more of a flaw as she uses it from a deflective point of view, she eventually comes around and allows herself to be more open with her father as he meets her halfway and comes to understand the necessity of her vigilantism and how heroic this truly makes her.

Looking at the lives of most versions of Peter Parker, this same struggle is reflected across the board in his wide array of human relationships and how those continually clash with his life as Spider-Man. Whether it be Aunt May, Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn, Ned Leeds, or even Gwen Stacy herself, Peter is no stranger to confronting his clashing identities and doing his best to handle them with a near inhuman grace. This struggle is as inherent to the character and his variants as his web-shooters and mask. It is no surprise that other Spider-People wrestle with these same conflicts, including Spider-Verse's Miles Morales, who is dealing with a similar situation with his own parents, who are doubling down on him and trying their very best to remain influential parents in Across the Spider-Verse.

Although Miles' journey in the film leads him to make a very similar decision to Gwen in the finale of the movie and confess to his parents the reality of his situation, this backfires due to the fact that he has accidentally traveled to the wrong universe. While this is not necessarily Miles' fault, it does significantly stunt his progress, and fans will have to anxiously await the third Spider-Verse film for this to be resolved. Gwen has the benefit of resolving this internal and external conflict with her father before the climax of the film, resolving the ill-will that sat between her and her father, and finding common ground with him. While this ignores Gwen's doubt and near-betrayal of Miles in the film, she regrets this decision almost instantly. This doesn't make her better than anyone else, but it does show fans a peek into this journey that few Spider-People are able to reach a conclusion on before tragedy strikes. Like with her physicality, Gwen masters the journey with grace.

Spider-Verse's Gwen Stacy Is the Best of Her Kind

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The strength of the Spider-Verse is that every Spider-Person brings something unique to the table. While comparing the strengths and weaknesses of specific Spider-People remains a fun exercise for fans, the truth is that the variables of everyone's unique stories render this debate worthless. They all make mistakes, and, for the most part, they tend to reign victorious in the end while still dealing with their own fair share of tragedy. Gwen Stacy is no stranger to these rules, but over the course of Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse, Gwen is given the opportunity to shy away from her role as a Spider-Person and let these tragedies drag her down.

Perhaps more than anyone else, Gwen jumps at the opportunity to right her wrongs at every turn and is able to cement herself as one of the Spider-Verse's most powerful and most deserving. Between her balletic physicality, her indomitable handling of the core tragedies of a Spider-Person, and her resilience that makes even Peter Parker's resilience look shallow, Gwen Stacy is undeniably an anomaly of Spider-Society because, despite her failures and shortcomings, she's rarely fallen behind.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

PG

Superhero

Animation

Action

Adventure

Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.

Release Date

June 2, 2023

Director

Joaquim Dos Santos , Kemp Powers , Justin K. Thompson

Cast

Shameik Moore , Hailee Steinfeld , Oscar Isaac , Jake Johnson

Runtime

140 minutes

Main Genre

Superhero