Hey everyone! Thanks for swinging by for another installment of Marvel’s Spider-Man on Disney XD. Peter Parker is no longer being controlled by Otto Octavius, and this week he has to face his biggest challenge yet, gangs of goblins run by your enemies! Being a teenage superhero can be hard, especially if you have to stop the Goblin King from getting his hands on the unstoppable Goblin Mech! Pull up a web and enjoy as we give you five thoughts about Season 2, Episode 25, “Goblin War, Part 3.”
1. Loyalty amongst the Goblins
At the end of last week’s episode, it was revealed that The Vulture, Adrian Toomes, was the Goblin King. Toomes has filled the power vacuum left by Superior Spider-Man, buying loyalty from other Spidey villains by giving them goblin tech. Toomes is convinced that the technology will not only get them to be loyal to him but also loyal to one another. Initially it workes.
The threat of a truly loyal gang of villains is a scary one. The villains initially act as a well-oiled machine and even when there is some disagreements in the ranks, Toomes proves surprisingly effective at keeping the peace. The Goblin Nation truly seems like a genuine threat to the safety of New York. They have been quietly growing under the surface and creating bonds between some of Spidey’s worst foes.
2. Expanding the Spider-Team
While the Goblin Nation seems like a strong and cohesive unit, The Spider-Team is feeling a little fractured. That changes this week as Spider-Man reveals to Gwen, Anya, and Miles his newest asset, Doc Ock. Once again we are shown people’s distrust of Ock and Peter trying hard to make sure they trust him. It’s a retread of a story we’ve now seen for the past few weeks, which is starting to feel a little bit stale. Surprisingly, Harry is the one who suggests that like it or not, they have to team up with Ock. The more people they have the better. Especially considering that they need to get to three places at once to retrieve the safety keys to an “invincible Goblin Mech.” Not only can this invention cause mass destruction but also take over electronics and technology. It doesn’t seem like a great time.
There is also one last part of the Spider-Team in the form of Anna Maria. I was excited to see her back this week. Anna Maria is not only incredibly intelligent, but her mere presence also makes Otto flustered. It’s funny to see Ock so out of his element and nice to see Anna Maria getting a bigger role. In fact, the nice thing about the team-up is that it does allow characters who have been largely sidelined to get something to do. That’s always a good thing.
3. As one team splinters, the other team grows
If you were betting that the Goblin Nation splintered by the end of the episode, you would be right. While initially, it looked like Toomes might be able to control the Goblin gangs through fear and coercion, egos started getting in the way. The main conflict rising between Crossbones’ War Goblin gang and Electro’s Electric Goblin gang. You can feel the tension rising as Crossbones insults Electro and her gang, ultimately leading to a brawl in Downtown Manhattan.
But as the Goblin Nation begins to fall apart, the Spider-Team is beginning to grow in strength and trust. Other members of the team are starting to see the value of having Otto as their man in the chair. He is able to tactically control situations with a better understanding of surroundings then the people on the ground. While Harry is still suspicious, Gwen, Anya, and Miles act as a well-oiled machine. It’s fun to watch and shows a major theme of Spider-Man, teams built-in friendship will be stronger than alliances of fear or coercion.
4. A time to shine for support characters
Not only was it fun seeing the Spider-Team back in action, but it was also great to see Anna Maria become a hero. Near the end of the episode, Otto is too busy giving instructions to Peter and Harry about how to stop Toomes before he can get into the Goblin Mech, which means that Anna Maria starts to give instructions to the ground team.
Continued belowAfter the infighting of the goblin gangs begins, Gwen quickly realizes that they won’t be able to let them fight it out as innocent people are getting trapped in fires and destruction. It’s fun to see their various reactions to the “mystery lady” giving them instructions, but they spring into action. I’m always fond of “b-teams” getting a chance to shine and the action of their mission was fun and funny, giving Miles his nickname “Spy-der.” Because he can turn invisible and sneak up on people. He doesn’t like it much.
5. Harry’s mistrust spells long term trouble
While it is Harry’s initial suggestion that they work with Ock at least for the moment, as the episode progresses you can feel the anger boiling up inside him that Peter has made peace with Ock. Ock attacked him. Ock stole Peter’s body. Ock is a villain. This tension reaches a head when Harry gets mad that Peter is listening to his new “best friend” over him. Peter gets mad suggesting to Harry that if he hadn’t lied about being in Europe they might still be a team. Harry’s distrust puts them in this situation.
The distrust really impacts them, though, when Harry chooses to ignore Ock’s advice about the mind of a villain. Harry goes right to the machine, showing Toomes when the machine is kept, trapping him and Peter, and then putting them in harm’s way as Toomes blows up the building. It’s interesting to see “Marvel’s Spider-Man” plays with trust. While there is plenty of blame game played in tonight’s episode, what it finally boils down to is trust can be a powerful tool and protect you from difficult situations.
So there we have it. The Goblin War continues with Toomes in his final goal and Spider-Man out of commission. Where will we go from here? How will the war end? Will New York be saved!? (There’s a season three planned, so probably) Sound off below!
