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Five Thoughts on Marvel’s Spider-Man‘s “The Road to Goblin War”

By | November 5th, 2019
Posted in Television | % Comments

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, a villain who can render his webs useless! Being a teenage superhero can be hard, especially if you have to pick up the pieces of a stolen life! Pull up a web and enjoy as we give you five thoughts about Season 2, Episode 22, “The Road to Goblin War.”

1. Working overtime to fix a busy life

Peter Parker has been busy. Not only has he had to deal with Venom, The Regent, and all kinds of other baddies, he’s been trying to fix the life the Doc Ock broke. Not only has Peter lost friends, but he’s also dealing with the fact that he is no longer enrolled in Horizon High, which is nothing compared to how Spidey’s reputation has suffered.

Peter has a (surprisingly) well-organized checklist of little things that he can do to repair his life but quickly realizes that having a plan is different than implementing said plan. Max all but accuses Peter of stalking him, Peter’s friends don’t seem too interested in speaking to him anymore, and Spidey has been having trouble with the villain of the week, making him look foolish in the eyes of New York. The difficulty, of course, is that Peter doesn’t really have an explanation that won’t reveal his biggest secret. It’s interesting to see Peter struggle (considering that the past couple of weeks have been spent dealing with super-prison antics) suggesting that even with the right attitude, healing is a long process.

2. A villain that slips right through your fingers (literally!)

This week’s villain is Slyde, a mysterious man in a frictionless suit. Slyde is on a mission of revenge (although he’s not very forthcoming with who he wants revenge against) and is creating fear by attacking random landmarks in New York, creating fires and explosions, and being a general menace. The problem is that his frictionless suit does more than just let him go fast and allude authorities, it prevents Spider-Man’s webs from sticking to him and can even remove Spidey’s friction as well.

The mystery grows when Spider-Man notices that any time Slyde attacks, he is closely followed by representatives from Beemont Chemicals. Over the course of the episode, we learn that Slyde is a former employee who has vowed revenge on Allan Beemont. Dr. Rockwell, another Beemont Chemical, informs Spidey that Allan had a tendency of stealing employee ideas to grow his reputation. Slyde was one such employee. Rockwell gives Spidey evidence to tell the press, even if it means destroying the company. While he doesn’t have a great name, Slyde was a pretty entertaining villain. His powers translated well to the screen always showcasing a high level of kineticism and he had a pretty good handle of quipping, overall it would be fun to see him return in the future.

3. An unlikely alliance builds into a growing friendship

After assisting Spidey defeat the Regent, Otto has been missing in action. Peter goes to Uncle Ben’s grave for guidance, and it seems that Otto has been doing the same. Uncle Ben has become part of Ock’s life the same as Peter’s. While the initial meeting is tense, Otto confides in Peter that he no longer has a place in the world and is feeling lost. Going to Ben reminds him of his good.

Over the course of the episode, Peter and Ock learn to work with one another and take advantage of the skills they both have to build a partnership. Ock shows Peter that sometimes there are advantages to thinking like a villain, helping him discover the truth about Slyde. Peter, in return, shows Ock that if two heroes work together it doesn’t have to be a hero sidekick dynamic, but rather equals. In the end, they realize that they make a pretty good team. Peter even helps Ock find his place in the world by getting him a job at Midtown High. The continued dynamic between Peter and Ock is a lot of fun, and it’ll be interesting to see how this advances over the course of the “Goblin War.”

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4. Small steps to save Spidey’s reputation

While Peter hasn’t had much success in salvaging his like as Peter Parker, during the course of “The Road to Goblin War” he is able to check off two of his list, “Make J Jonah Jameson hate him again” and “make others like Spider-Man again.” Spider-Man’s reputation with the public is low as many of them disliked his techniques as the more intense red and black-suited web-slinger. While his initial interactions with Slyde make New Yorkers think he’s lost his groove, by the end of the episode it seems that people have come back around on their Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

There is value in making Peter work to salvage his reputation. It helps to build his relationship with Ock, both making them outsiders with one another for support. But it also shows that it takes time and effort to fix mistakes, even if they weren’t your own. These are important lessons, and it’s nice to see a superhero show demonstrate that it takes work to salvage a reputation.

5. The Goblin Nation reveals itself

The final reveal of the episode is that Slyde wasn’t working alone, the real villain of the episode was Dr. Rockwell. Rockwell was the one who orchestrated Slyde’s firing to buy Beemont Chemicals. As Rockwell is arrested, he reveals a chest tattoo of a symbol, green and purple, the Spidey recognizes from around the city. Rockwell informs them that he is a member of the Goblin Nation, and while they’ve been hiding in the shadows, they are ready to reveal themselves to the world. The Nation seems like they have infiltrators in tech companies at the very least, but it’s implied that their reach is much longer. It’s a good reveal and sets up a conflict I’m excited about.

[Divider]

So there we have it! Friendships forged in the fires of Superheroics, a growing shadow threat, Superhero antics! I’m excited to see where we go from here. What about you? Sound off below!


//TAGS | marvel's spider-man

Joe Skonce

Joe Skonce was born, raised, and currently resides in Ohio, but has been exploring fantastical and imaginary worlds for as long as he can remember. He loves big guys and barbarians, pirates and puppets, and is always down to find nerdy new things. Come say hi to him on twitter @tunabellgrande.

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