Hey everyone! Thanks for swinging by for another installment of Marvel’s Spider-Man on Disney XD. Peter Parker is still being controlled by Otto Octavius, and this week he has to face his biggest challenge yet, the alien rage goo known as Venom! Being superior can be hard, especially when your definition of superiority is based solely on logic and ignores empathy! Pull up a web and enjoy as we talk about Season 2, Episode 19, “Superior.”
1. Friendship gives Ock a new perspective.
Last week’s episode introduced Anna Maria, an employee of Midtown high who is trying hard to show that Midtown can be just as prestigious as a fancy private school. She also happens to be a little person, which is an important part of her identity, but not her defining trait. As she says this week you have a choice to “accept limitations or overcome them,” which leads to a discussing with Peter!ock about his history of friendship. As we have learned over the past few weeks, life has always been difficult for Ock, a perpetual outcast bullied by not only his peers but his father as well. Ock tells his new friend that he found it was safer to “detach himself from humanity,” and while it led to time to develop his mind, he admits that he often felt alone. Then Venom attacks.
During the fight with Venom, Spidey!Ock is confronted with a no-win scenario, Venom has captured Anna Maria and Flash Thompson, whose friendship with Ock has been growing stronger. For the first time in his life, Ock finds himself concerned with the wellbeing of others, people who have shown him kindness and friendship. This even comes as a shock to himself. He is superior, after all, why is he acting like there are others who are more important than he is? The shift has been building over the last two episodes and provides a contrast to the way he treated the Avengers. While it would have been nice to let this idea build a little more, it still worked well and provided the push to Ock to give Peter’s body back and truly end his time as a hero.
2. Logic and reason vs. passion and emotion
One of the reasons that Ock things he’s superior is that because at least on paper he’s not exactly wrong. Criminals are scared, meaning that crime is down. But as Flash points out, “life isn’t math class, people go with their feelings and Spidey doesn’t feel like a hero anymore,” actions and personality are as important to people as results.
While this is baffling to Ock, the theme keeps coming back. Ock is confused by the idea that his feelings for his friends is dictating his fight with Venom, he realizes that doing things that are irrational really distinguish a hero. What really sells this is when Peter, consciousness dying and still trapped in Ock’s arms, comes to save his foe. Ock realizes that this is what makes Spider-Man who he is, and is the reason that Ock makes the ultimate sacrifice and gives Peter his body back.
3. Animation really helps Venom make a mark
I have incredibly mixed feelings on Venom. I’ve read comics where Venom works, but I wouldn’t put him high in my personal list of Spider-Man villains. The show doesn’t seem to have high opinions on Venom either, (at one point Ock refers to him as “Overhyped alien goo,” it’s my joke od the week.) But the thing is, Venom’s animation made him so visually interesting that it was exciting when he was on the screen. He had this weird eldritch movement, at one point his head turns a full 180, which helps to sell his alien nature. He could sprout other arms, create spikes, and reconstructs himself like webbing when he’s punched. It all looked so clean and fluid that it really left an impact.
The other interesting thing that the show did was have Venom fight without a host, leaving Eddie in the tube that he was being held in. I’m curious if this will result in Anti-Venom, but it’s possible that this might be a bit too intense for a Disney show. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how a hostless Venom works in the future. Next season is subtitled Maximum Venom, so it’s safe to assume he’ll be back and with a vengeance.
Continued below4. Peter’s back, for real this time!
There are little things that help to define a character and for Peter Parker, it’s quipping during a fight. It was fun to see how this one minor change made each character feel distinct. When Peter is back in the suit, everything seems to be lighter and more fun. It would be interesting to go back and compare the way that Spider!Ock and Spider!Peter move. It always felt that Ock was more deliberate with his movements, creating a more rigid Spider-Man. But if it is something as simple as Peter feeling looser because he’s quipping again, that proves the importance of the quirk. It can literally make a character’s actions feel different, and if that’s the case, then that is A+ storytelling.
It was also fun seeing Peter trying to explain the whole situation to Anna Maria, it’s sweet and awkward but in a different way than Ock. The big success of this arc was showcasing how similar these two characters are, and the mannerism of Peter help to show this.
5. Doc Ock, a true hero
There’s a moment near the end of the episode when Peter and Otto meet in the cyberspace in Ock’s arms. They have a conversation about what it means to be a hero, both conceding that there are things that the other does better. Ock’s last line, though, shows the importance of his time as Spider-Man, “I have the power to do this, so I have the responsibility to do it too.” Anna Maria recognized his sacrifice, telling Peter that the man who saved her was a true hero, and the arc ends that resolution.
Peter, grateful to Ock for giving him his body back, take the arms back to Ock’s comatose body and gives him back his consciousness. While not a clean fix or resolution, it creates the potential for Ock to return, hopefully, a changed man.
And thus ends The Superior Spider-Man Saga. It was great seeing this story adapted for the small screen, and it was clear that everyone was giving it their all. I’m looking forward to seeing how this season wraps up. What did you think? What story do you want to see given the Spider-Man XD touch? Sound off below!
