The Black Spider-Man
By: Miles Rajesh Arthur
Throughout my entire life the thought of a superhero that looked like me seemed as though it would never happen. So you could imagine my happiness when I saw the cameo of black panther in Captain America Civil War. The idea of a colored man representing a strong and intelligent superhero was something that I was not used to in common media.
My name is Mile Rajesh Arthur, a biracial student at Morehouse College.My mother is African American with my father being Indian. Throughout my life I never really felt as though I knew what my true identity was. I was put into situations where I had choose who I wanted to be. Even before having a conversation with me people would assume my race and in turn change their image of me. I struggled to find my identity all throughout my adolescence but in the past years diversity has become more and more common place. Then the trailer for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released.
When I first watched the trailer I was obviously very excited being a big Marvel fan. However, when I saw that Spider-Man was black and biracial and even shared my name, I knew that this movie would be special to me. The movie didn’t speak to much about race but there were snippets throughout that resonated with me. Not many superhero movies delve into the ethnicity of a character but when it comes to minority superhero’s, their race is apart of who they are as a person. But for me seeing someone who was biracial and wasn’t hiding it, was something that I desperately needed in my development to find my true identity.
After seeing the movie I got to wake up and see myself as a superhero. For the first time in my life I could wake up and like what I saw. For the first time I was able to look at myself in the mirror and like what looked back at me. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse did more for my development than high school or middle school had ever done. The movie taught me not to run away from who I was, it taught me that there is beauty in who I am. Instead of looking at all of the bad stereotypes that come with being two races, that I should look at the beauty in it.
I know that DVD’s are becoming more and more outdated but in the near future I do plan on purchasing the physical disc of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse because my children are going to be biracial and I believe that it’s important to share the lessons that this movie taught me. It’s not something I’ll show them when they’re young but it’s a movie that I’ll show them when they come of age. I want my kids to experience life in a biracial lense. So when I show them this movie they can learn and grow from it. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a great piece of media that belongs on the Morehouse College reading list because it spotlights a biracial superhero trying to find his identity. I thank Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for molding me into the man I am today.
