Miles in his Spiderman costume and hody crouches on the side of a building.
A young Black-Latino boy crouches on the edge of a building, music swells, he takes a deep breath, pulls down his spiderman mask, braces himself. Then as the soundtrack asks -What’s up danger? – he leaps from the top of a skyscraper and plummets, out of control, down towards the street below him.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. I want you to understand why Into the Spider-Verse and this moment in particular mean so much to me. So, here’s the proper context for Miles’ leap of faith.
Miles Morales gets bitten by a radioactive spider and tries to take on the role of Spiderman. His first and second attempt don’t go well at all.
Miles Morales as Spiderman falls between some buildings screaming ‘AAAAA!’
It’s not something he can do by himself. When Peter B Parker appears on the scene, he finally has someone to show him the ropes (webs?): how to unstick himself from things by relaxing, how to use a webshooter, how to swing. It turns out there are more Spider … people (?!) as well, none of whom have time to teach him anything, but they can show him what it means for each of them to be a Spiderperson.
He sees their unique skills and, more importantly, how they choose to use them. He sees their response to those they’ve rescued and to when they fail. He sees them fight, and get knocked down, and get back up again. Despite the lack of radioactive spiders in my life, I also know people who have shown me what it looks like to live through good times and bad, how to use my talents to help others, how to keep going when I just don’t want to. These people are in my church, in history books, and on nearly every page of the Bible. But, while I very much want to follow their example, I’m also afraid. Afraid that unlike my heroes, I would fail and fall and hurt.
When it’s time for Miles to prove himself, he can’t. He’s not ready, he doesn’t know how, there’s too much uncertainty, too much danger, things have already changed so much! What if there’s no going back? What if it’s the wrong decision?! He asks Peter B the question we all ask before a big decision: “When will I know I’m ready?” And receives the answer no-one wants: “You won’t. It’s a leap of faith. That’s all it is Miles, a leap of faith.”
The circumstances are different for each of us, but we all know that feeling: too much hangs on our decision and we can’t possibly know the outcome – maybe it’ll be all we hoped it would be but maybe it won’t. I know that feeling, I had it when I got married; when I moved countries; every job application, every message to someone I don’t know… I bet you know that feeling too, maybe you’re starting your own business, learning a new skill, taking an exam. None of these things are as physically dangerous as Miles’ leap, but they’re a leap of faith all the same.
That’s when his dad comes to talk to him.
Miles and his dad separated by a door. they both press their heads against it wanting to communicate better.
You can see and hear and feel the love from dad to son. It’s always been there but it’s clearer, more raw, more vulnerable and more emotional here (I’m not crying, you’re crying) – and it’s only after hearing this from his dad that Miles is actually able to take the leap of faith.
Miles’ leap of faith is not one of blind faith anymore. He can follow the example of other Spiderpeople who have made that same decision. And while he, for sure, doesn’t know what will happen; he’s now confident that he will be loved, whether he succeeds or fails.
That love is what makes the difference for me. Even though I’m aware that the people who love me can let me down, because I let down the people that I love too, I can be confident in how much God loves me. And I hope that is something you know too. Just as Miles hears (again) his family’s love for him as he stands on that edge, every time I approach something I’m afraid of, every time I would rather flee than fail, I can look at the time that God himself went to the cross and died for me – looking at that I can’t ever forget how deeply, how perfectly, how wonderfully I’m loved.
When Miles finally jumps, the glass shatters, it’s stuck to his fingers because he isn’t relaxed about it, he’s scared – it’s a jump into the unknown but one that he can now make. And he doesn’t fall forever. He soars.
Miles as Superman rises between buildings, joyfully shouting ‘WOOOO!’