Dear Peter Parker, [fandom letters ep. 2]
March 08, 2020
(for those of you new here, this is basically a series where I ramble on about fandoms that mean a lot to me personally. enjoy the ride. XD)
Dear Peter Parker,
This is ironic, to say the least. I never thought I’d write a letter to specifically you. (No offense.) I thought I’d be writing this to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, gushing over every single movie in excruciating detail.
But then I realized: I don’t really have a super-personal connection to any other movies except the two Spider-Man movies (Homecoming and Far from Home). And after thinking about why for a little while, I realized that it’s because of you.
Let me explain.
When I watched Spider-Man: Homecoming for the first time, I had just created my pen name, I was still new to blogging, and I was fresh from completing my first ever rough draft of a book with some potential. I was in the beginning stages of . . . well, pretty much everything.
It was a little overwhelming, to say the least. That summer, upon completion of said rough draft, self-doubt came calling, which was not fun.
And then Peter Parker came into my life: a sixteen-year-old nerd with a secret he hid from pretty much everyone. He went by an alias in the superhero world and spent his afternoons fighting petty crime.
I could almost completely relate to you. (The small part of unrelatability is the “fighting petty crime” part. I have no desire to ever try that.) Sure, I’d read a few books about superhero teenagers, but none of them fit me - not even the nerds. They were just too smart, and they already seemed super mature for their age.
But you were just a kid - a nerdy, geeky kid who never really was super strong (well, at least before the spider bite).
And you also had an alter ego with somewhat of an Internet presence. You did stuff after school that you could never really tell anyone, because, to an extent, they wouldn’t understand.
Similarly, it’s really hard to explain why you run a book and writing blog under a pen name to a classmate. XD Not to mention it’s extremely awkward, because they probably don’t like books. And telling people “I want to be an author” is almost worse. The dreaded comment of “You know you can’t make much money writing” comes up, with the insinuation of “You should maybe pick another career.”
I think the moment I truly realized just how much I related to you was when Spider-Man: Far from Home released. I went to see it in theaters while on vacation (which was pretty cool, actually).
While I loved the villain and thought the action scenes were super cool, there was one part in particular that really hit home: your constant self-doubt.
You worried all the time that you’d never be able to measure up to Iron Man. You were never sure if you were making the right choices or not, and when you made a choice you believed in, it turned out to be wrong. And that just made the self doubt worse. It was a nasty cycle.
There are quite a few characters with self-doubt, but this portrayal of it really hit home. I’ve never been confident with my writing, and when I think I’m taking a story in the right direction, I’ll find out later that it’s a complete and utter mess.
But you eventually made me realize that I’m never going to become the next Iron Man of writing. All I can do is what God has given me to do. And that’s enough.
I don’t exactly know what I’m trying to get at here. There are tons of superhero films featuring people with alter egos, and there are tons of teen protagonists with self-doubt. I don’t know why these two films are any different.
I guess what I’m trying to say is. . . .
Thank you, Marvel, for giving me a teen superhero I could relate to.
Thank you, Peter Parker, for making me feel I’m not alone.
-Nicole <3
Well, that was quite a bit different than the first Fandom Letter. XD Who likes Marvel’s recent Spider-Man movies? Does anyone else think he’s a relatable protagonist? Let’s talk!
Also, I haven’t filmed the blogoversary vlog yet, so if anyone still has questions, comment them down on last week’s post! :D
Also, I haven’t filmed the blogoversary vlog yet, so if anyone still has questions, comment them down on last week’s post! :D
26 comments
AAAAHHHHH YES. I LOVE THIS POST!!!! Peter Parker has been my favorite superhero since I was quite small. Ever since the (now very cheesy) Tobey Maguire Spider-man movies came out. I just love that Peter is a literal KID trying to help save the world. He's so precious and relatable and inspirational. UGH. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! D': And I 50000000000% agree Tom Holland's Peter is the BEST. EVER EVER EVER. He is the PERFECT Spider-man.
ReplyDeleteI loved ALL your thoughts here. Thank you so much for sharing! YES TO THE SPIDER-MAN LOVE. <333
THANK YOU CHRISTINE!!! YES to everything you just said! (Especially to the “now-cheesy” part. XD) TOM HOLLAND AS SPIDER-MAN IS PERFECTION. OH MY WORD. *dies*
DeleteThank you again!!! SPIDER-MAN DESERVES ALL THE ATTENTION.
Homecoming was pretty much my first MCU movie (technically I saw Dr. Strange and bits of Captain America first, but it was the movie that got me hooked). Like you, I related to him so much! Being around the same age, having similar obsessions (Star Wars), and wanting to help but completely doubting if I can. When I learned that his character is an INFP I thought, "Well, that makes so much sense." Totally a kindred spirit.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post, Nicole! Keep writing! <3
Oh, wow, that’s awesome! Haha, I thought the same thing when I learned he was an INFP too - sometimes the MBTI test is so accurate it’s uncanny. XD
DeleteThank you! <3
Aw, I love this! I, too, love how it's so evident how young and unsure Peter is in these movies. I love the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield movies, but Peter Parker was older in those and the whole teen-superhero thing didn't really come on as strong. But Homecoming really did the job.
ReplyDeleteI love these fandom letters! What a great reminder how important stories really can be. <3
theonesthatreallymatter.blogspot.com
Haha, I agree with you on the whole teen superhero thing - it felt weird that Peter was older in the other ones . . .
DeleteThank you, Emily! <3 <3
I still haven't seen Spiderman: Far From Home yettttttttt ahhhhhhhh hopefully soon. Maybe. I hope.
ReplyDeleteYou neeeeed to see it. It was really good. :D
DeleteI like Spider-Man.
ReplyDeleteBut, that being said, he isn't even my favorite Peter in the MCU(I just really, really like Starlord)
Anyway, I do think Peter P is pretty relatable. It's funny, because everyone told Stan Lee that no one wanted to see a teenage superhero, and he was like, I think they do, and now Spider-Man is incredibly popular.
I've actually never seen the other two incarnations of the Spider-Man movies, oddly enough.
P.S. I started reading the first KOTLC book! I'm like, on the second chapter. But I liked it so much that I decided to order the next 4 books off Amazon(it was a set!). XD.
*nods* Starlord is pretty great, too, honestly! :)
DeleteSeriously???? That is HYSTERICAL! *round of applause for Stan Lee*
The other incarnations aren't that great, in my opinion. *shrugs* You're not missing much. XD
(OH MY WORD, SERIOUSLY??? YAY!!! Who's your favorite character so far?)
So far... well, I'm only a little ways into the book, but I like Fitz a lot. Probably because one of my favorite Agents of SHIELD characters is named Fitz, but hey, he seems pretty great so far.
DeleteHaha, nice - Fitz is great! (Okay, but Fitz the SHIELD agent is INCREDIBLE)
DeleteI haven't watched either of those two movies, but this post <3 xD Spider-Man was my childhood.
ReplyDeleteHaha, thank you! <3 And that's awesome! :D
Delete*claps enthusiastically* YES, NICOLE. Spider-Man is awesome.
ReplyDeleteI have a few characters (even some Marvel ones) that I really relate to. This is such a cool series.
*gasps* How dare your classmates dislike books? Everyone in my grade loves reading. Well, to be fair, I am homeschooled, and the only one in my grade.....but that still counts, right?
THANK YOU so much!!
Delete*is shocked with you* I know, it's a weird concept, honestly. XD and that totally still counts! ;)
I really do prefer Holland's Spiderman out of all of the different versions. He finally seems relatable and the way I'd envision him to be. Awkward, scared, and full of heart. While he's not my fave MCU character, I really appreciate him and what he brings to the table.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% - the others seem a little off, somehow. *shrugs* (I am curious, now - who is your favorite MCU character? XD)
DeleteTony Stark, closely followed by Nat and T'Challa.
DeleteOoo, nice! I love those guys too!
DeleteI LOVE the Spider-Man movies!!! They're probably my favorite Marvel movies ever. And Peter Parker is definitely relateable. I love this heartfelt little letter soooo much! <333
ReplyDeleteYay, another fan!! :D Thank you, Lila! <3 <3 <3
DeleteI haven't seen the new spider man movies, but I've always liked spider man! :D
ReplyDeleteLoved reading this!
astordetective.blogspot.com
Ooo, you should try them out - they're really good! I might be a bit biased, though . . . ;)
DeleteLove this! <3
ReplyDeleteI’m glad you liked it, Skye! <3
DeleteWelcome to the comment section! I love hearing what you guys think and seeing you guys talk. Just remember to keep it clean, and as always, check back for my replies! <3
-Nicole