100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #17: Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Directed by Sam Raimi.

There are few superhero films that are like Spider-Man 2. Most superhero films (especially more recent ones) focus on elaborate plots, high-octane action sequences and extravagant visual spectacles instead of focusing on the superhero’s development as a character. However, Spider-Man 2 centers its attention on Peter Parker’s personal life and does it through the film’s central themes: understanding our gifts which we can use for the good of mankind and that “there’s a hero in all of us.” It’s amazing that a superhero movie, which features the titular character climbing walls, spitting webs out of his wrists, and fighting a mad scientist with mechanical arms, successfully conveys these ideals which can be attributed to our lives as Catholics. Spider-Man 2 reminds us that, as Catholics, we have been given the gift of the Faith and we can choose to either live out our faith in the world or let our faith die within us.

The film promotes its idea of gift when the villain of the film, Dr. Otto Octavius, is introduced. Octavius is smart, charming, and a brilliant scientist with a beautiful marriage. He is exactly the person Peter Parker wants to become. Director Sam Raimi and screenwriter Alvin Sargent use Peter’s idol to convey one of the major themes of the story. Octavius tells Peter, “Intelligence is not a privilege, it’s a gift. And you use it for the good of mankind.” Octavius’ gift is his intelligence and he wants to use it to create self-sustainable energy which he believes will give electricity to the entire world.

While Octavius’ intentions are noble in themselves, it’s his hubris that leads to his spiral into villainy. When Peter is concerned about Octavius’ upcoming experiment, the doctor brushes away the anxiety without a single thought saying, “I certainly know the consequences of the slightest miscalculation.” Unfortunately for Octavius, the experiment goes horribly wrong. He has the opportunity to stop the experiment, but his pride prevents him from doing so. He shouts out that he can get his experiment to stabilize and even smacks Spider-Man aside before he can pull the plug. His refusal to admit his mistake directly results in the death of his wife, Rosie, and, by extension, his own. Dr. Otto Octavius dies and Doctor Octopus (Doc Ock) is born.

Octavius serves as a cautionary tale to not only the audience but also Peter. If one wishes to help bring good into the world, but does it pridefully, it often leads to destruction. Unfortunately for Peter, he doesn’t learn from Octavius’ tale and battles with his pride in Spider-Man 3. He learns the destructive nature of pride and his need for humility. Humility is necessary for sharing our gifts with the world. As Catholics, we are charged by God and His Church to go out into the world and convert others by sharing our faith. However, if we do it pridefully and flaunt the Faith in the face of others, we won’t convert anyone. But if we approach our collective mission with humility, we can share our gift with the world for the betterment of souls and produce positive results.

In comparison to Dr. Octavius, Harry Osborne’s gift is his wealth. However, unlike Octavius, Harry plans to use his wealth for selfish ambitions. He hopes to obtain wealth and respectability by funding Octavius’ project. Before the failed experiment, Harry brags about his wealth and that he’s “happy to pay the bills.” He wants to emerge from his father’s shadow and to win prestige. He believes that he can use his gift to buy happiness and that it will fill the hole in his soul left in the wake of his father’s death. So, when the experiment goes wrong, he complains that he’s ruined and becomes depressed. When he reaches this point in the film, he directs his attention towards getting revenge against Spider-Man. He uses his wealth to make a deal with Doc Ock. He willingly trades tritium, the key ingredient for Doc Ock’s experiment, for Spider-Man even though he knows that giving the tritium away could destroy New York. Harry’s selfishness and desire for revenge blind him from using his gift for good.

Harry chooses to use his wealth for personal gain instead of using it to better the lives of those around him. He could have decided to be a philanthropist and donate his wealth to different charities. While he does fund an experiment which would provide affordable electricity for everyone, he funds it for his own benefit. Harry serves as a foil for Peter. Peter could easily profit off his powers and could be the menace that J. Jonah Jameson claims he is. Harry is Peter without a moral compass and a good father figure to help guide him. Once again, as Catholics, we can either choose to be like Harry or Peter. We can use our Faith for personal benefit. We can choose to be like historical figures such as the Borgia popes, Savonarola, or Cardinal McCarrick: figures in the Church’s past who used the Faith and their position within the Church for their personal ambitions. Or, we can decide to be similar to saints like Maximilian Kolbe, Francis Xavier, and John Paul II: saints who used their influence and gifts to not only strengthen the Faith in fellow Catholics but also went to extreme lengths to share the Faith with others. The choice to use one’s gift for destruction or preservation is at the core of Spider-Man 2.

Peter’s main struggle in Spider-Man 2 is over the choice of using his gift. Peter’s gift, of course, is his powers and the film asks why he uses his powers. Yes, Peter has these amazing powers, but does he have to use them? If you think about it, why would he? Throughout the film, Spider-Man’s actions always have consequences on Peter Parker’s life. Peter struggles with his relationships with Mary Jane and Harry because of Spider-Man. At the end of the first film, Peter rejected MJ’s advances which broke her heart in the process. In Spider-Man 2, Peter cannot keep his promises to MJ, like failing to arrive to her show on time. Mary Jane even says, “You’re nothing to me but an empty seat.” On the other hand, Harry hates Spider-Man because he believes that Spider-Man killed his father. Also, Harry begins to despise Peter since Peter takes pictures of Spider-Man for the Daily Bugle and won’t give up Spider-Man’s identity. Thus, Peter has to deal with MJ constantly being disappointed in him, his best friend hating him, and his boss slandering his good name in the paper. On top of that, Spider-Man takes up much of Peter’s time. He’s constantly late for work, barely does his homework, can’t make it to class on time, and can’t pay his rent. While Spider-Man’s life is generally awesome, Peter Parker’s life is pretty miserable.

So, when Peter is presented with the choice of continuing his dual life or giving up his responsibility to be Spider-Man, he chooses the easier path. We get a montage of what Peter’s life could be without Spider-Man. He does his homework, makes it to his commitments on time, and seems to be happier in his carefree lifestyle. However, as time goes on, Peter realizes that not using his gift makes the world a darker place. He’s unable to stop muggings from taking place and save people from fires. He remembers that his heroism not only physically saves people but also gives them hope to “hold on for a second longer.” Aunt May tells Peter, “There’s a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble…Even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most, even our dreams.” May reminds Peter that heroes need to stand firm against the evil in the world despite the sacrifices made along the way.

Being a hero, or even a saint, is an arduous task. It takes courage to support your beliefs and to share them with the world. It requires the faithful to live the Faith despite trials and hardships thrown our way. Spider-Man 2 reminds us that the sharing our gift of faith to the world will be extremely difficult. We may lose friends and loved ones along the way. We may risk losing our careers, social status, and perhaps (in dire circumstances) our lives. But, as Catholics, we must choose to live the Faith so we can not only bring each other closer to Christ but also help bring those in darkness into the light.