‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’: Miles Morales’ ‘You Can Wear the Mask’ Line Reinvented a Classic Idea From the Webhead’s Earlier Days
At the end of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales said, “anyone can wear the mask, you can wear the mask.” It provided a perfect tagline for the movie involving various Spider-people from different backgrounds. However, the idea of anyone wearing Spider-Man’s mask originated from an idea implemented years ago. AS fans gear up for Spider-Man: No Way Home with Tom Holland and Spider-Man: Across the Spicer-Verse, take a look back at the classic line.
Miles Morales’ ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ ‘You can wear the mask’ line came Stan Lee making Peter Parker relatable
When Stan Lee and Steve Ditko first created Spider-Man, they wanted him to stand out from other superheroes. Clark Kent worked as a successful journalist, Bruce Wayne ran the lucrative Wayne Enterprises. Meanwhile, Peter Parker considered himself lucky to keep his lunch money.
Miles Morales’ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ‘you can wear the mask’ line pushed on the idea of Peter playing the everyman.
During an exclusive interview with Showbiz Cheatsheet about his new book, American Comics: A History, author Jeremy Dauber talked about how Spider-Man marked a revolutionary shift.
“The idea that Superman was a god, basically, and although Batman was a human being, he lived in Wayne Manor, and he had all sorts of gadgets, and he was a billionaire,” Dauber said.
And Spider-Man, he wanted to go on a date,” Dauber continued. “But he couldn’t get the money, so he couldn’t afford to do it. And the girl who he liked was going out with someone else. These were much more relatable issues.”
Where did Miles Morales’ ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ ‘mask’ line come from?
Miles Morales heard the line repeated throughout Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that ‘anyone could wear the mask.’
“There are different heroes that break the mold in different ways, and they say different things about what the medium, specifically superhero comics, can be. I think Spider-Man is a wonderful example because a tagline from the early days [was] he was ‘the hero that could be you,’” Dauber said. “That’s what they used to call him.”
Peter Parker does not have a glamorous life. Stan Lee described Spider-Man with the words “the hero who could be you.”
While fans might imagine living in Wayne Manor or possessing all the powers of Superman, Peter’s life feels more realistic.
Even today, the webhead stands out compared to other heroes
For many superheroes, their hero names stand inseparable from their identities. Tony Stark famously said, “I am Iron Man.” However, for Peter Parker and Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, anyone could wear the mask.
“It was really revolutionary in that kind of way,” Dauber said. “I think that’s why a lot of people [like Spider-Man].”
The internet has exploded in excitement over Spider-Man: No Way Home and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Excitement for the web-slinger’s future almost couldn’t go higher.
While the webhead might struggle to find love in his universe, fans still hold plenty in our world.
