Spider-Man - No Way Home and The Complex Message of Freedom - Todd Berman - The Blogs

3/13/22, 10:06 AM Spider-Man: No Way Home and the complex message of freedom | Todd Berman | The Blogs
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Todd Berman
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Spider-Man: No Way
Home and the complex
message of freedom
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This is a poster for Spider-Man: No Way Home. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the
distributor of the film, Sony Pictures Releasing, the publisher, Columbia Pictures / Marvel Studios, or the
graphic artist.
Warning: serious spoilers for Spider-Man No Way Home.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (NWH), the movie spectacular, completes Jon

Watts’ “Home trilogy” with British actor Tom Holland playing the
eponymous web-slinging superhero. The trilogy of films situated the young
hero squarely in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) of ever-expanding
movies and television series. The latter film also brings to a close the circle
of three sets of movies produced over twenty years. Hard-core comic-film
fans were treated to all three actors who played “Spidey” over the past 20
years swinging on one screen. Tobey Maguire from Sam Raimi’s Sony
Pictures Entertainment, Andrew Garfield, another British actor, in Marc
Webb’s version also for Sony, and finally Holland in a joint venture with Walt
Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Marvel Studios. In one epic, the
triumvirate of Spider-Men fought five of the most famous screen villains
from various other films. After an incredible $260 million opening weekend
in the U. S. and Canada, No Way Home may become the highest-grossing
film of all time.
Created in 1962 by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, Spider-Man
remains one of the most popular superhero figures in all mediums – comic
book, graphic novel, television, and big-screen.
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Spider-Man’s motto goes, “with great power, there must also come great
responsibility.” This phrase might echo a similar phrase in some versions of
the Parable of the Faithful Servant in the New Testament, “to whom much is
given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48.) Tracing this guiding phrase
uttered by his dying uncle (or aunt in the latest rendition) back to Jesus fits
with an aspect of the narrative arc. Spider-Man’s power forces Peter Parker,
Spidey’s alter-ego, to sacrifice essential aspects of himself for the greater
good like other mythological and fictional characters. Some might see Parker
as a Christ-like figure; however, as will be seen, aspects of the story fit with
Jewish sources.
In all three of the latest installments of Spider-Man, Peter Parker, loses

someone close to him. In the comic books, Peter, orphaned from before the
story begins, is responsible for the death of his surrogate father, Ben Parker.
Ben, who utters the famous phrase in the first films, motivates Peter to forgo
some aspects of crime-fighting-life balance. Peter must choose to be the
hero, often at a high cost to himself and others.
Maguire’s Peter Parker, in a roundabout way, causes the death of his uncle.
In Garfield’s presentation, Peter is responsible for Ben Parker’s death in the
first film of the series and increasing the tension in the second film, the
death of the love of his life, Gwen Stacey, played by the popular Emma Stone.
The death of Stacey/Stone was challenging on many fans who accused the
directors of using the “Women in Refrigerators” trope. The trope consists of
disposing of a character’s love interest and using the dead or injured woman
as an object or prop to motivate the male lead. Some even believe that the
third installment of Webb’s trilogy died along with Gwen Stacey and,
therefore, was never made. The guilt for losing Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacey
haunts the various Peter Parkers for the rest of their lives. These sacrifices
steeled their will to fight for the good.
In NWH, Peter is asked to sacrifice even more. In a gender twist, Tom

Holland’s Peter is responsible for the death of his Aunt May. In NWH, there
is no Uncle Ben. May Parker, portrayed by the comparatively youthful Marisa
Tomei, fulfills the roles of both surrogate parents. Not only does Parker, who
lost his quasi-step-father Iron Man in an emotional scene from another film,
lose Aunt May, but the writers demand an even greater sacrifice.
The story is a bit complex for those not solid MCU fans; however, basically,
to save the world, Peter asks a magician, Doctor Strange, played by Benedict
Cumberbatch, to erase the memory of “Peter Parker” from the world. The
spell works, and Peter is bereft of everything. No one remembers him. His
closest friend and love interest do not recognize him. He is financial in ruin,
does not graduate high school, and certainly can not go on to the bigger and
brighter things in college with his friends. He is an unknown who just
happened to have been the most famous person in the world at the
beginning of the film. His adventures saving the planet and the love of
friends and family have all been wiped away. He is utterly alone.
However, the ultimate sacrifice comes at the end of the film. Before Peter
erases his friends’ minds, he promises to find them and reveal himself to
them. He arrives at the coffee shop where his love interest, M.J., played by
Zendaya, works. His best friend, Ned Leeds, played by Jacob Batalon, also
arrives. They do not recognize Peter but instead rejoice in their plans to go
together to M.I.T. in the fall. Despite having a speech explaining who he is
prepared, Peter chooses to let his friends remain oblivious and go on with
their lives. They will live the life that Peter thought he would and wished he
could. However, he now knows “with great power, there must also come great
responsibility.” Instead of going with them to college, he moves into a small
apartment and fully embraces the crime-fighting Spider-Man alter ego.
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Unlike the earlier versions of SPIDER-MAN, which were faithful to the comic
book source material, some fans accuse Disney’s version of being overly
happy and sterile. SPIDER-MAN of comic-book fame was a hungry, poor,
hurting, and lonely soul. Peter Parker of Disney and the MCU found
assistance in the pantheon of MCU superheroes. Tony Stark/ Iron Man served
as Peter’s mentor and gifted him powerful tools and suits to enhance his
abilities. He served as part of the Avengers team and found comradery and
friendship among other notable people. By the end of NWH, Peter is bereft of
everything.
Some fans found the ending jostling and disappointing, while others see the
wisdom in the new potential of the unconnected and unprotected –
financially, emotionally, and even physically – Spider-Man. Many have
suggested that by removing MCU’ Peter’s connections with family, friends,
and even the MCU itself, Sony Pictures could “soft-reboot” the character
more in line with the source material. If “with great power, there must also
come great responsibility,” then the corollary is also true “with no
connections comes ultimate potential.”
Stan Lee, one of Spider-Man’s creators, died before NWH was produced.
However, many have suggested that the Jewish Lee saw Spider-Man as his
most authentic self. Many have hinted that aspects of Lee’s Spider-Man
suggest Jewish roots. Peter Parker grew up in the Forest Hills section of
Queens, NY, known for being a Jewish neighborhood. References here and
there, like Channukah decorations, adorn some scenes. As mentioned on the
website Screen Rant, “Actor Andrew Garfield, in a 2014 interview with Time
Out, maintained that Spider-Man is Jewish, because, in part, ‘…he never feels
like he’s doing enough. And Peter suffers from self-doubt… he’s neurotic.
He’s Jewish, it’s a defining feature.'” Whether or not Stan Lee consciously
placed Jewish elements in Peter’s character, the end of NWH with the newly
impoverished, lonely, and full of potential Spider-Man dovetails nicely with
ideas in Jewish sources.
The notion of freedom is especially relevant to the Torah readings of the past
few weeks about leaving Egypt. Those sections of the Torah we have been
reading seem to coincide interestingly with the theatrical release of Now
Way Home.
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The Passover Seder begins with the declaration, “Ha Lachma Anya Di Achalu
Avhatana B’Aretz DiMitrayim” or “this is the bread of affliction that our
ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.” The first symbolic food of the Seder night
is matzah. Some Seder participants even point to the matzah while reciting
the declaration. Some commentators argue that the term “bread of
affliction” links to the verse in Deuteronomy 16:3, “You shall eat unleavened
bread with it seven days, the bread of affliction.” The Hebrew “Lechem Oni”
is the cognate of the Haggadah’s Aramaic term, “Lachma Anya .”The
commandment and indeed first symbolic representation is to present “bread
of affliction” or “poor bread” at the beginning of the Seder and to eat it
during the meal.
The Talmudic sages interpreted the term “Lechem Oni” in various playful
ways: “poor person’s bread” focusing on the consumer, “poor bread” looking
at the minimal ingredients which produce an unleavened, unflavored, rough-
textured loaf, and even “bread upon which many [stories] are told” which
stems from a pun of “oni” meaning “poor” and “onim” meaning “to recite.”
So the cracker contains few ingredients, is formed and baked quickly, is eaten
generally by the poor and slave people. Jews are commanded to celebrate
their freedom by telling stories in the presence of this unimpressive cracker.
How, indeed, does this “poor bread” matzah function as a symbol of

freedom? Rabbi Judah Loew (16th-17th c) of Prague, known as the Maharal,
discusses the complexity of the symbol of matzah:
“Matzah is called “poor bread,” which is the opposite of “enriched bread.”

When oil and honey are added, the bread becomes “enriched,” for these extra
ingredients enrich the dough. A poor person has only himself. He has no
money, only himself and his body.”
The Maharal explicates further,
“Perhaps you will find this difficult. What is the connection between poverty
(Aniyut) and freedom (Cherut)? They [seem to be] opposites. This is not a
difficulty. For poverty expresses redemption. The notion of redemption [or
exodus] is [connected to] leaving. [The poor person] lacks connection to
[material] things. Unlike a slave who lacks independence, he has a
connection to another, i.e., the master. Therefore that which has “wealth” is
connected to those objects [of wealth] and is not redeemed. However, that
which is poor and does not have [a connection to] objects and instead stands
alone, and this is connected to redemption [and freedom.]” (Gevurot HaShem
Chapter 51)
Here the Maharal seems to echo or at least reflect the rabbinic aphorism
“more wealth means more worries.” (Avot 2:7) Ownership of the objects
which make up wealth ties one down. Poverty, at least from this theological
standpoint, grants freedom. The poor person is not tied down to property or
objects and can move about freely from one place to the other.
However, the Maharal differentiates between the symbol of freedom and the
free person. Poverty is not an ideal state.
He continues,
“If matzah, which is “lechem oni,” informed us about the free person, that
they are free, then one might inquire that poverty is not a symbol of
freedom. However, this “lechem oni” teaches us about the essence of going
out to freedom, and that essence stems from the ability to disconnect from
other things.”
Poverty is a two-edged sword. Being poor disables a person from living a

whole life, while the disconnect from objects of wealth enables one to move
on to other things. So “poverty” represents the ability to leave one place and
move to another – to exit as the Jewish people did from Egypt; however, lack
of wealth can also burden a person in another way. Matzah, the poor bread,
represents the ability to leave while poverty can also hobble future progress.
Peter Parker left everything behind. Indeed, the producers’ decision enables
Parker to walk away and start afresh. The trilogy came to a close. Peter, in a
way, can finally take on the full mantel of Spider-Man with all the emotional
strain that accompanies that decision. His lack of connection to objects and
people enables future films to start a new chapter – the soft reboot that
perhaps Sony, Disney, or Marvel were looking for. Tom Holland can remain in
the role, but he will be a completely new Spider-Man.
On the other hand, being entirely alone will bring incredible burdens. How
the writers and filmmakers will navigate, if they do, the subsequent films will
require serious thought. Fans will be waiting to see how this matured, and
lonely Peter Parker will find redemption without being surrounded by friends
and colleagues.
In poor Peter’s case, the filmmakers have ultimate power over the character.
Fans are Looking forward to seeing how they live up to their responsibility.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rabbi Berman is the Associate Director at Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi. In addition, he has held
numerous posts in education from the high school level through adult education. He founded
the Jewish Learning Initiative (JLI) at Brandeis University and served as rabbinic advisory to the
Orthodox community there for several years. Previously, he was a RaM at Midreshet Lindenbaum
where he also served as the Rav of the dormitory.

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3/13/22, 10:06 AM Spider-Man: No Way Home and the complex message of freedom | Todd Berman | The Blogs

Warning: serious spoilers for Spider-Man No Way Home.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (NWH), the movie spectacular, completes Jon

Top articles on The Times of Israel

As Ramadan approaches, Ukraine war shakes North

In all three of the latest installments of Spider-Man, Peter Parker, loses

In NWH, Peter is asked to sacrifice even more. In a gender twist, Tom

How, indeed, does this “poor bread” matzah function as a symbol of

“Matzah is called “poor bread,” which is the opposite of “enriched bread.”

The Maharal explicates further,

Poverty is a two-edged sword. Being poor disables a person from living a

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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