Come On Provolone!

Come on Provolone!

I saw someone on Tiktok say that Hobie Brown’s identity as an anarchist is played for laughs, and that the impact of his message is reduced by turning anarchism into a “joke,” but I’d have to say I respectfully disagree with that idea.

Sure, when we first meet him, Hobie’s attitude is blasé at best. He takes the time to banter with Pavitr and Gwen, makes jokes about not believing in “teams” “consistency” and “comedy,” and later calls a giant, universe-threatening hole in the ground a “metaphor for capitalism.” All those quips are designed to make the audience laugh, to endear us to him and maybe make us take him less seriously, but those things are all said while he is wearing the mask.

Even within the movie itself, it’s established that Spider-people are jokesters. Part of their identity is their ability to play serious situations for laughs, and Hobie is no different. The only exception to this rule would be Miguel O’Hara. I think that the worst thing the producers could have done would have been to immediately make Hobie a no-nonsense guy, because that would take the spotlight away from O’Hara and make him less of a unique character.

It’d also make anarchism seem miserable and negative, which isn’t a good look for any ideology. Why does it need to be pessimistic? Why can’t there be elements of light-heartedness within it?

Furthermore, when we reach the Spider society, and Hobie removes his mask, his demeanor changes. He becomes more straightforward, telling Miles outright to not “enlist until [he] knows what war [he’s] fighting” and begins to take what he needs in order to eventually use the Society’s technology against them. He seems inconsistent initially, but one thing that remains constant throughout is his distrust of the establishment. Truly, his attitudes of being anti-authority and anti-establishment are a key part in helping Miles and setting up the events of the next movie.

If they wanted to paint anarchism in a negative light, they would have made Hobie’s beliefs invalid, they would have made the Spider Society a force entirely for good, but instead they made it so his views are warranted. He was right to rebel, right to be distrustful and distant, and his actions directly result in Miles’ escape and Gwen being able to form a new team of Spider-people to support Miles in the next movie. 

Thematically, Hobie embodies the central theme of rejecting the status-quo and fighting for something better despite the odds. He’s one man infiltrating an entire organization of Spider-people in order to take it down from the inside, and he does it. In the end, he succeeds. If that’s not a positive depiction of anarchy, I don’t know what is.

Hobie’s influence, and anarchism itself, is a driving force in this movie. I don’t truly understand how one would say otherwise without nitpicking fine details and ignoring the bigger picture.

i sometimes think about how kaveh's career as an architect also reflects his own character right back at him. when you look at a building, you only see the perfect final product, not the blood sweat and tears that went into creating the design, nor the countless hours of construction that went into making it a reality. it simply exists in the moment as itself. simultaneously, kaveh has crafted a perfect facade for himself. no one can see the suffering that he's had to endure to get to this point, to achieve this mask of absolute flawlessness, they only see him as the "light of Kshahrewar," the builder of the palace of alcazarzaray, one of the greatest students to ever graduate from the akademiya. they don't see his crippling debt, the fact that he became homeless to finish his magnum opus, or his alcoholic tendencies that developed as a coping mechanism. they too, much like the viewer of a great piece of art, only see the final product that perfectly hides ever flaw and blemish, every mistake from prying eyes.

Run, Ruby, run

Sam posted a very special Twitter thread about our lil grassroots attempt at winning an Emmy

elon musk should kill himself elon musk needs to kill himself elon musk would make society as a whole better if he killed himself now