9. The Spider-Man Trilogy - Adolescence and Unprepared Adulthood
There is much more to the success of Spider-Man than just watching a teenager swing around, dressed in a leotard, and fight crime. The reason Spider-Man is so successful is because anyone can relate to him because they have all gone through the same problems as Peter Parker just not in such an exaggerated sense. But then again, one of the main reasons we watch movies is because they allow us to vicariously live out our respective fantasies no matter how over the top they may be. Peter Parker's transition from just another high school loner and into a web slinging superhero perfectly mirror our own transformation from being teenagers to converting into adulthood. Peter's reaction to his new found powers is sloppy, to say the least, but also familiar. Think of the scenes early in the first film when his Aunt May is worried he is hiding something from her. Replace the presence of emerging spider based powers with common traits associated with adolescence and the scene plays out like a coming of age drama. Peter is embarrassed and scared just as everyone is during that time. The only difference is his situation is magnified to highly entertaining, yet relatable, lengths. The symbolism regarding Peter and his father figures is a little darker though. The presence of multiple father figures in Peter's life is a driving force in the Spider-Man mythology. There's his secretive, biological father, his adoptive father, Uncle Ben, Norman Osborn, Captain Stacy, Sandman and even Doctor Octopus. The thing that brings all of these characters together in relation to Peter is that they're all fathers. Norman, Doc Oc and Uncle Ben all take Peter under their wing and try and teach him, which only results in failure for all of their efforts. A huge part of growing up is moving on from the values beset to us by our fathers and finding our own ways in life. Spider-Man is unprepared for this change just as basically everyone is. Once again, the events of Peter's life are highly dramatized but the sentiment is there. In having to either kill his own father figures or let his own adoptive father die because of his foolishness, Spider-Man carries a great deal of symbolism in referencing the finding of our own ways in life.