by Sam H.
I’d like to start by clarifying that I’m not a sadist. I don’t usually enjoy seeing people in pain — yet, when Peter Parker lost everyone who loved him and had to restart his life from scratch in a dingy New York apartment, a distinct downgrade from Happy’s high-tech “bachelor pad,” I found myself grinning through tears.
Thankfully, I’m not the only one with this sentiment. Spider-Man fans often hail Spider-Man: No Way Home as the movie that “fixed MCU Spider-Man” by stripping Peter Parker of his access to advanced Stark technology, giving him a chance to have a story separate from that of the Avengers and other Marvel superheroes. Many are also delighted that the movie included the iconic line “With great power, there must also come great responsibility” for the first time in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy, though it came with the cost of Aunt May’s life. The movie didn’t give Peter Parker a traditional happy ending by any means, but many fans walked out of the theatre feeling satisfied after watching Peter essentially sacrifice his life to save a world that was out to get him.
There’s a psychological explanation for the joy we derive from watching movies with sad endings. According to narrative psychology, the study of how the stories we hear and watch affect our perception of our experiences, there are two types of ways we tell stories: “contamination” and “redemption.” With “contamination” stories, we perceive setbacks as punishments to our lives; however, with “redemption” stories, we see the opportunity to grow from obstacles and find hope despite watching a devastating ending.
Every Spider-Man movie’s story has always been a “redemption” one, and the greater the tragedy that Peter has to overcome, whether it be the death of Uncle Ben, Tony Stark, or Aunt May, the greater effort Peter requires to continue fighting for justice. In turn, we reap greater emotional benefits and moral lessons from watching him preserve through his increasingly formidable troubles. Empathizing with characters with sad endings in movies also leads us to connect with others around us, and our brains compensate for feelings of sadness with stronger feelings of community, explained by neurological reasons.
There are a few explanations outside of the field of psychology that can explain our reactions to No Way Home in simpler terms. One popular explanation is that while we watch Green Goblin beat the shit out of Peter in a crumbling apartment building, we’re thinking to ourselves, “Well, at least that’s not happening to me!” Seeing our favorite hero in misery helps us put things in perspective and reminds us to be thankful we don’t have to deal with the consequences of accidentally disrupting the space-time continuum.
Another explanation, one I prefer, is that seeing characters we relate to face challenges and experience failures can help us conquer our own.
Though not every one of us will have to encounter the daunting task of rescuing five corrupt supervillains, many of us have the same fear of losing people we love – a friend, like how Tobey’s Peter lost Harry Osborn, or a significant other, like how Andrew’s Peter lost Gwen – and some of us can relate to feeling like the world is working against your efforts to help others. Maybe you have your very own J. Jonah Jameson in the form of a co-worker who keeps getting all up in your business.
But the problems we relate to don’t always have to be profound. It can even be as simple as relating to Peter’s annoyance at his pesky landlord in Tobey’s trilogy or the stress of college applications clouding the minds of Peter and his friends in No Way Home. Or it could be that you’re just as flustered around your crush as Peter is around his. As we watch Peter get brutally knocked down, whether it be emotionally or physically or both, and still stand up every time, we find some strength in ourselves to do the same, to confront the issues in our own lives. It’s a little reminiscent of the scene in Spider-Man 2 when Peter is knocked out on the train and all the citizens realize how young he is and how, despite having some superpowers, he’s just a human like everyone else.
So, the next time you’re rewatching No Way Home or The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (or basically any Spider-Man movie ever since he cries in every single one) and you find yourself finding delight in watching Peter Parker get crushed with challenges, know that your enjoyment means you could be getting some emotional benefits and self-reflection in along with entertainment.