One good thing about summer vacation so far for me is all the time I have available to spend playing videogames, reading(I am now 30% of the way through that Hamilton book), and enjoying time with my family. My parents, Dad especially, waited until this weekend to watch Captain America: Civil War, just so they could see it with me. The film itself was pretty good; although it may as well have been Avengers 2.5, the major focus was on Captain America and his actions, and came to a satisfying resolution.
The one thing that stood out and appealed to me the most, out of everything the movie did(it even made us go back and watch Ant-Man, the character was that engaging) was the new Spiderman.
The actor, Tom Holland, because there are no good shots of him out of costume.
This incarnation of the character is a 15-year old Peter Parker living in Queens, New York, swinging around in a self-made suit until Tony Stark finds him and recruits him for the big Avenger-vs-Avenger fight scene 2/3rds through the movie. I've never been more than a casual fan of Spiderman(or most superheroes), but there's something about this one that I think is worth putting out there. I have every reason to believe this version of Spiderman may have some form of Autism.
Now, now, hear me out on this one. I think there are several traits and behaviors exhibited by the new Spiderman that are often associated with high-functioning autism or Asperger's Syndrome, as we used to call it back in the day.
Hypersensitivity- I know that it's probably due to the Spider-Senses that Peter says he needs the goggles on his makeshift costume to "help him focus" and tune out the over-stimulation, but people on the Autism Spectrum tend to have similar sensory issues, and often use similar methods and materials for similar purposes.
Inappropriate Social Behavior- Spiderman, in most of the media I have seen the hero, usually gives wise-cracks in the midst of battle. To be fair, I feel most of those were animated. Yet, in this movie, the chatter during battle takes on a different tone: instead of being jokes, they resemble him trying to start conversations, even when the target was currently fighting him. One of autism's hallmarks is challenges with social interaction, usually manifesting in higher-functioning conditions like Asperger's as having inappropriate social reactions and responses to situations.
For instance, you do not compliment your opponent's metal arm in combat.
Odd/ Focused Interests- For people on the spectrum(such as myself), there is a tendency to become incredibly interested in something, to the point of almost obsession. The ones I have clung to in the past are Digimon, Pokemon, dinosaurs, Magic the Gathering, MapleStory, Code:Lyoko, and writing in any form. For Peter Parker, it seems to be vintage technology, such as original Macintoshes, iDogs, anything he can find rooting through dumpsters.
Of course, this could all be me just projecting my nerdy, Aspergian perspective onto this character, which I think is half-intended for superheroes. Still, it would be nice for that one kid who really wants friends but just can't keep them to have someone to look up to in IMAX 3D. At least Spidey's solo movie will be coming out in...
...July 7th, 2017. Well then. I can wait.
