Pavitr Prabhakar and Across the Spider-Verse

I remember seeing “Into the Spider-Verse” for the first time in December 2018. I headed into my local movie theater with my friend, the two of us ready for a decent source of entertainment for the next 100 minutes. But when we exited the theater, our jaws were dropped, and we had goosebumps. We turned to each other, exclaiming at the same time, “That was amazing!”

It didn’t matter if you had no interest in Spiderman, superheroes or even animation. The world fell in love with this movie and with Miles Morales’ story. Everything from the visuals, the script, the acting and the soundtrack was practically perfect. And a young black boy, Brooklyn born-and-raised, being the one and only Spider-man was an exhilarating first for people of color. It’s universally agreed that “Into the Spider-Verse” is an innovative masterpiece, and the hype returned in full force last summer with the release of the sequel, “Across the Spider-Verse.”

The only thing that shocked audiences more than the major cliffhanger at the end of the movie was the diverse cast of characters, which the internet quickly fell in love with. It felt like everyone was talking about cool punk rocker Hobie Brown and developing a crush on the movie’s antagonist, Miguel O’Hara. But there was another character that quickly captured everyone’s hearts with his cheerful personality and relatability: India’s Spiderman, Pavitr Prabhakar.

Pavitr, also called “Pav,” is one of many Asian characters to appear in the film. In a world with infinite versions of Spider-Man, it’s no surprise that many of these characters are superheroes themselves. We’re already acquainted with the Japanese Spider-Girl, Penni Parker, from the first movie, and we also have many shots of a hijabi Spider-Woman. Pav, however, takes on an important role in the story, one that is beyond any background character.

According to Marvel’s website, Pav first appeared in his own comic “Spider-Man: India,” which was released in 2004. The comic showed his origin story, frighteningly similar to Peter Parker’s. He tragically loses his parents and his Uncle, so he goes to live with his Aunt Maya before getting his powers. He even has his own version of the Green Goblin to fight. It’s the classic Spider-Man origin story, except it all takes place in the fictional city of Mumbattan, a mix of Mumbai and Manhattan centered around Indian mythology and culture.

Pav appears in more comics after this, but he’s never been well known outside the Marvel fandom. No one really expected him to join the cast of “Across the Spider-Verse,” including his voice actor, Karan Soni. But every bit of promotional material featuring him conjured more and more excitement. His appearance was well worth the wait.

There are countless clips online of audiences, especially the Indian audience, cheering on as Pav uses his yo-yo to swing across the screen for the first time. With a sitar playing for his theme, we get a good look at the bright colors of Pav’s suit and the bangles adorning his wrists. Everyone was captivated by his sunny personality, and how quickly he was able to form a bond with Miles.

Spider-Verse fans took to Pav immediately, creating countless fanart and fanfiction for him. No one could stop talking about how great the Indian Spider-Man was, and even a year later, the love for him hasn’t died.

Seeing an Indian superhero as an integral character is mind-blowing. It hasn’t even been three years since Marvel debuted “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the first Marvel movie to feature an Asian lead and predominantly Asian cast. However, I honestly don’t think I could name any Asian superheroes besides Shang-Chi or Pav. The world of superhero media is still very white-focused, but we’re seeing clear signs of growth.

It’s important we don’t forget how much of an impact the Spider-Verse movies have made in the animation and entertainment industry. It’s a beloved franchise that any demographic can enjoy. Even my mom, who we dragged to the theaters to see Across the Spider-verse, was grinning ear to ear when the film finished despite never having seen the first movie. The entire car ride home, my family and I were raving to each other about how culturally important the movie was, and Pavitr’s name popped up very often.

It’s important to remember the main lesson of the first Spider-Verse movie —“...anyone can wear the mask. You can wear the mask.” Pavitr more than proves that anyone can be Spider-man. Anyone can be a hero.