In a metropolis, you can count on your ‘friendly neighborhood Spiderman’ to be there for you. Celebrities like Tom Holland –who plays Peter Parker and Spiderman himself are illustrious for being that hero throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Spiderman makes his appearance in towns across the country, including Bakersfield, during the pandemic, cosplayer and Bakersfield resident Jonathan Thackery who has made 200 appearances since 2017, hung up his spider-suit for a bit, as events where he would make an appearance began to dwindle.
“I used to do it a lot for birthday parties, Thackery said. “People would call me up and be like, 'hey my son is having his fifth birthday party! Can you swing by? I'd do some flips, take some pictures, and all that."
Thackery said that Spider-Man no way home will be his foray back into being that hometown hero, beginning at the local premiere of the motion picture at Studio Movie Grill. Thackeray said he’s been talking to cosplayers and TikTokers on social media about attending the premiere and said there will be some all over Bakersfield at various theatres. He expects it will be as the Avengers: Endgame premiere in 2019, where so many people went to the premiere that he attended at Maya Cinemas that Thackery remembered some people having to sit in the aisles.
“My favorite part: People see a guy in a Spider-Man costume, he does a backflip, front flip, or anything like that, and suddenly [they think] ‘oh that's Spider-Man right there! That's not just a dude in a Spider-Man costume. that is spiderman.’”
Some civilians even dress as Spider-Man and reach a wide audience on the worldwide ‘web,’ spreading camaraderie and hope to the masses on social media.
"I know Spider-Man and how much he means to so many people, and he obviously means a lot to me,” creator Taya Miller said.
At the Spider-Man No Way Home World premiere in Los Angeles, (the finale to the Spider-Man homecoming trilogy) Miller walked the red carpet with fellow Marvel content creators.
Miller is famous for her Marvel TikTok videos, including cosplay, with 4.5 million followers. She said this is her third Marvel premiere. but specifically Spider-Man has “shaped her as a person,” as it has others.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” Miller said. “He has shown me that no matter what you go through and what troubles you have, you can still choose to be a good person.”
Spider-Man No Way Home officially hits theatres Friday December 17.
