Listen. I get it. Iron Man is a character that I feel is very divided among the Marvel community. Some really love him. Others despise him. And some find him as a neutral character that they tolerate in the films as he had appeared. But we cannot deny that Tony Stark is the reason that the MCU kickstarted into place. Regardless of his questionable decisions, his wit and sarcastic comments, there is a lot of good that his character has brought to the overall greater MCU arc.

When I first began watching the MCU, Iron Man wasn't entirely my favorite either. I found myself kind of switching back and forth between loving and hating his character. One second he was up there on my list of favorites and the next he was back at the bottom of the barrel. But I think what really sealed the deal for me was Iron Man 3. I was 14 and a day when the movie was first released in theaters, and I still remember going with one of my middle school friends to the theater together to watch the movie after school. I didn't realize at the time how much this movie was going to mean to me from there on out. Even now, ten years later, it still remains to be one of my absolute favorite Marvel films.

I think what really makes this movie stand out from the rest of the Iron Man trilogy is just more of the awareness of Tony's backstory and mental health struggles in this particular film. They really focus in on Tony in regards to how he is dealing with the events of the past few movies, and specifically The Avengers, and I think they do an absolutely fantastic job of highlighting this throughout the course of the film. In a world where men's mental health is not taken as seriously, I think this movie provides a space to talk about that and showcase that even the people who seem the "strongest" can still be silently suffering.

Little 14 year old me didn't really know much about mental health awareness at the time of this film, but I did discover later down the line how important Tony's story would be for me. Throughout high school and college I struggled with my own self worth and anxiety, and having a character like Tony Stark, the guy who has it all, the guy who kickstarted the MCU and seems to have a head on his shoulders, also struggle with something was such a relatable and refreshing thing.

Tony's anxiety doesn't make him "weaker" than the rest of the team. It doesn't make him any less loved by his peers, or seen as "less than" by anyone. If anything, it makes him more human. It makes him stronger. Because you realize in this movie that all of his traits that others may deem as narcissistic, self-centered and arrogant is actually all a front for something much deeper down.

Though it's kind of given to us throughout the course of the MCU rather than in just one movie, I'd like to take a second to just break down Tony's livelihood here. As a child, his father never payed him much attention or showcased to him verbally or physically that he loved him (no words of encouragement, no hugs in the door when he arrived home from work, etc). He loved his mother, but then at a young age he loses both of them in a car accident. Because of the work his father has done, he is held to high standards and a legacy of the Stark name to withhold, graduates college at 17 and becomes a CEO of his family's company at 21. His family friend, Obadiah, who he has trusted and cared for then turns on him and tries to take over his company and kill him. Then he is attacked by Whiplash, another person who acts as a physical representation of his past coming to haunt him as he tries to better himself and make up for his past mistakes that he made in his company. Then he falls through a wormhole in Avengers and almost dies. And that doesn't even INCLUDE what he goes through in Iron Man 3, Age of Ultron, Civil War, and Infinity War before his ultimate sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame.

And all this to say that this is not to diminish the struggles of the other team members at all. Each of the team has something they are struggling with from their past that stays to haunt them (take Nat and the Red Room, for example). But I think Tony especially, the character who seems to have it all and have his life together, is such an impactful way to showcase that you really never know what someone may be going through. From an outsider perspective Tony is rich, powerful, a strong Super Hero figure and the picture of success. From an insider perspective he's broken, struggling, has strangled relationships with those close to him, and is slowly working to better himself throughout the course of the MCU as he focuses on his struggles and tries to right his wrongs.

Tony Stark has shown us that no matter what you may be going through, mental health struggles are nothing to be ashamed of. If social media has taught us anything, it's that they are actually quite common! But I think in a time where the stigmatisms around mental health were still at a pretty high point, and social media was still pretty new, this movie showcased how common it can be. How even those we look up to have things they are struggling with. And that is why Iron Man 3 will forever be my favorite out of the Iron Man trilogy.

These Spidey PS5 games truly know how to trap you in a video game web, that's for sure! A week ago today I started to play the Spider-Man: Miles Morales game and WOWOWOW was it good! So let's talk about it, yeah? And here is where I give the "if you haven't played the game and don't want spoilers stop reading now" warning. So...if you haven't played the game and don't want spoilers, stop reading now! 😋

Okay, let's get into my thoughts on the game. I want to start by saying that I thought the game was awesome! Specifically the gameplay throughout. Maybe it was because I finally have a handle on the controls since I've played the Spider-Man game, but I also think it had to do with Miles' enhanced powers as well. Getting to venom punch and camouflage was super fun and made missions so awesome! I also feel like (for the most part) it was much easier to know what to do. In the past I'd always get stuck trying to figure out where to go or what I was supposed to do next. The only thing that really tripped me up at first was the electric web connectors, but once I got the hang of it and understood what the game wanted me to do it was super enjoyable!

In terms of the storyline, I do have to say I wish it was a bit longer. Maybe it's because the original Spidey game had a bunch of DLCs where this one doesn't, but it felt so short to me! I thought the beginning was SOOO so cool, it had a super strong start and I loved that you could fight alongside Peter. Honestly, I kind of wish we had gotten more of that and had more of a mentor story with Peter as the player plays as Miles! When he was just like "yeah, I'm leaving tomorrow" I was laughing so hard, he gave poor Miles like no notice 😂 but I guess this gave Miles the leap of faith he needed to become Spider-Man, so in that sense I enjoyed him being able to learn on his own as the story continued.

Throughout the story plot I thought it had really awesome intense scenes that I really enjoyed to play through, but overall I wish there was a little more to it. As I was playing, I felt that the Phin storyline was pretty predictable and you kind of always had a sense of where it was going. Like, Miles ends up telling her he's Spider-Man, she gets mad, then redeems herself at the end by saving Miles, etc. It felt very formulaic to me. Still an enjoyable plot, don't get me wrong! I just wish they added some deeper side plot and more to the storyline to make it a little less obvious. I was happy to see that they included Miles' Uncle Aaron, though! I love his character and he is an AWESOME Prowler! But also totally saw that twist of him turning against Miles to "protect him" but also still being on Roxxon's side, hahaha. I will say though, the one point that I wasn't expecting was that Miles' mom would find out! I was very surprised by that section of the story and loved how they handled her reaction to it. That she was understanding while also being worried rather than being angry with him. I also adored Ganke's character! I really hope we see a little more of him in Across the Spider-Verse actually, because he is so fun! 

Speaking of other characters, I really wish we got more gameplay with some of the other characters in the story! I would have loved to have a Ganke mission, where you're helping Miles hack into something, or even getting to play as Miles' mom for a scene. That was something I definitely missed from the first Spidey game that I think would have really enhanced this one.

One difference to this game from the first one that I really enjoyed was the inclusion of the app that Ganke and Miles had made! I thought it was so much fun and an awesome creative way to see your map missions. I also think the side missions were so much more fun in this one too! Though I do gotta say, when I saw that pigeon guy was back I let out an audible groan HAHAH I really don't like pigeon guy. Those pigeons are so hard to catch! I'm still chugging away at finishing the map and getting all of the different suits, so I'm excited to keep playing this week and get it to 100%! And I loved Peter's holo missions too! Those are so much fun, and I loved hearing holo-Peter's encouragements throughout the training process.

I also adore the little easter eggs we get in this game, too. My absolute favorite was when Miles has the flashback to seeing his project in the museum, and he bumps into Peter and Octavius discussing their lab work. I stood there and listened to the whole conversation with them, I was SO excited to see them! Little head nods to past and future plots like that one absolutely make the game for me. I loved those back in the first Spidey game too, with all of Miles phone calls asking for Spidey training! And you can even see it being insinuated for the upcoming Spidey game this fall, too, with Peter talking about "having somethings he needs to catch up on" and "looking for a job". 

And last but not least, the soundtrack. Oh my god, the soundtrack was EVERYTHING in this game. It made swinging through the city SO much fun. I've been listening to the songs from the game on repeat this week, they just scratch that itch in my brain so so well. It made me miss the Spider-Verse era and is making me even more excited for when Across the Spider-Verse comes out this summer! Overall, I love both Spidey games for different reasons, because they are such different stories but with that classic Spidey feel. I'm so excited to get the new game this fall, and I can't wait to play more Miles map missions this week. These games have such a special place in my heart, and I am so glad that I got over my "I don't play video games" mentality to pick up a controller and try these. They have only enhanced my love of Spider-Man even more <3 Maybe sometime down the road I can stream some Spidey gameplays! What do you all think? 😉

NOTE: This blog contains spoilers for the Spider-Man PS4 plot line. If you have not yet played and are planning to play the game in the future, please read with caution for spoilers below.

Listen. I am not a video game person. I think a lot of it has to do with just being frustrated that I don't understand the controls of the game right off the bat, and also just not giving myself enough exposure to the video game world. The most I have played was Wii Games, Minecraft when it was made into an iPhone app, and a little bit of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. But I knew I had to try the Spidey game out because he is absolutely my favorite Marvel character, hands down, and I had heard so many wonderful things about it. So I finally sucked up my "I'm not a gamer" mentality and picked up the remote.

When I tell you this game was EVERYTHING. As soon as I got into the story mode, I could immediately understand the hype behind it. The game was SO much fun. It felt like I was playing a Spider-Man movie, which I absolutely loved. The voice actors were so perfect, especially for Peter. And I loved that they didn't just throw us right in with Peter dealing with the 6. They took their time with Doc Ock's story and Peter's relationship with him, and it made me love the story even more!

I will admit, I play the entire game on "Friendly Neighborhood" mode, because even that feels hard for me, hahah! But I was mostly in it for the story and the fun of it, so I wasn't super concerned with scoring up my XP and grabbing all the suits. Well, at first, that is. Once I finished the main story mode I was all about the suits and the special moves! But the story just really got me. It was so well written and so thought out. It always kept me on my toes, and it made it so hard to put down the remote when it was getting too late and I had to go to bed. I also really liked how you weren't trapped in the story though, and were able to swing off to do some friendly neighborhood crime fighting and searching for backpacks if you needed the break. I really enjoyed being able to play as the different characters, as well. The scenes when you get to sneak around as MJ and Miles were fun little pockets in the story that I was so glad they added! I have to admit, I did kind of expect Martin Li to be Mr. Negative. I just kind of got that vibe from him after a while. But I was convinced that Doc Ock was the main villain until they started going more into the plot with the Demons. Also, having Kingpin in the beginning of the game was SO much fun! Kingpin is one of my favorite villains (if you've been watching Daredevil with me, you know how much I've grown to love his character arc) and it was so awesome to see his interactions with Spidey, as I haven't had much exposure to his stories with Kingpin through the bit of comics I have read yet.

I was absolutely DEVASTATED when they killed off Aunt May. I knew it was coming, because I remembered seeing a spoiler about it when the game first came out, but I didn't know how and/or why she died in the game. So having the whole picture made me so sad. And Peter's grief when he realizes it's his aunt's life versus the safety of the rest of the world was absolutely heart wrenching. Though I will say, it's nice to know that this version of Peter isn't COMPLETELY alone. He still has MJ and Miles as his support system. Our poor MCU Spidey doesn't have a single person left 😢

In terms of game logistics, one of my favorite things to do in the game is the stealth missions. They are so difficult sometimes, but I love being able to sneak attack and get them when they least expect it. I also loved searching for the backpacks because you really got to explore around the city and enjoy the ambience of the game. Literally I am listening to a Spidey PS4 game ambient as I write this blog! It's just so relaxing. Minus JJJ's news updates, but those never fail to make me laugh. I will say, the only thing that really bothered me about the game was not being able to go into certain buildings. I would have loved for them to allow the more popular buildings to be inside-accessible, such as Peter's apartment or the Empire State Building, or Avengers Tower. Even if it was just the building lobby's and Peter's room, I feel like it would have made the game that much better for me!

Last but not least, I want to talk about the DLC's. I just finished the last DLC on Saturday night, and it was so much fun. I think my favorite storyline DLC was the Black Cat storyline. It was awesome being able to fight alongside her, and it kept me on my toes as well (when they really made us think that Black Cat might have Peter's kid? That was wild!). But in terms of Peter's character, I thought they did an AMAZING job with Silver Sable's DLC. They just got Peter's charm and wit in such a different and funny way in that DLC that never failed to make me laugh. Don't get me wrong, his quips and puns throughout the rest of the game were also just as amazing! But this one just was funny in a way that I felt they hit the mark so well on.

Overall, this game is absolutely phenomenal. I still need to finish up some of the map and snagging some extra suit power and XP, but I cannot wait to start the Miles Morales Spider-Man game (currently planning on maybe starting it tonight? Who knows!). I loved every second, and I'm so glad I have another game to keep me occupied until we get the third one coming out this fall. Also, maybe I'm finally learning that I am​ a video game person! Perhaps story-mode games are just the way I need to go ;)

This week I’ve got something a little fun and different to talk about! I recently picked up Preeti Chhibber’s book “Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma!” and absolutely loved it! You may know of Preeti’s work from “Peter and Ned’s Ultimate Travel Journal”, a book written as if Peter and Ned (and MJ!) had kept a journal during their trip to Europe during Spider-Man: Far From Home. So when I had found out about this book, I knew I had to read it right away.

The story takes place with more of a comic-rendition of the characters versus in-MCU type writing like Preeti wrote for “Peter and Ned’s Ultimate Travel Journal”, though I still loved it all the same. I felt that Preeti got Peter’s characterization down SO so well, and there were so many twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting! The plot always had another element added to it that furthered the mystery on who/what Peter was fighting, and I absolutely loved it. It was also so much fun to dive back into a plot where quite literally no one knows that Peter is Spider-Man except for himself and the reader. Getting to watch him try to lead his triple life fighting crime and being a full time student while also working for the Bugle as an intern was certainly a treat.

I also loved how this version of Spider-Man was very relevant to the current time period we are living in. It touches upon current issues and lifestyles through the use of social media and how people portray themselves online versus what we are actually like in real life. Though, it wasn’t the whole plot, which I enjoyed. There were multiple strings of the story that eventually all came together at the end of the day for a great storyline! But that’s all I’m going to say on that side of things without giving away spoilers ;)
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There are going to be two more books of this series and I am definitely looking forward to them! I believe the next one comes out in September and I can’t wait to read more of Preeti’s amazing storytelling of characters that we are all so near-and-dear too. Definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a fun, lighthearted read with some of our favorite Spidey characters.