Two months after its worldwide release, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is immediately welcomed by fans and is widely considered one of the best animated Movies.of the year. Following Miles Morales’s footsteps into the vast Multiverse, the film introduces to us a wide barrage of cool Spider variants with unorthodox abilities and distinguished features. From everyone’s favorite Hobie Brown aka Spider Punk to the iconic Scarlet Spider Ben Reilly, each Spider-Person in Across the Spider-Verse feels unique and leaves a great impression in our hearts.
However, not every Spider-Man in the sequel manages to please the fans. Some might immediately think of Miguel O’Hara, who strongly opposes Miles in the movie, however at least Miguel has his own reasons to act that way. Apparently, Marvel fans on Reddit are fuming with the portrayal of Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman in the animated film, who has a supporting role in the game as Miguel’s subordinate. Why is Across the Spider-Verse’s Jessica Drew so hated? Let’s find out.
#1. She joins the battle with a child in her belly.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Having Jessica pregnant in the movie is a creative detail that Across the Spider-Verse’s writers put in the movie to give the character more depth and emphasize the feminine message, however, this doesn’t sit well with fans. According to Reddit’s opinions, fighting with a kid in your stomach is extremely dangerous, even if you are a superhero with arachnid power.
Besides, they also fear that Jessica’s action scenes might wrongly encourage pregnant women to do reckless things without considering the consequences.
#2. She isn’t a good model figure for Gwen Stacy.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Many believe that Jessica Drew in the movie doesn’t fulfill her role as a mentor to Gwen. As the latter joins the Spider Society, Miguel O’Hara tasks Jessica to train her to be a better Spider-Variant, but throughout the movie, we see very little of the mentor part. The two’s interaction isn’t exactly wholesome either, with most of the time Jessica just criticizing and remaining doubtful of her apprentice’s actions.
#3. She threw Gwen under the bus.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Well, not literally, but Jessica did give Gwen some time to capture The Spot contrary to Miguel’s order. However, when Gwen failed, Jessica not only doesn’t defend her, but also blames her for letting the villain get away in front of Miguel, while it was actually her responsibility foremost. Gwen was devastated when she didn’t receive the protection she needed from her mentor, and joined to help Miles afterward.
#4. She called Peter B. Parker a bad mentor.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Having been in the franchise since Into the Spider-Verse, Peter B. Parker quickly grows in the hearts of the audience and is one of the most well-loved characters in the two movies. He’s also a great friend and a great mentor p to Miles, and inspires the latter to continue his Spider-Man act.
Therefore, many fans didn’t take it well when Peter B. was ridiculed by Jessica Drew during the chase in Nueva York. To be honest, Jessica didn’t do a great job teaching Gwen either, so the fact that she had the nerve to call Peter a bad mentor got fans enraged.
#5. She’s Miguel O’Hara Yes-man.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Jessica Drew first appeared in the movie as a cool, badass female p who has a strong personality and great insight, however, she didn’t get to showcase it throughout the story. In the course of Across the Spider-Verse, she remains Miguel’s trusty subordinate and almost never questions his decisions. She also treats Miles in a not-very-friendly way throughout the movie, just because Miguel deems him as an anomaly.
Luckily, it seems that Spider-Woman finally questions Miguel’s motive at the end, and we’ll have to wait and see if she’ll switch sides in Beyond the Spider-Verse or not.
#6. She lacks interaction with her child.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
This is a rather trifling detail, but many of us expected to see more interaction between Jessica and her unborn child, when she was first introduced as a pregnant Spider variant. However, apart from the first sequence, there is little to no interaction between her and the baby, it’s like she has completely forgotten about them. If so, why make her pregnant in the first place?
#7. Does Jessica deserve all the hate?
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Jessica is definitely not the most well-written variant in Across the Spider-Verse, and her character being vastly different from the comics also doesn’t sit well with fans. However, the film’s writers clearly built her character with good intentions, as she’s a very strong, independent and very capable woman who clearly has a lot of potential. With Across the Spider-Verse filled to the brim with hundreds of Spider variants, it’s understandable that some characters don’t get enough attention they deserve, and unfortunately, Spider-Woman is one of them. Therefore, the hate for her on the internet seems a bit excessive.
As mentioned above, Jessica still has a lot of room to grow, so we’ll have to wait and see how her character will perform in Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Do you think Jessica Drew’s character deserves all the hate, and why so? Share your opinions in the comment section.