My Big Green Confirmation Bias in Spider-mensch: Brand Jew Day

This article contains spoilers for Spider-man: Brand New Day.

In the spring of 2023, my PhD committee asked me to investigate my confirmation bias regarding the Jewish artists and writers behind the most popular American comic book characters ever created.

I argued that there were specific cultural or religious forces at play that may have influenced the choices made when it came to the origin stories of superheroes like Superman, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, and The Amazing Spider-man. These characters came about from the Jewish immigrant experiences of Jerry Siegel/Joe Shuster (Superman), Jack Kirby/Joe Simon (Captain America), Stan Lee/Jack Kirby (The Hulk), Stan Lee (co-creator Spider-man). They also came about because none of the legitimate newspapers of the day were willing to hire Jewish journalists and advertising artists.

I did as my committee asked by suggesting that I would erase the connection between my Jewish upbringing from the joy I felt knowing that other Jews created all these beloved characters from my eventual dissertation. This did not sit well with me. My committee insisted that my Jewish identity and the Jewish background of the artists and writers was irrelevant to my research. Who cares if Spider-man is coded as Jewish?

Last weekend, Spider-man: Brand New Day opened in cinemas worldwide and grossed an astonishing $1 billion in its first six days. What is more astonishing was my social media feed trying to convince me to boycott the movie because one of its co-producers is Israeli-American Avi Arad. I wonder what my committee members would have said about this?

Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo has been extremely vocal on social and mainstream media about his anti-Israel stance and how he can barely hold a conversation with his Jewish friends anymore. It even looked as if Disney/Marvel kept him from appearing on the red carpet and media junkets that are standard for blockbusters of this size.

In a hilarious thought that inspired this piece, the pro-Palestinian actor is given the perfect character arc.

When we first meet “Professor” Bruce Banner in Brand New Day, he is wearing a special inhibitor that prevents him from hulking out. When we next meet him, Jean Grey has taken over his mind, forcing him to remove his inhibitor, and causing him to regress to The Savage Hulk. After losing his fight with Spider-man, The Savage Hulk returns to his human form and is last seen being carted off in a stretcher unable to remember what just happened.

Reminds me of what’s been playing out on campuses all over the United States and Canada these past few years.