The Emo Dance of Peter Parker in Spider-Man

Whether you’re a superhero fan or a hyper emo, everyone got a good dose of satisfaction from Tobey Maguire’s famous dance scene in SPIDER-MAN 3: “We Wanted It To Be Fun”. A sequence that undoubtedly found a recipe for success with the Emo punk community. The scene quickly went viral, as no one expected the always unhappy, smartly dressed, nerdy Peter Parker to be transformed into an emotional Peter Parker.

The part where he is setting the dance floor on fire is one of the smart and unforgettable moments in this film. The dance also marks the evolution of this main actor.

A controversial scene that marks an intelligent moment

Although the vast majority of fans are fascinated by the sight of Peter Parker’s dancing scene, it nevertheless represents a specific and extravagant touch to the entire film. Controversial and clever are two words that can describe this infamous scene in Spider Man 3. And yes, how to describe the changes in Peter Parker’s behaviour and character? At the very beginning, he was a simple young man and nice. Afterwards, some nasty and suave characters took place. And somewhere in the film, an emo side appears through a dance. That’s why the reactions of the fandoms were attracted.

In any case, Spider Man 3 has had two real successes. On the one hand, the film made several million dollars at the box office. On the other hand, thanks to the film’s emo touch, even if it didn’t win over the vast majority of fans, Spider Man 3 manages to leave a mark on every emo fan. Despite the various malfunctions in the film, it remains to be believed that the fans hold this emo scene close to their hearts. A dance in their honour is more memorable.

The emo side starts from the bonding with the symbiont

If you take a quick look at the film, you can see that Tobey Maguire’s darker side has been apparent since he came into contact with the parasite. It was from that moment on that he adopted a different attitude of casualness. He puts on eyeliner and opts for a haircut with fringes that symbolises style and the emo touch. Matching these styles, he performs a dance decorated with emo touches. As a result, two opinions are received. Each of the fans judge this dance as a comedy as well as a madness. However, whether it is comedy or madness, it suggests that Peter Parker has an emo instinct deep inside him.

Dylan Baker, known as Dr Connors, states that “the symbiont amplifies the characteristics of its host, particularly aggressiveness“. More explicitly, it does not introduce a new characteristic. A reason why Peter Parker’s darker sides become more pronounced after his liaison with the parasite. This fact can be influenced by external events such as jealousy and revenge, basically by the emotions brought about by these events.

After the affair with the symbiote, Peter regains his confidence, which is then transformed into a kind of aggressiveness. Moreover, this also allows him to dare to express himself. This means that after the bonding, Peter gains access to self-expression. One reason to say that the emo dance is one of the characters that Peter already has. For the audience, the symbiote didn’t magically create a new character, it just manifests what Parker already is. Even less so, the alien symbiote has made Peter Parker manifest his own definition of a cool person and a nasty person on the other hand.

A song that left its mark on the Emo community

As a reminder, the Spider-Man 3 movie was released in May 2007. After watching it, anyone who was paying attention surely noticed that the song during Tobey’s emo dance is brand new: it’s “People Get Up And Drive Your Funky Soul“, a song by James Brown. In the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack, no sign of the new song was heard. Even less, this song is not even in the very first version of the film. This song was incorporated after the organisers decided to give the film an emo feel. They chose “Drive your funky soul” to decorate the film with a bit of jazz and a dose of old school. It also evokes an emo mode that fits well with emo dancing.