The Best Superhero Holiday Movie is Not The One That You Think

“What if?” is not only one of the most powerful questions anyone could ask. It’s also the source of eternal storytelling possibilities in the realm of pop culture. While the first piece of media that comes to mind would be the very-recent and appropriately-named MCU outing, What If…?, this is far from the best example. Instead, the 1946 Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, is one of the ultimate exponents – if not the ultimate one – on the subject.

A long time ago, in the black-and-white era of films, the Frank Capra-helmed movie was released to explore thoroughly a what-if scenario gone wrong. When Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey wishes he’d never been born, he’s shown what a life without him would look like for his family and his hometown. 75 years later, the unlikeliest of films would replicate this formula with a polar opposite of an outcome – Spider-Man: No Way Home. Thus, the Tom Holland-led threequel is not only set during Christmastime, but it shares this narrative thread that makes it more of a holiday film than it seems.

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Effectively Explores the Ramifications of One Person’s Absence

Image via RKO Pictures

It’s a Wonderful Life takes its time to introduce us to George Bailey and his life story. Throughout the years, he’s shown as a caring individual who grows up to become the backbone of his family business. George sacrifices his personal goals to live up to his father’s dreams after his unexpected death. Thus, he goes from a dream-filled teenager to the reluctant head of a small-town finance institution. Meanwhile, his brother goes on a path that turns him into the town celebrity. Eventually, George’s shortcomings bring him to the lowest point in his life, where he’d rather be dead than carry on with his existence.

Although for half a film it might not seem so, It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the ultimate Christmas movies. The film’s climax takes place during the holiday season, when George reaches rock bottom, while spotlighting an angel nonetheless. Through Henry Travers’ Clarence (the angel) George is shown how bleak everyone’s life looks without him. Firmly deciding he wants to live, George’s heartfelt contrition make It’s a Wonderful Life end on a high note as a festive cautionary tale.

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‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Has More in Common With ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Than What Meets the Eye

As soon as Spider-Man: No Way Home begins, the world is already aware of the identity behind the mask – Peter Parker. After Peter seeks for Stephen Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) help to make the world forget his alter ego, things go askew and a multiversal chaos ensues. The bright side is Holland’s Peter gets to meet his otherworldly personas in Andrew Garfield’s Peter and Tobey Maguire’s Peter. The downside is he has to sacrifice everything to patch up the cracks in the multiverse. This involves everyone forgetting who he is.

This way, Spider-Man: No Way Home fulfills George Bailey’s wish. With the whole world – but mainly his best friend and girlfriend – not remembering him, and after the loss of Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), Peter is destined to live a lonely life. In this sense, the holiday cautionary tale transcends the “cautionary” barrier to make bleakness become the new status quo. There’s also the fact that the film was released in December 2021, while also having nods to the six-episode holiday extravaganza that Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld led in Hawkeye. Thus, the Holland trilogy-capper is fully a Christmas film, and the best one out there for that matter.

So yes, you might think there are subtle holiday hints in Spider-Man: No Way Home with its final shot showing Peter web-slinging by Rockefeller Center’s Christmas tree. But there’s so much more within the movie’s context. Classics are meant to be reinterpreted to find new life. In the case of It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey’s nightmare becomes Peter Parker’s new reality in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And while this might have been a peculiar way to end Holland’s trilogy, let’s not forget there’s so much more to explore about Peter’s future in next year’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day. For now, the last film in Marc Webb’s saga has proved worth rewatching for every holiday season to come.