New ICE Propaganda featuring Spider-Man draws the ire of Marvel fans.
Spider-Man has vanquished many foes, been to space many times, and he’s even got his own Rolodex in the multiverse, the Spider-Verse. Whether it’s saving cats from trees in NYC or webbing up aliens in different dimensions, there is one thing Peter Parker, or any Spider-Man, has never done: chase undocumented immigrants. In fact, there’s a comic where he does the exact opposite. More on that in a bit.
August 6th, on the heels of the new Tom Holland flick having a historical opening weekend, Spider-Man, known defender of the underdog, has been splashed across the White House’s social media in what is apparent propaganda for ICE. A move that quickly infuriated Marvel fans and utterly confused anybody familiar with the character. When asked to comment, a White House spokesperson seemed to grasp at straws and stuck to the usual halfhearted bastardization of the truth we’ve grown so used to.
“Like Spider-Man, our law enforcement officers keeping our homeland safe are all heroes. Leftists triggered by the use of a fictional character to generate viral conversation with the American people need to look in the mirror and ask themselves if Spider-Man would endorse the crimes committed by these dangerous criminal illegal aliens that the Trump administration is working to remove from our communities,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told USA TODAY in an emailed statement.
Assuming this is a direct quote from the email, the lazy disrespect to one of the most beloved heroes of all time is apparent. Not bothering to look up the correct punctuation or capitalize “Spider-Man,” as well as the clear use of AI in the image and lack of human artistry that comic books are celebrated for, it seems like media literacy might be dead, and we killed it.
Stan Lee’s Legacy and “Stan’s Soapbox”
Stan Lee, the legendary writer who created Spider-Man along with many other beloved characters, used to have a monthly column called “Stan’s Soapbox,” and it was included in every Marvel Comic from 1967 -1980. One such column from 1968 seems rather topical.
“Racism and bigotry are among the deadliest social ills plaguing the world today. But, unlike a team of costumed supervillains, they can’t be halted with a punch in the snoot or a zap from a ray gun. The only way to destroy them is to expose them — to reveal the insidious evil they really are.” In another installment, he plainly states, “It’s totally irrational and patently insane to condemn an entire race — to despise an entire nation — to vilify an entire religion.”
I think it’s safe to assume Stan Lee would not take his character being used in this hate campaign lightly, and my hope is that Marvel, Disney, and Sony care to protect his legacy.
While we all know Spidey works closely with law enforcement, he also holds nuance and empathy. Spider-Man knows that not all crime is created equally and there are lots of desperate people just trying to make it. In the recent television adaptation, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, we even get a scene of a hungry New Yorker stealing food, and Spidey stops her- but he also argues on her behalf to prevent the restaurant owner from calling the police. This is a subtle nod to the fact that Peter Parker isn’t a douche bag.
There are NO stories in comics or films where Spider-Man arrests or pursues immigrants. In fact, there’s even a story from 1988 of Spidey protecting undocumented community members, standing against law enforcement, a rarity in Spider-Man stories. According to CBR writer Brian Cronin, in Spectacular Spider-Man #137, by Gerry Conway, we follow Elvira, a friend of Mary Jane and a migrant from South America.
She and other amnesty seekers are pursued by the villain Tarantula. After successfully defeating the villain, his victim is still arrested and deported. Peter argues with the police but is rebuffed, and the comic ends with the 1883 Emma Lazarus poem “The New Colossus” that Peter is reading from the inscription on the Statue of Liberty:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
Obviously, the imagery of the hero webbing up members of the community is in stark contrast to the source material. Spidey is going to help get your purse back, he’s going to reunite a lost kid with their parents, and get cats out of trees. I think White House spokesperson Lauren Bis might want to take her own advice, take a look in the mirror, and ask herself if Spider-Man would endorse the crimes committed by the government against its own citizens.
However hairbrained and tone- deaf a move like this may seem, this administration is no stranger to using beloved pop culture icons for hateful propaganda. In the summer of 2025, just as Superman was released in theaters, the White House posted an AI image of Donald Trump as Superman. They’ve been hit with countless lawsuits and cease and desists from musicians and artists alike. But, I suppose if they can convince enough people that anybody with a backbone would be in support of ICE, it’s worth it. What are tax dollars for anyway?
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
I do not think Peter Parker would drag frightened people out of their homes, cars, jobs, schools, and churches while their children scream and cry after them. I doubt the great power he has would ever convince him that it is his responsibility to terrorize people simply because they weren’t born here. He certainly wouldn’t support harassing and profiling citizens of this country because of their skin color or accent, regardless of any proof of wrongdoing.
Might I remind you that it is a civil offense to be an undocumented immigrant. It is not a felony; it’s not even something local police are allowed to arrest people for. In my professional and scientific opinion, Peter Parker would see ICE agents murdering brave community members and call in Frank Castle immediately.
Whether Sony or Marvel decides to pursue legal action against the Trump Administration remains to be seen.
Check out Nerd Initiative’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day review!
Resources:
The National Immigration Law Center
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