“The Boys” finally justifies the stupid “Spider-Man 3” dance

“Are we not done yet?” asked one Spider-Man 3 Reviewer in 2007. Like he’s been waiting for this to be over. (In hindsight – and two other Spider-Man actors plus about 735 superhero movies later – how adorable.)

Too many villains, a longer running time, a soapy amnesia plot, and a silly dance sequence all contributed to Spidey’s fatigue. Cut to 15 years later, and reaction to the conclusion of Sam Raimi’s trilogy has waned. And it seems Peter Parker is no longer the only hero ready to hit a few dance steps. TV is full of whirling competitors ready to snag that crown – or mirror ball trophy.

Mrs Miracle, The youngand The Umbrella Academy offer a different flavor of superheroes on a much broader spectrum. But now fight sequences aren’t the only choreography. Yes, all three titles prove that dancing can be memorable, a welcome addition to the modern superhero aesthetic — and all without drawing the mockery that was aimed at Raimi all those years ago.

Earlier this year, Raimi returned to Marvel with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The director asked Fandom a question about the infamous boogie sequence in which Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) emulates John Travolta Saturday Night Fever playbook. Or at least try.

From the moment he pulled out his finger guns and started thrusting those hips, there was contempt and confusion. Emo bangs, the appearance of eyeliner, and the confidence to dance in public are how Raimi showed the influence of the Venom symbiote on Peter. However, audiences overwhelmingly hated it.

“Well, we actually meant it for fun. It was Peter Parker’s version – this lame kid – of what it must be like to be his bad self,” Raimi said of the infamous, much-hyped scene. The daft vibes took a different turn more than a decade later, and Raimi’s intent has been captured in numerous TikTok videos, cute viral moments, and YouTube tutorials. You too can be instructed on how to pull off your best Bully Maguire asshole spread and slide.

Well, at least judging by some of the most popular superhero series to stream in recent memory, music scenes have fairly common narrative devices — moody ka-pows are replaced by Rockette-enabled High Kicks.

Season 3 of The young continues to go to unexpected places when it comes to blood (including a tiny man who climbs Inside a tail). And it’ll be hard for any other show to top the gallons of fake blood (and other bodily fluids) it uses — especially the recent “Herogasm” episode. So let’s say it was certainly a surprise when the plot for the character Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) erupts into an entire musical number set to a song by Judy Garland, of all things.

For a brief moment, the Prime series salutes the 1943 musical crazy girl. Kimiko’s powers have been rendered ineffective and she is stuck in a hospital bed to recover. Frenchie (Tomer Capon) packed a laptop full of Kimiko’s favorite musicals to keep her entertained during her recovery, which leads to this The young’ best sequence so far.

In the surreal number, Kimiko and Frenchie perform the standard “I Got Rhythm,” an ambitious joyful dance through the hospital with empty bedpans for drums, exuberant lifts and jazzy hands. It’s a brighter over-the-top aesthetic than The young usually uses – and zero gore – but also plays an important role in the narrative.

A reality check reveals that Kimiko is still recovering; However, the sequence of music that just played in her head gives her the confidence to kiss Frenchie. On the surface, this brief mix of genres is a playful respite from the over-the-top violence, but it also captures an intimate connection. Kimiko allows herself to indulge in romance after shedding the powers she believes turned her into a monster. Unfortunately, even she can’t entirely escape this violent world, and “I Got Rhythm” is nothing more than a brightly lit fantasy.

The Umbrella Academy also blurs those lines temporarily in the season 3 premiere. The Hargreaves siblings return home from 1963 to discover an alternate reality where Sparrow Academy has replaced them. As the two groups of heroes battle it out, a bloody brawl is replaced by a whimsical “footloose” dance-off match playfully choreographed from the Kevin Bacon classic (let’s ignore the 2011 Miles Teller remake) .

The famous Kenny Loggins song fits the “All Killer, No Filler” needle drop favored by the Netflix series. Nostalgia is the unifying soundtrack theme that fits in with the refined stylistic choices throughout the series. Whether you recognize the bangers or not (call this the Kate Bush stranger things effect), showrunner Steve Blackman knows how to take the show’s musical cues one step further. And unlike Peter Parker’s out of the blue sidewalk slides, Umbrella Academy taste for bops has established itself from the beginning. (Remember that dance to Tiffany’s legendary “I Think We’re Alone Now?”

A consensus between the actors The young and The Umbrella Academy When we talk about those standout scenes, the dance choreography is much harder to master than fight sequences.

Part of the joy of watching these scenes comes from seeing them pulled through and knowing how difficult it was. In my eyes, mastering complicated routines is worthy of a superhero. The best thing I’ve ever done is this Ex Machina Disco dance that I performed with my husband at my wedding instead of a slow first dance. It was the only part of the day I wanted to throw up and it lasted 30 seconds (and we spent weeks learn routine).

In contrast, in the penultimate episode of The Umbrella AcademyFreestyle reigns in ‘s new season as the Hargreaves clan rocks the dance floor at Luther’s (Tom Hopper) wedding. Who has time to learn a routine when the apocalypse is only hours away?

To their credit, the MCU got into the dance with numbers that weren’t just dream sequences or hallucinations. There was the long overdue date with Captain America and Peggy Carter and hawk eye showed Broadway embracing the Avengers. Across the river in Jersey City in the new series Mrs Miracle, Pakistani American teenage Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) juggles her newfound powers and family commitments. Yes, she’s obsessed with Captain Marvel, but she’s also knowledgeable about Bollywood moves.

The Muslim wedding of Kamala’s brother Aamir (Saagar Shaikh) involves faith and a variety of musical entertainment at the reception. A cover band called Brown Jovi (Kamala’s mother refers to Jon Bon Jovi as the Prince of New Jersey) has a difficult act ahead of them: the entire wedding party performing a dance set Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Diwana by Asha Bhosle from the movie Put on.

“There’s always choreographed dancing at these big South Asian weddings,” director Meera Menon told Popsugar of the authentic crowd pleaser. References to rehearsals indicate that this is not intended to be thrown together on the fly and appear behind the scenes with dance team BFunk choreographing the group number. Kamala’s distraction thanks to her recent superpowers is evident in her crude understanding of the moves – understandable! – and extra details like these help Ms. Marvel’s Charm. Not every teen movie or TV series pretends to be a gap ad or She is everything prom ready.

It was a blast seeing these superhero projects once again in the kind of Razzle Dazzle usually reserved for musicals, ’90s high school comedies, or an episode of Dancing with the stars. And, much to my delight, this trend seems to be growing, what with the rumors about the joker Sequel – Joaquin Phoenix’s stair dance was also the subject of the Bully Maguire meme. All roads lead back Spider-Man 3.

With great power comes great responsibility, and that extends to knowing how to cut a rug.