We talk about how mischaracterized Hobie is - which he is - but I honestly think someone else is characterized REALLY weirdly by fandom
Miguel O'Hara and Misrepresentation of His Rage: a.k.a Miguel has Ken Energy you fools
[this is a breakdown where I examine Miguel's trauma, his relationship with Miles, his role in The Society, and his personality]
I talk a lot of shit about the Hobie tag, but the over-saturation of smut in the Miguel tag is at critical mass.
And like Latino-fetishization aside, I feel like he's not written as a human.
He's written so flat.
I swear ya'll be writing him as the angriest, coldest, most anti-social man on earth. Ya'll be having him rude and avoidant with no friends whatsoever or a romantic soft latin lover and NO IN BETWEEN
which is so funny cause like... I feel like Miguel is Just A Guy
I know they're easy to overlook but I think about moments like these all the time
But I ALWAYS see him written him as friendless, and cold, or constantly irritated and angry but like - I feel like most of the time Miguel is just some dude. Like in a Good Way.
And he's fine with that.
Miguel runs a Society Full of Spider-people, and they're working for him voluntarily. Peter Parkers wouldn't work for someone they didn't think was genuinely, good-likeable, and level-headed.
He compliments Lego-Spider-Man. When Hobie was there he wasn't pissed he was just like 'not in the mood rn ngl'
and Hobie didn't take the piss outta him - because I feel like him and Hobie have a mutal understanding/relaxed relationship. All throughout the movie Hobie isn't talking bad about Miguel in specific - he never says anything about Miguel being annoying or evil - he's always taking about The Society Miguel has made.
Even Hobie - who will openly talk bad about the PM, doesn't really feel the need to diss Miguel's character in specific. Which I find very interesting.
I think this, along with a couple other things shows that the way we view Miguel in fandom is not really how he is, like..when he's not going buckwild insane.
Miguel and His Role as Canon
I could see Miguel taking his role as boss very seriously - the same way he took being a father.
Miguel has assumed the role of 'leader' over these Spider-people. In his eyes, it's his job to lead these people through their canon events to the other side, for the safety of the universe, and for them to become the people fate says they're supposed to be.
Because he made the mistake of 'going against fate'. A lot of the time we say that Miguel's justification is 'because I suffered, you must too'. But in his eyes, it's more like 'I tried to run from who I was supposed to be and it blew up in my face. Please don't make the same mistake - it's not worth it.'
Quiet literally 'Do what you're supposed to do, and things won't fall apart around you.'
And I think that really says a lot about how he feels about his own choices, and his own daughter.
Miguel broke canon to be with his daughter, and because of that, she - and billions of others, died. And Miguel feels directly responsible for that. In his eyes, he killed his daughter and murdered billions of people.
And although he loves his daughter - he sees it as not worth it. He sees taking her father's place as a mistake.
To Miguel, canon events and the pain they cause are much more 'worth it' and 'tolerable', than the pain and guilt of killing an entire universe.
Because with canon events, there is no fault. It's not your fault you couldn't catch Gwen Stacy. It's not that you're not fast enough, it's that it's suppose to happen. It's not your fault.
But in Miguel's case - it was his fault. It wasn't suppose to happen.
That's why Miles sets him off in a way others don't and can't. Because he wasn't supposed to happen.
When things are under control, Miguel is fine. When things aren't, Miguel isn't.
Miguel needs order. He needs canon. Not because he likes it, but because he feels beaten into submission by it. He feels safe in the idea that canon events happen even if you do everything right, because he still feels the guilt of having done something 'wrong'.
That's why he sees letting people die in canon events as 'the right thing'.
It's the trolley problem.
A trolley is hurtling at someone you love, on the other track there are 5 people. Do you let the one you love die, or do you hit the switch and save them - and take the blame for killing five people?
What's the right thing to do? Save your captain father and letting a universe die? Or letting your father die, but the universe will for sure live.
Miguel has already made his choice, even if he didn't know it at the time. By becoming a father, Miguel hit the switch. And he chose his daughter at the expense of a universe. And he regrets that decision. He feels guilt, like he's to blame.
When canon events happen, there's no one to blame. When anomalies happen, there is.
Miles and Miguel
Miles and Miguel have an interesting and unique dynamic with each other, one that I haven't seen anyone mention yet.
When I look at Miles and Miguel, especially in this scene:
I kinda see Miguel and a past version of himself. Miguel trying to stop what he sees - as someone about to make the same mistake he did.
When Miguel met his daughter, he didn't know about it's threat to the multiverse. And although it might be described as the best time in Miguel's life, he regrets it. If he would go back, he would have rather let his daughter live. Fatherless, but at least she would have lived.
Miguel didn't know. But Miles does. And that's what makes Miguel so furious.
Miles is going to go against canon, be with his dad, and threaten the multiverse. And Miguel believes that if Miles does this, billions of people and beings across a universe will die. 100% totality rate, 100% assured.
Miles is in the same position as Miguel once was. Miles has the same choice. To choose the one he loves over canon.
The only difference is Miles knows. He has a chance.
Miguel believes that Miles can spare himself the pain, and the guilt of murdering billions - if he just listened to him.
Miguel is the only Spider-person who has ever killed a Spider-verse. And he doesn't want that for Miles.
Miles being an anomaly was one thing. He was ready to calmly talk about that. But when Miguel sees him going down the same road as he once did, making the same choice even though Miguel is telling him not to - it makes it snap.
Because if Miguel could go back, knowing what he knows - if Miguel could only be in Miles' place - he wouldn't. Like Rio said - Miguel would kill to be in his place.
He sees Miguel like how Rio describes herself, oddly enough. Rio says she'd kill to be in Miles place, and she doesn't understand his 'irresponsible' behavior. But unbeknownst to her - his 'irresponsible' behavior is more heroic than she can understand.
Miguel is just the same. He sees Miles' choice as irresponsible, that he's making all the wrong choices even though people are throwing opportunity at him.
Miles is the only other Spider-person to risk what Miguel risked. And, genuinely believing everyone will die because of this - he's furious at Miles, the same way he's still furious at himself. He loved his daughter, and he knows Miles loves it dad. But having been on the other side of it all, he sees it as not worth it.
Miguel wants to be the only Spider-man who is the way he is. He doesn't want to Miles to do what he did, become what he is. Because he knows theres no coming back from that.
If Miguel could go back and shake himself and scream in his face to leave Gabriella alone, to just leave her dimension alone, he would. But he can't.
So he does it to Miles.
Miguel as a Boss
I don't think Miguel is an outright mean or abrasive person. I feel like outside of Miles, he's fairly calm, albeit a bit stressed. I could see him being really organized and good at time management -
And I can see Miguel being good with people. I don't think he's the kinda boss that'd be like 'Oh, you had a canon event last night? Your girlfriend fell off a building? Yeah, we get that a lot, get over it.'
And if anything - I think he'd want to help the Spider-people when it comes to processing canon events.
Miguel believes that canon events are necessary, not just to the multiverse, but to the development of who Spider-people are 'supposed' to be. So I think he'd set up support systems around HQ to help them process it, and he'd at least be a bit understanding.
I could absolutely see Miguel as the type to ask a teammate "Are you alright?" after something intense, or telling them to sit out. I could see him giving generous leave for Spiders who are going through stuff.
By Jess's response, it seems as if he leaves most of that to her, but I feel like the fact he stops to tell Gwen "Don't worry, kid." shows that he's use to comforting people, or prioritizes putting people at ease.
I mean, what Spider-man doesn't?
Miguel does seem to get along with people (aside from Miles and Gwen when he's scolding her), and it seems like people do like Miguel.
Miguel's Personality
Tbh - I don't think he's nearly as angry as fandom makes him out to be.
He was raising a child. I imagine that for the most part, he's pretty patient.
Like if you call him a name, he's not gonna get pissed. I feel like he's more likely to be like "Haha. Very funny." Or just pinch his nose bridge and be like "You done?"
I mean I know with all the gnashing and clawing and yelling and going apeshit, it can be easy to imagine Miguel as JUST that.
But I also like to imagine that most of the time, he's just like that normal boss as Target.
And a lot of his day is spent doing boring mundane things.
He's not always standing there brooding over videos of him and his dead daughter. He only does that when he's psyching himself up to yell at Miles.
Outside of that, he probably has a lot more things to do, realistically speaking. Organizing missions, checking status reports, looking over intake forms of anomalies, okaying and vetoing different protocols. Approving new technology, taking complaints from members, dealing with Hobie (an extra job in its own right), fixing things MayDay breaks, etc, etc.
And he's completely fine with that. Maybe he even finds calmness in it. When there's order, and routine, and everyone is working together and there's no kinks in the hose per say, he can operate.
Like yeah he's a little irritated and looks like he only slept 4 hours - but he's here and he's going to work with his team and employees, make sure things run smoothly, and make sure everyone gets home safe.
He's gonna try and make the society a nice place to be and make sure people on the team (like Lego) feel appreciated and odd-one-outs like Hobie get to hang and do what they want without much kickback.
The other Spider-people - like Pavi - wouldn't have joined otherwise.
If Pavi had showed up and Miguel was all stern and cold and rude, he probably would've been like 'no thanks my friend'
Miguel knew Peter B. before he lost Gabriella. So he had to become friends with Peter some way. He was putting up with Peter and his humor by choice, and in return Peter must have found Miguel cool enough to hang out with.
I think it's because Miguel is good with people, a lot of different types of people.
He's pretty down to earth, even if he is a work-aholic. He can be fun to chill or hang out with, even if he's a bit of a tight-ass.
Sure his humor may be dry, and his personality tame, but he's just him.
But I can see him as being a guy who you see at the gym routinely and never say hi to but you just nod at each other in silent respect while doing your workouts sometime.
Or the dude at your job you only see at the coffee machine - you know he does other stuff, but you never run into him anywhere else.
Or the dude who'll stop on the street when you ask for the time and lift one earphone before telling you it, then walking away without another word.
DO YOU GET WHAT I MEAN DO YOU GET THAT VIBE Like just Dude He's like a dad but not like a 'Dad vibe' with like sneakers or anything but like 'Dad who comes to PTA meeting but doesn't talk to anybody and quietly leaves when it's over'.
DO YOU UNDERSTAND PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU UNDERSTAND THIS VIBE It's giving Ken.
Anyways stop avoiding Miguel's Kenergy.
