Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is sweeping the box office and the hearts of fans. Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Peter B, Miguel O’Hara, Hobie Brown, and more have captured people’s hearts and minds.
The plot twist at the end, the heart-thumping cliffhanger, and the slow-burn romance between Miles and Gwen have ensured that this is the only film people are gushing about.
Right now, many are just waiting for the last film in the trilogy, Beyond the Spider-Verse, to see how the entire story of Miles Morales wraps up. But amid all the positive talk surrounding the film, there has been some unexpected and eyebrow-raising controversy.
It seems like the anime side of Twitter, specifically the Boruto fandom, is accusing the film of copying from their favorite anime show.
Some Boruto fans think that Across the Spider-Verse has heavily copied scenes from their favorite anime. They have pointed out that moments like Rio Morales hugging her son and Miles and Gwen hanging out by the cliffside are almost copies of Hinata hugging Boruto and Sarada spending time with him. However, Across the Spider-Verse fans think such scenes are common, and Boruto fans are reaching.
Boruto Fans Accuse Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse of Copying
Across the Spider-Verse is an animated film and the sequel to Into the Spider-Verse. Its art and animation are stylistic and resemble anime style a lot. As such, it was expected that anime fans would check out the movie. However, what wasn’t expected was that those fans, especially those who love and watch Boruto (sequel to Naruto), would accuse the film of copying it.
This accusation sparked an enthralling and also amusing debate on social media. Fans of the show posted parallels between scenes from Across the Spider-Verse and Boruto. One was a scene where Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy shared a sweet moment on the cliffside. Boruto fans pointed out that it was similar to a scene when Sarada and Boruto did the same.
But this wasn’t the only instance. They compared a scene where Miles gets hugged by his mom, Rio Morales, with the one where Hinata, Boruto’s mom, hugs him. Apart from this, some said that Marvel has always copied from anime. They compared a fight between Shin Uchiha and Sakura with Bucky and Steve Rogers.
The first fight happened in Boruto: Part 1 anime, and the other one happened in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Fans of the Naruto sequel also said that the red Spider logo on Miles’ black Spidey suit was eerily reminiscent of Boruto wearing the black jacket with the red Uzumaki symbol embossed.
One commentator also called Across the Spider-Verse a cheap copy of Boruto. These accusations didn’t sit well with fans of Miles Morales.
Across the Spider-Verse Fans Are Unhappy with Boruto Comparisons
The comparisons between Boruto and Across the Spider-Verse made the latter’s fanbase come out to defend it. Some said that the scenarios pointed out are quite common in the anime or movie world. Others were of the opinion that the Spider-Man comics were made way before Boruto came into existence.
Apart from this, some said that the fight between Shin Uchiha and Sakura happened in 2017, which is way after Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) got released. So, there was no way the Marvel film could have copied from the anime. This debate went viral because both fandoms are immensely popular and have fans globally.
So, did Across the Spider-Verse copy from Boruto? It doesn’t look like the former copied from the anime because even though the theme of the shots might be the same, they have been presented differently in both projects. Also, such themes, like a mother hugging her son, are common in novels, films, anime, and more.
Even in the most charitable of interpretations, at most, it can be said that Across the Spider-Verse was inspired by Boruto. But even that seems like quite a reach.
So what do you think of the comparisons between Boruto and Across the Spider-Verse?
Did the makers of the sequel to Into the Spider-Verse really copy Boruto? Or is it a case of fans trying to conjure smoke from nothing?
Let us know in the comments below.
