It takes very little for me to cry these days, which is probably why I’m sobbing now, or maybe it’s just that the world is so dark, and seeing Jake Johnson do something touching for kids in the middle of all this mess is truly something beautiful. Johnson, who voices Peter B. Parker in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, is ready to brighten the day of those kids who are stuck at home.
Taking to Instagram, he posted a picture of the iconic Peter Parker from his film with a sweet message, telling parents to reach out via email to receive a personalized message from Spider-Man himself.
Now look, I don’t want to dunk on Gal Gadot’s attempt at lifting everyone’s spirits, because she and everyone else involved meant well, but something like this? I just feel this on a deeper level than a bunch of celebrities singing at me about imagining there are no possessions when they’re in their mansions.
Johnson didn’t have to do this; he wasn’t asked. He just received DMs from parents saying that Spider-Man was helping their kids and thought to use his power as Peter B. Parker for good. Again, I’m crying and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s just so much emotion built up that I physically can’t think about kids getting through this with Peter Parker without bursting into tears.
But, I don’t know, it’s just the power that comic book heroes have. While I’m lucky and ended up in Orlando for a bit while all this is going down, we still can’t really do anything, so I’ve been reading comics with my niece and discussing them, particularly Ironheart.
So, I guess what I’m saying is, if you’re a celebrity and you want to do something to lift everyone’s spirits, maybe take a note from Jake Johnson’s book and get personal. While we’re all struggling mentally and trying to keep positive, kids really need something to help them both understand this situation and keep themselves happy and engaged. So why not get messages from their favorite characters or lose themselves in comic books heroes?
These are dark times, and I give Jake Johnson a lot of props for this one. If he does find a tissue box, I’d like that for my tears, though.
(image: Marvel Entertainment)
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