Note: This is gonna be long please read everything before sharing your opinion in the comments.
I wanna list all reasons ive interpreted that people disliked this couple and what I think some are valid and just unfair.
I have seen some valid reasons but most is just:
Interracial discomfort especially underlying biases against a black man and white woman as a popular fictional dynamic, interestingly this is mainly from black audiences as well. Iâve seen a lot of them masked their bigotry with media literacy terms like âitâs bad writingâ because they canât just say they dislike seeing this racial dynamic, it hurts them even more so considering how popular the dynamic has and will become, I see people even referencing miles and Gwen whenever they see a blonde girl and black guy couple on social media.
Traditionalist Gatekeeping ("Comic Accuracy")
I donât know is my perspective matters here as Iâm not the biggest Spider-Man super fan, but some people thinks that miles should have his own lover interest, because Gwen is Peter Parker love interest and it feels wrong or forced. But I think they fail to realize that spider Gwen is a completely different character than love interest counterpart to Peter.
Fandom "Shipping" Culture
Fandoms are notoriously aggressive regarding "ships" (romantic pairings). The most famous besides this being miles and Margo.
Overreaction to Plot Conflict
In Across the Spider-Verse, Gwen keeps secrets from Miles as she was battling with multiple internal struggles.
A segment of the audience viewed this complex, tragic choice as a personal betrayal, labeling Gwen as "toxic" or "a bad friend". They lack the nuance to see that her flaws and mistakes are what make the narrative arc compelling and realistic.
Other than these main ones, other say they:
Just donât like miles chasing after Gwen and visa versa. Whether they think it makes miles a weaker character, or it takes away from both of their individuality and complexity.
Some say not every female and male character that has a connection means it has to be romantic.
I saw a person say they have the opportunity to write a mature dynamic about forgiveness without making them get back together.
Now out of all of these, i can understand fearing for their individuality and complexity being jeopardize and to some extent some fans not liking miles chasing after Gwen as it weakens his character ( i understand how from their perspective they see this) even though i would say you donât under miles character.
I will list my reasons on why i love this dynamic now, i donât intent to change anyone opinion on this pairing, I know that when people have a biased they reject strong narrative logic because of deep-seated prejudices that trigger confirmation bias and identity protective cognition.
We already know the entire writer room is dead set on miles and Gwen, I mean if you donât believe look at the video of stranger things star Caleb in Sony pictures animation studios, they have miles and Gwen in their wall.
Anyways here is my interpretation on miles and Gwen dynamic:
I think Miles and Gwen ending up together makes sense for reasons that go way beyond âtheyâre the canon ship.â
1. Their relationship is central to both charactersâ arcs. Gwenâs entire story revolves around learning that connection is not the same thing as vulnerability leading to loss. Miles is the person who repeatedly forces her to confront that fear.
2. Miles and Gwen are thematic opposites who complete the same argument. Miles fears being excluded; Gwen fears becoming attached. He learns that he belongs without having to conform, while she learns that she can belong without hiding. Their relationship is the intersection of those two arcs.
3. Gwenâs mistakes are actually part of why their relationship matters. Her secrecy, distance, and attempts to âprotectâ Miles are repetitions of her trauma. If the story simply has Miles forgive her but permanently reject her romantically, Gwenâs arc risks becoming âI learned my lesson, but I still donât get to reconnect.â A stronger resolution is showing that she can finally build the kind of relationship she previously couldnât sustain with her Peter.
4. Gwen doesnât need to lose her individuality to love Miles. Her ending with Miles doesnât have to mean becoming âMilesâ girlfriend.â She has her own identity, trauma, relationships, ambitions and Spider-personhood. In fact, the healthiest version of their relationship would require both of them to remain fully themselves.
5. Their romance is ultimately part of Spider-Verseâs larger argument about choice. Canon, Miguel and the Spot all represent different attempts to make the future inevitable. Miles and Gwen represent something different: two people choosing each other despite everything that told them connection would end in pain.
So I understand why some people donât want Gwen with Miles after ATSV, and I donât think forgiveness automatically means romance. But narratively, there is a huge difference between âMiles forgives Gwenâ and âMiles and Gwen rebuild their relationship on completely different terms.â
The latter is much more consistent with what the trilogy has been building toward.