Spider-Man Spider-Verse Short Director on Mental Health

Spider-Man fans have been enjoying The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story on YouTube since it premiered. ComicBook.com's Phase Zero podcast had the chance to sit down with director Jarelle Dampier to talk about mental health and Miles Morales. The filmmaker's biggest goal headed into The Spider Within was to help facilitate a dialogue between students and those around them about different challenging aspects of their lives. Miles Morales might be a superhero. But, he's got all kinds of responsibility outside of swinging around New York City. 

A key moment of the film is the moment that Miles comes to his father for a bit of advice when he's feeling overwhelmed and the pressure is manifesting itself mentally for him. For the audience, the shadows and the presence of these spiders provide a menacing aura chasing one of our favorite young heroes. Dampier thinks this first moment of letting someone in to hear about your situation is absolutely crucial.

"I think the biggest thing is just starting," Dampier began. "One of the cool things I made sure to include was the moment with him and Jefferson [Davis] walking away talking. I didn't want anyone watching to think, 'Is he going to tell him that he's Spider-Man tonight?' No. He's being open about the things on his mind. But, he's being selective. And, he's starting somewhere." 

"The idea of just starting the conversation. You don't have to reveal your big, deepest, darkest secret. You can wait for that, you can level-up to that," the director continued. "But just go on that walk and get that air. Get that support and let someone know that you're struggling. It's those little, tiny momements that lead to bigger shifts."

Kevin Love Fund Talks The Spider Within

ComicBook.com previously interviewed The Kevin Love Fund about their part in bringing the Spider-Verse short to young fans. We sat down with the organization's co-Director of Education, Dr. Ellie Foster to discuss the storyboard-based lesson plans that accompany the film. The Kevin Love Fund's lesson and the film are both freely accessible on YouTube and KevinLoveFund.org.

Dr. Foster explained how the curriculum and The Spider Within help students better address their mental health and de-stigmatize conversations around the topic. In The Hero Within lesson, students draw their own storyboards based on their experiences and share the work with peers and facilitators. Adults model some of their own work to help give the students a starting point to share their stories. There's some real allignment between Love, Dampier and Miles Morales' stories.

"I think that one thing we've heard is that our lessons are can be particularly inspiring for young men. Because, we need more models of masculinity," Foster told us. "That includes, emotion and being able to talk about how you're feeling publicly. I think that this film accomplishes that and, Kevin  also accomplished that by sharing his story as well."

She added, "That's just another kind of alignment for Miles, who's a young man. To open up and walk down the stairs and say, 'Hey, you got a minute? I'm gonna talk to you about how I'm feeling.' That's offering all young people a model that they can emulate. But ,I think particularly, 'How would I see this?' I also think it's always wonderful to have additional examples of."

Have you checked out this short film yet? Let us know down in the comments!