Deku acquires Blackwhip, a Quirk similar to Spider-Man’s webs, in a homage to the superhero.
Deku’s Danger Sense feels like a nod to Spider-Man’s Spider-Sense, helping him avoid danger.
Horikoshi pays tribute to Spider-Man through volume covers and character reflections in My Hero Academia.
It’s no secret that Kohei Horikoshi, the author of the immensely popular My Hero Academia, was heavily inspired by the universe of Marvel Comics, but there’s one iconic hero in particular who is referenced numerous times throughout the story. It’s hard to find many people who don’t love the friendly neighborhood hero known as Spider-Man, so it’s a good thing that there are several homages to his character scattered all over My Hero Academia‘s story.
My Hero Academia is made up of a dynamic cast of characters. Here’s what you need to know about every major player.
Some of these references are blatantly obvious and easy to pick up on; meanwhile, others can seem a little more obscure, with only dedicated Spider-Man fans being aware of where they came from and what they are specifically referencing. With such a plethora of fun and quirky nods packed into the story, though, it’s time to take a look at each of them individually to see how they call back to one of Marvel’s most popular characters.
7
Blackwhip
Deku Would Come To Acquire Spider-Man’s Web Swinging Abilities
Near the end of the Joint Training arc of the story, Banjo, a previous user of the One For All Quirk, informs Deku that he will soon come to possess a new ability named Blackwhip. Blackwhip was the Quirk that Banjo used before he was brutally killed by All For One, and outside of the deep black and green palette, it’s pretty much exactly the same as Spider-Man’s webs, and Deku even decides to use it in the same exact ways.
For example, while it obviously comes in very handy for cruising around environments and leaping across buildings, as seen during Deku’s fight against Nagant, he has also been able to use it to hold up debris and cars that came close to landing on innocent civilians. It has long been rumored that Deku was primarily based on Spider-Man when he was created by Horikoshi, and with Blackwhip in his arsenal, they can often appear as a splitting image of one another.
6
Danger Sense
Deku’s Danger Sense Is Tingling
While Blackwhip quickly becomes one of Deku’s go-to abilities after he obtains it, another Quirk from the vestiges that proves to be extremely helpful is Danger Sense. If the name of this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s essentially Spider-Man’s Spider-Sense, just with a slightly different name, since it works pretty much identically to its inspiration.
Quirks vary in how useful they are in My Hero Academia, and these Quirks are known for being invaluable in nearly any situation.
Anytime Deku is flanked or ambushed by a villain, his Danger Sense will light up and raise the alarm, letting him know that he needs to move out of the way to avoid receiving some serious damage. In a similar vein, Spider Sense is also what Spider-Man uses to make him so hard to hit whenever he comes up against a tough opponent. Clearly, this Quirk was a clever nod to one of Spider-Man’s most well-known and useful abilities.
5
Volume 9 Reference
Deku And Muscular’s Clash Reflects The Ultimate Spider-Man Comic Series
Horikoshi has produced some downright stunning volume covers throughout the publication of My Hero Academia, but these illustrations are usually where he will decide to drop a lot of his inspirations, too, the prime example being volume nine. On the surface, this front cover can seem like a pretty standard clash between Deku and Muscular, who was the major villain of that particular story arc, but it’s actually a reflection of the 2007 issue of the Ultimate Spider-Man comic series.
In that version, it shows Spider-Man and his arch nemesis Venom both going at it, with the latter overpowering the hero in what has now become an iconic cover. It seems evident that Horikoshi wanted to pay homage to this image without directly copying it, making it a nice Easter egg that the Marvel fans no doubt will have picked up right away upon seeing it for the first time.
4
Volume 27 Reference
Hawks And Mr. Negative Find Themselves In Similar Situations
Horikoshi would once again reference Spider-Man much later down the line with volume 27, but this time, Deku isn’t the one taking center stage. Instead, the cover focuses on Hawks, who is desperately trying to escape the villain known as Twice, who uses his army of clones to slowly work his way up towards him. While a very memorable illustration in its own right, it’s also a reference to a Spider-ManCity at War comic cover, where the covers have essentially been flipped and altered with different characters.
In the original cover, fans can see Mr. Negative trying to break away from Spider-Man with a bunch of the villain’s goons trying to stop him in midair. It’s yet another example of how Horikoshi can take a piece of artwork as inspiration and reproduce it in his own style without making it an exact replica, which is a testament to how skilled he is as an artist.
3
Death Arms No More
Death Arms’ Farewell Feels Oddly Familiar
No fan of Spider-Man will be able to forget the iconic comic panel in Spider-Man No More that shows a miserable Peter Parker walking away from his classic hero suit, which has been thrown on the side of the street. It’s a striking shot that really pulls at the hard strings, but eagle-eyed fans may have been able to spot this scene being reenacted in My Hero Academia not long after Death Arms announces his retirement.
Deku is no longer the quirkless kid he once was as he’s evolved significantly throughout the My Hero Academia anime.
The way Death Arms sulks as he walks off with the city surrounding him captures the same bleak tone and aesthetic of the original, and despite Death Arms being only a minor side character, Horikoshi still decided to take a page out of Marvel’s book to make his send-off as emotional as possible.
2
Muscular As Venom
Muscular’s Muscle Augmentation Quirks Seem Very Similar To A Certain Symbiote’s Powers
Venom has long been one of the most popular villains in the Spider-Man comics and movies, and it’s pretty clear that the Symbiote was used as a basis for Horikoshi when creating the villain known as Muscular. Thanks to his Muscle Augmentation Quirk, Muscular is essentially able to wrap himself around with giant pounds of flesh to become immensely strong and incredibly durable, making him a real problem for Deku to deal with.
This ability is very similar to Venom, who will often use the power of the Symbiote to override his host’s body, turning them into a dangerous monster capable of wreaking all kinds of chaos. Both Muscular and Venom also share another key characteristic: They both have little to no care in the world for ruining people’s lives, and it’s what has made them both captivating villains within their own respective series.
1
Spider-Man Shows Up
Spidey Himself Makes A Quick Cameo In The Very First Chapter
Most of the time, the references and nods that have been mentioned can be a little difficult to pick up on when watching or reading the series, but this one is by far the most obvious. During the very first chapter, when Deku is explaining quirks and how they work within the world, there are a few shady silhouettes that can be seen on the side of the page. While one of them is clearly Superman, and another looks a lot like Moon Knight, the one that sticks out the most is Spider-Man.
Of course, Spider-Man’s powers aren’t known as Quirks within the Marvel Universe, but they could potentially be seen this way by residents of Japan within the world of My Hero Academia. Unfortunately, Spider-Man never actually shows up in the mainline story, but the fact Horikoshi was willing to show him in the first few moments of the story was a great way to establish the premise of the plot while also drawing in new readers by providing them with a bit of nostalgia and familiarity.
