HiTop Films

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> "You're a weird dude for sure and your Spidey perspective can come across as a tad insane but you don't deserve the labels of 'Evil' or 'Toxic' - Save that for the guys who make ten hour videos on Star Wars - Keep on keeping on Mr. HiTop"
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> - MauLer to HiTop, on Twitter
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**HiTop Films**, **HiTop** for short, or **Alex**, is a YouTube video essayist who makes videos about superhero movies, particularly Spider-Man. He is extremely melodramatic with what he says in his video, almost always going to long dialogues about all the emotions he felt when watching a movie.

## History

### The Spider War

> "I think this has been like, wrong-right-wrong, sort of, right now, for HiTop... wait, wrong-right-wrong-wrong..."
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> "Right-wrong-wrong I thought it was."
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> "It might... I'm not keeping score"
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> - MauLer and Fringy
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EFAP first encountered HiTop in the middle act of the Spider War, where MauLer, Fringy, DasBo, and Shad used his video "**Spider-Man: Homecoming is a Bad SPIDER-MAN Movie**" as a jumping-off point for discussion in their broader look at *Homecoming* as a whole. HiTop argued that while *Homecoming* is a good film, having nothing but praise for all aspects of its production, it is not a good *Spider-Man* film. While he praised the film for accurately portraying Spider-Man's quippy dialogue and having him look high school-aged rather than like an adult playing a highschooler, he put forth that it missed the more foundational aspects of Spider-Man's character. Shad took a more "spaghetti bolognese" stance to things, feeling a story's merits as an adaptation can be judged objectively separate from its merits as a standalone story, and as such sought out to steelman HiTop's arguments where he could. Early on he sung praises for the Sam Raimi *Spider-Man* movies, and fully leaned into the accusations that he is biased towards them, reminding the viewer that this whole essay is just his opinion. MauLer and Co were fine with him holding that opinion, but also held that if he began making claims of fact to support that opinion then those claims could be provably right or wrong. They also found it funny that HiTop's video included responses to comments, asking if those comments were not just the commenters' opinions

HiTop's biggest gripe with *Homecoming* as a Spider-Man film was what he claimed was a lack of consequences, and when asked by MauLer if he agreed, Shad said he did not. Regardless, HiTop's examples were as follows

1. Spider-Man indirectly destroyed a local shop and nobody dies, "not even the cat," to which EFAP argued that there was only one guy there, and while it is a tad convenient that he was not injured, the shop's destruction still had consequences since Spider-Man having to help rescue the clerk allowed the robbers to get away. HiTop also criticized Peter for not even caring that a man's livelihood had been destroyed, but Fringy recalled the film going out of its way to show Peter reacting to the destroyed shop later on, though MauLer still agreed that it could have been focused on more
2. Peter ditched Ned at Liz' party, yet is forgiven the next day, to which EFAP countered that Ned was initially annoyed at him but still understood that Peter had good reason for ditching, while Peter still faces consequences in the opinion of the rest of the partygoers. Fringy added that Spider-Man failing to show up to the party when Peter "invited" him helped Vulture realize Peter was Spider-Man
3. Peter shirks his responsibilities, gets detention, skips detention, and faces no consequences, to which Fringy pointed out Peter got detention multiple times and was almost expelled for it, and only avoids that expulsion when he stops dedicating his time to Spider-Man to focus on school
4. Peter ditches the decathlon and almost gets his friends killed, but everyone survives, MauLer countering that them being put in danger by Ned having the Chitauri weapon was a result of Peter hyperfocusing on hunting Vulture. Shad offered up that it could be argued the fact that they all end up okay renders the danger inconsequential, to which Fringy countered the danger they were put in was the consequence - just because Peter successfully saves them doesn't mean the danger didn't happen, and Spider-Man showing up in DC also further tips off Vulture to his identity.
5. Peter ditched Liz at homecoming and everything's fine, despite him ditching her being the final straw in their relationship
6. Peter shows up last minute to the decathlon and the movie is even self-aware enough to have Flash acknowledge that he should face consequences for that, then plays it off for a joke. MauLer on the other hand interpreted that scene as Flash trying to usurp Peter but Peter's own smarts made him valuable enough to keep on the team regardless, especially since that teacher has been shown to be a pushover. While there could have been harsher consequences for Peter there, they were not strictly necessary. Shad suggested that HiTop may simply be arguing that *Homecoming* has smaller consequences compared to other Spider-Man stories like *Spider-Man 2*, and MauLer was happy to agree, but still held that that was different than there being no consequences and that there was nothing wrong with a smaller-stakes story
7. Liz moving away when Spider-Man puts her dad in jail isn't a consequence because Peter doesn't know her very well and she's just his crush, to which EFAP countered that a crush is a big deal to a highschooler, and the reason why he didn't get to know her well was *because* he missed his chances at a relationship with her

HiTop described *Homecoming* Spider-Man's life as being relatively cushy, contrasting it against a defining trait of Spider-Man being his inability to catch a break and his unfortunate life. Shad on the other hand disagreed, considering Peter's bad luck to be downstream from his actual defining characteristic that he chooses to act responsibly at the expense of other things, and that if someone like Peter was offered to have his crimefighting bankrolled by Tony Stark it makes sense thet he would accept it, with Fringy adding the example of Peter turning down working for Oscorp for more money in the PS4 game because of his principles. HiTop described Spider-Man as being meant to be a dorky nerdy outcast with a good heart, which MauLer found to be an apt description of *Homecoming*'s Spider-Man too. HiTop cited the only big consequence Peter faces as him losing the Stark suit, whereas MauLer figured the biggest consequence was Vulture learning he was Spider-Man. Regardless, the Stark suit was HiTop's next big issue with the film, which he thought made Spider-Man too much like Batman Beyond. He argued Spider-Man should not have an AI suit he can talk to, acknowledging that it served to adapt Spider-Man's internal monologue but holding that there are better ways to replicate his inner monologue, like having him talk to Ned or MJ, though Shad noted that dialogue is different than monologue, as Peter say things to an unjudging AI that he wouldn't say to another person. When Peter loses the suit, HiTop argued the third act turns into more of a good Spider-Man film and it is a good growth moment when Peter turns down Stark's suit at the end, but MauLer pointed out that him having the suit to begin with is what builds up that moment of growth. HiTop nonetheless considered that growth undercut since Peter gets another Stark suit and joins the Avengers in *Infinity War*, to which MauLer reminded that the context was important, since Peter was roped into the action by his own motivations to do good and the Avengers needed anyone they could get, and the lesson Peter learned of not needing the Avengers' validation would hold true even if he ends up getting it. Shad also added that Peter literally needed that suit to survive in space.

While he was initially over the moon over the fact that Spider-Man was part of MCU, HiTop's other biggest issue was now the MCU itself. He contrasted it against Sam Raimi's *Spider-Man*, which was just a movie about Spider-Man, with no sequel setup, no cameos from other heros, and no place in a bigger timeline, a claim Fringy found odd since the Spider-Man of the comics being adapted was himself part of a larger continuity with regular crossovers. HiTop argued that the MCU was not about interconnectedness, but rather its likable characters (ironically using a clip of Black Widow in a *Captain America* film), and the easter eggs are just icing on a well-baked cake, leaving MauLer wondering if the problem with *Homecoming* is the cake and not the icing then why even cite the icing as an issue, as well as finding that point moot since he did not see HiTop's arguments for why the cake was not well-baked as strong to begin with.

### The Spider War, continued

> "Art. Is. Subjective"
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MauLer, Das, Shad, and a returning Wolf returned to HiTop in the final third of the Spider War, to see his thoughts on *Spider-Man: Far From Home*, once again using it as a jumping-off point for a wider discussion on the movie as a whole with his video "**Spider-Man: Far From Home Broke My Heart**".

He still thinks *Homecoming* is bad Spider-Man movie and thinks he thought it first

Art is subjective

He doesn't like that there was joke when high-schoolers joke about what happened in Endgame, as he thinks that the movie doesn't take seriously the fact that many Avengers died, so he can't take the grief seriously - there is no commenting about the snap, we don't know who got snapped and how they reacted to Peters death.

Like with *Homecoming*, he once again argues that Peter faces no consequences in Far From Home. One of Ben's belongings (a briefcase) gets destroyed and Peter doesn't care. There is no mention of Ben, so Tony is more role model than Ben is but Peter doesn't mope enough about Tony's death for HiTop to care and just goes on vacation. He vehemently thinks that the movie has to be either about Spider-Man going to a vacation or how he deals with depression after his mentor dies, as being happy and sad doesn't mix, "not that it develops either one of the two plots". So to him Peter can't go on a vacation as a way to deal with Tony's death, it has to be one or the other. He also comments that the cast isn't developed enough for him to care for them and it doesn't makes sense that Peter has now crush on MJ and it isn't developed enough and should have more time devoted to it. (although he is biased, as he doesn't like these movies to begin with, so he might not be willing to try to care for the characters). Since he thinks that Peter has no problems or consequences, he is unable to sympathize with him since he has easier time and people are helping him. Also Peter's arc is backpedaling since he should try to be his own man but he tried to be Iron Man and copies Iron Mans suit creation.

He doesn't think that Peter should have thought to give Tony's final memento to guy who he only had two meaningful talks with.

Mysterio's story involvement has nothing to do with Peter, it's a personal thing with Iron Man, so Hitop he can't feel invested with him and he knows beforehand that he was a villain and he felt weak as the spider-man movies didn't critique Tony's involvement with the villains. On top of that the movie has no flair or great visuals, there is too much CGI with the illusions and he can't gab onto scene where Peter is trapped in a illusion as he himself prefers practical effects.

The characters don't grow, so the ending makes him feel nothing. Peter doesn't act like a kid in his age and all of the quipping is getting oldto him. Hitop thinks that the movie doesn't take SPider-mans character seriously and melodramatically comments that he felt so heartbroken that he doesn't want to go to watch the next Spider-Man movie.

His conclusion on *Far From Home* is the MCU Spider-Man movies tell kids that if they idolize millionaires, they get to beat up people that were fucked over by the millionaire and their bodyguard gets to fuck your aunt. You also won't learn same lessons/values from this Spider-Man as from the traditional or original working class version of the titular hero.

### On Subjectivity and *Daredevil*

> *"You are entitled to your opinion in most cases, but not this one. Not to me. Objectively speaking, Daredevil is incredible..."*
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On EFAP 85, the EFAP crew took a quick look at Browntable's "The Fundamental Flaws of Spider-Man: Far From Home," in which HiTop was featured. During HiTop's portion of the video, he explained his fear of the lesson kids will take away from *Far From Home* being"if you idolize a billionaire just long enough, you'll be able to punch the people who were fucked over by that billionaire and his bodyguard will start fucking your mom." This take baffled the EFAP crew, Fringy specifically pointing out that HiTop was implying that the only thing to respect about Iron Man is the fact that he's a billionaire, not that he was a hero and that's the reason why Peter respects him. This couldn't be further from the truth, as MauLer points out, the reason the people in the audience love Iron Man because he was a hero, not because he was a billionaire. And in a surprising turn of events, Jay was able to make an insightful comment that summed up HiTop's commentary that impressed even Fringy: "The problem with *Far From Home* is that if you simplify the worldview that it presents, it gives you a simplistic worldview." Later on Twitter, in response to the (what you could call) controversy on his statements about *Far From Home*, specifically the Iron Man billionaire statements, HiTop had this to say:

> "And as an FYI... I don't think kids will \*actually\* start punching the working class because of these movies. 'Twas a joke. The point was that they sure as heck won't get the same lessons and values they would from the traditional/original working class hero, in my honest opinion."
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HiTop's simplistic worldview would become even more troubling as the video continued, as he shared his perspective on opinions, saying "I don't care if you love this movie. I truly could not care less." But Fringy wouldn't be fooled by this web of lies, as he quickly referenced HiTop's Twitter where he commented that he thought it was great that other people loved it. "If you have an opinion, then you care," Fringy deposited while chastising HiTop for trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. HiTop was bothered by the MCU Spider-Man movies being the most successful, and it bugged him that people are going to assume that MCU Spider-Man is what Spider-Man is, evidenced by all of the videos in which he criticizes, complains and laments everything about MCU Spider-Man. MauLer points out that HiTop (and Browntable) doth protest too much in the video and are trying to pretend like it doesn't bother them when people like something they hate, reassuring that it's normal to not like it when people love something you hate

HiTop goes on to say "You should not care that I don't love this movie. Because they are our feelings to have, our opinions to keep and to hold and to cherish. And that's a wonderful thing", causing Fringy to respond that the sentiment was really naïve. ThatStarWarsGirl correctly pointed out that if he didn't care then he wouldn't make a video on it, but seeing as he did, he must care. Jay added that if no one should care what HiTop (and Browntable) think of the movie then why are they watching him explain it to them?

But the nail in the coffin for HiTop was found in another of his own videos, titled "We Don't Deserve DAREDEVIL". MauLer brought it in to cross-reference to HiTop's perspective on opinions and film criticism in Browntable's *Far From Home* video. In the Daredevil video, HiTop says:

> "Oh and if you haven't watched [Daredevil] yet because it's 'too slow' or 'boring', no. Just, no. You are entitled to your opinion in most cases, but not this one. Not to me. Objectively speaking, Daredevil is incredible..."
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This was a hard contradiction that completely dismantled his previous claims of opinions and feelings, proving that he truly did protest too much and he really was lying before. Rags comments that EFAP has said this for a long time now, "Everyone agrees with us, the just aren't willing to recognize where the line is", but Jay, in another startling moment of insight, brings up that HiTop doesn't agree with EFAP, because he has said Daredevil is objectively not boring, something EFAP would never say. MauLer posits, "If someone tells me they didn't like Daredevil because they found it boring, I'd be like, 'Yeah, that's fine. Whatever' ", to which the entire cast agreed. Fringy was quick to add that boring is entirely subjective, "boring is a feeling". Rags comments that everyone that disagrees with them on objectivity "just has to find their thing and then all of a sudden everything they've been saying just goes out the window", while MauLer adds, "You can find anything boring, anyone can, it's very possible".

Finally, Fringy points out the irony that the one time HiTop jumps to the side of objectivity, he says it in reference to something that is categorically subjective, to which MauLer adds that is what the people who disagree with them on objectivity usually do. Jay reminds everyone that "This is the fucker who when I made my response to him was like 'it's all just opinions, bro' ".

This moment forever stands as the hypocritical contradiction concerning HiTop and his perspective on film criticism, subjectivity vs objectivity, and art.

### On the Kinda Wonderful-ness of *WW84*

> "Movies aren’t about logic and plot. That’s why I almost never talk about those things. They are about emotion and feeling"
> "It was the best kind of insanity"
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MauLer, Rags, Metal, Southpaw, and Weekend next encountered HiTop on EFAP 119, where they took a look at his video **"Wonder Woman 1984 is (Kinda) Wonderful"**. Before making his video, HiTop tweeted about how much he loved it and sneered at people that were coming to dissect his thought and feelings, picking at every word he makes and so on, but refuting the fact that it would bother him, just saying that those people bring him views and money. Next time someone did this, he got defensive over it and later tweeted that writers don't ask other writers whether they redrafted their scripts or not. From his point of view, its easier to hate something with veil of superiority than to empathize art from understanding. He thinks that everyone that won't like *Wonder Woman 1984* are just hating it for sake of hating and not trying to understand what feelings it tries to provoke.

People think that the movie makes no logical sense and don't even wait a week to make their videos on how stupid the movie is, but he gets the emotion and sees the critique, but there is no reason to be mad at someones emotional response to someones reaction to art. And he is not mad at those people, not at all. As he thought the movie was (kinda) wonderful.

All superhero movies are cut from the same cloth, so they take cues from one another. 1984 is made in style of the campy superhero movies like the original Superman, where they are not afraid to be comic book movie, embracing the cheese and silliness that's well aware of its of campiness. The movie is still about heroism, honest human heroism. Like the moment when Wonder Woman is trying to save people form being attacked by Cheetah, because its not their fault for attacking, as they are under a spell (mind you she has had attacked and killed people that she could have just knocked out, like collapsing a church on top of one German soldier, when she believes that they are under Aries control).

It was good for her to act heroic after one scene of magical rock exposition, which he described as the whole movie.

Director says that Wonder Woman doesn't punch people in the face as its not the most effective way to stop people (she does do that and worse, as its been effective way to stop them). She also doesn't stomp on peoplse chest to get information like Batman, (which would be redundant when she has lasso that forces people to tell the truth). HiTop thinks from this contradictory ecplonation that this "nicer" super heroin is good foil to the other heroes in movies, wheres the likes of Batman are breaking bones and Iron-Man shoots missiles, Wonder Woman saves Doctor Poison (after murdering dozens of 18 year old German conscript soldiers by punching them), HiTop thinks people gravitated to her because she did no solve everything by using violence (showing how perceptive he is). She is fighting with love and empathy, something that makes HiTop like the first film, something that he equates to other people experiencing as well, (even though most of the people just liked the movie because it was overall better than Batman v Superman).

Pedro Pascal was chewing the scenery, which was good to HiTop and might not work for others, as he was having fun when actor was having fun. Character of Maxwell Lord is contrast to old school Lex Luthor who wants power for powers sake, while we know why Max wants what he wants, he is victim that wants to victimize (Snyders Luthor was also victim f abusive father and we knew why he hated Superman), someone that wants to live the American dream of power, to be what his power was trying to be but never became.

To make good movies of superheroes, you have to make simple messages, try to appeal to everyone but also make something that you love. Its "fundamentally, profusely clear" that the director loves the character of Wonder Woman, the very basic things like her inspiring bravery and love in the viewer.

Most of the movie is not afraid to be a comic book and its worse parts are the ones that are jaded. People are going to hate things like a magic wish granting rock, but then you should also hate the radioactive spider or baby from planet Krypton which they don't. You are not mad at the rock, you are mad that nobody explain to you how it works and spends 20 minutes explaining it to you (even thought he says there was scene of explaining the rock). All he needs to know is that there is a rock that grants wishes with consequences, which is all he needs. If we boy the Lasso of Truth, then we should buy the rock. that goes with Steve Trevor's return, we need no explanation of why it puts his mind in another persons body, you don't need to know why, it's a magic fucking rock.

Nobody really cares how Steve is back, only thing people should care is what it means for him to be back. He cares about how he and Diana love each other and are spending time together, don't think about the mechanics, just enjoy the scenes with the two of them. Just let the movie be absurd. (so let Wonder Woman rape a man whose name we never even get).

Most people issues are that the screen play feels rough, like they were shooting the billion dollar sequel too soon.

He likes the Cheetah for the camp and for being like Batman Return Selina Kyle shout-out and for her character arc of being nice and then becoming violent person that resent the world for being cat-called and now is lashing out. He does not like how the movie portrays her as villainous for "beating a abuser to a pulp", not because the message of love over hate, but this scene should not mark her decent to villainy as she is not a villain but a victim of not being noticed and being looked down upon. Its lazy that she lost her empathy when she got her power, which was part of how the magical wish granting rock works, but he himself said you should ignore the rock. He would have wanted her to be on character arc and not be magic, but to him how the rock works does not matter, so he contradicts himself once more.

Thinks the visual story telling is good in this movie, but they tried to put too much ideas in the movie, so it feels cluttered, so they could not be as subtle and concise. Movies heart and soul steal the show, which he equates to colors and music.

The fight scenes are not bad as they work as breather to the drama. There are long takes on actors faces to see their emotions. The fights have lot of crazy wire work, which is callback to original Superman movies (apparently). Its just fun to see them do crazy things and breaking all the laws of physics. Its not same CGI mess that the other movies are, full of CGI character, effects, armies as gunk cluttering his sense. He believes that the director thinks so too. He hates the Cheetah fight used CGI, but at least it was quickly over.

He likes that every action Diana does in movie to help and save people. He does not remember the last superhero movie where there was lot of shots of normal people, of us. Living, Laughing, Loving, things that people forget about.

Like when she falls of a horse as a child, she pushes on after she looses Steve once more, moving forward even when she knew she lost.

He loves when superheroes talk to the villains in the end of the film instead of just "apathetically punching them". This movie end with the hero talking to people, to us, about how world is cruel place but we should just persevere with love, that we all be good and wonderful if we just care. We all take our loss and learn soar in the sky, look down and help other to rise up when they are down.

Thinks he never talks about logic, as movies are about emotion and feeling, two completely different things. Then he went to bathroom to take one shit and twitter exploded, berating him for his comment. But the truth is that the movie is never completely about the logic and plot, they are needed to create a reaction and to support that reaction, but that is not what art is about. This movie does not focus on plot, logic or realism, it cares about making you feel, wrapping you in the earnest lasso of truth. The story might get in the way of that (his words). He had feelings and emotions while watching the movie, which is (Kinda) wonderful.

### on *Falcon and The Winter Soldier*

MauLer, Rags, and Fringy next encountered HITop on EFAP 136, where the triple-threat covered a triple-threat of videos on *Falcon and the Winter Soldier*, one of which was HiTop's.

Thinks that TFATWS is a movie for some reason

Is happy that there are finally relatable things in the MCU, like Falcon having money problems

### on the (Kinda) Fixedness of *No Way Home*'s Spider-Man

He hates the movie for not having artistic visions and hated it overall, but started to like it more when characters from the 5 previous spider-man films started to appear, but its still not good enough for him, as he doesent like them interacting with MCU, where its eating a restaurant food in a toilet.

He was most happy when Spider-Man lost an Uncle Ben analogue (as Tony Stark didn't count for him) and was even more over them moon that spider-man now has no friend and no money and has to live in a dingy apartment

### Accusations of Multiversicide

> "Oh no it's the shoe, oh no!"
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Part 2 of EFAP 250 concluded with a long-awaited return to HiTop, where MauLer, Rags, Fringy, Metal, Meme, Az. Weekend, MarcTheCyborg, and Glidus took a look at his video "We Killed the Multiverse." HiTop began by recounting how Hollywood found another way to take our money and we were duped, prompting MauLer to ask just who was duped by *The Flash*, while Rags maligned the people saying Phase 4 of the MCU is bad now after having previously praised each release. HiTop asked if any of these movies other than *Spider-Verse* or *Everything Everywhere All At Once* had anything to say, to which Fringy answered that he would gladly say *No Way Home* did, with MauLer adding that even something like *The Flash* had something to say, it just sucked. His description of multiverse movies as "stale on arrival" was confusing, since he and EFAP alike seemed to agree that *Into the Spider-Verse*, the film that kicked off the trend, was anything but stale. Regardless, something far more important took the spotlight - *Raid Shadow Legends*, the sponsor of this video!

After teaching everyone that *Raid Shadow Legends* has over 700 unique characters, HiTop assured them that he would not be upset if people didn't like his video, then mourned the lost potential of *The* *Flash* to "create imagery" by using some actual Flash villains, and while MauLer argued that a newly-created villain, or even someone like Zod, could be just as memorable as a classic Flash villain if written well, the gang was still able to sympathize with the befuddlement at *The Flash* being so focused on things unrelated to the Flash. HiTop's next big gripe was with Tom Holland's Spider-Man's first Green Goblin being the one from the Sam Raimi films, rather than allowing John Watts the chance to make his own Goblin, to which MauLer countered that both of those things can happen, the previous two films by Watts had villains in them not used in other movies, and Watts may very well have considered working with Willem DaFoe to be a golden opportunity, with Marc adding that Peter's history with this Norman Osborne could paint his view of that world's one. HiTop did consider that Watts may get his chance at his own Green Goblin, but argued that that Goblin would not be the one who killed Aunt May, with Meme and MauLer both arguing that Peter has plenty of other loved ones he could harm. HiTop bemoaned that the MCU's Peter relearned (a phrasing MauLer took issue with since responsibility is a nuanced subject, and every Spider-Man sequel so far has introduced tests that value) the lesson on responsibility from someone else's villain, raising the question of what was wrong with that, with Fringy also adding that by antagonizing MCU Peter, DaFoe's Goblin became his villain. HiTop considered it irrelevant how well it was executed, since regardless a director's vision was overwritten, raising the question of why Green Goblin being a character from another movie barred it from being Watts' vision, and if that meant characters like Loki or Thanos would fall into the same category. He chalked this decision up to the belief that there was no point in even bothering trying to outdo Dafoe's Goblin, rather than the other possibility that they just saw an opportunity to do more with him, especially since as Marc pointed out now would be the ideal time to do so before the actors got too old.

HiTop figured that at least *Multiverse of Madness* tried to say something thematically, raising the question of why that was the only movie to get that concession, Fringy pointing out that even *The Flash* tried to say something, it just failed. He also noted how despite spanning multiple realities, these movies show us nothing different, with what was ostensibly the world of Tim Burton's *Batman* lacking its aesthetic and looking no different than the DCEU's, and MauLer and Co were happy to see that he did not exempt the world where traffic lights are reverse colors in *Multiverse of Madness* from this criticism. Oddly enough though, he also applied this criticism to *No Way Home* (complete with the 2 poorly-composited shots everyone uses to make this point), despite that film not taking place in another universe, with MauLer also noting that he'd previously complained about too much of the Raimi movies being in that movie.

HiTop concluded that the amount of money, talent, and resources put into these films was irrelevant since the studios just use them as cynical cashgrabs, and the B-roll he used of the sequelbait from *Amazing Spider-Man 2* only helped further undermine his point by showing the issue had nothing to do with the multiverse. Metal pointed out that the reason studios get away with this is because people like HiTop praise their films upon release only to realize they're bad after the fact, MauLer elaborating that the only one he didn't praise was *The Flash*, which Fringy pointed out was the one that killed the hype among general audiences, in stark contrast with the "stale on arrival" descriptor from earlier. HiTop seemed to even admit to this, saying that despite the cynicism "we" keep giving them our money and "we" will be sucked in to see them again, which nobody watching agreed with. He ended with an anecdote of him and his friends fantasizing about different actors' portrayals of superheros crossing over with each other, but knowing even as children that something like that happening in real life would be stupid, something Marc doubted since he seemed the type to cream himself at each of these releases. With the video over, MauLer breathed a sigh of relief, and everybody else was similarly exhausted by all the preceding melodrama

## Trivia

* Wolf has analyzed HiTop's hair follicles and determined that he would pull off a hell of a Tonald beard [EFAP 45]
* He doesn't believe in bad, but does not practice what he preaches, describing things as bad constantly. He simply wants to hide the fact that he likes bad movies by claiming that others are wrong and that "Art is Subjective", while making Objective claims.
* Advises his audience to smoke pot or drink beer to calm down.
* He doesn't care about the MCU Spider-Man, and doesn't care if others care, it's his opinion and he is entitled to it. But you are not entitled to think that the *Daredevil* Netflix show is boring or slow
* His videos look like tetanus in video form or like a puddle of grease. He has editing for the sake of it, like going from red lighting to blue lighting with each cut, with no rhyme or reason. He probably has those weird lights in his own house and it's not intentional.
* He does not care about action, and since he was a kid he fast-forwarded action scenes to watch the drama in superhero movies. Also the reason why he was bullied as a kid.
* He pops popcorn with no lid on, letting the popcorn fly around his room
* He takes only one shit when he goes to the bathroom.
* Steve Trevor having sex in another person's body is not a bad thing or rape, and thinks people are comparing it to a real terrible thing is not okay. It's just a "weird body swap gag"
* He has a Spider-Man plush on his Christmas tree instead of a star
* Don't ask if he edits his videos or redrafts them, because you don't ask questions like that from other writers. It's offensive
	+ In his *Wonder Woman 1984* video, he has two soundtracks playing at the same time on the background, but don't point that out, as it would be offensive
* Him and Charles "Charlie" Xavier are on a first-name basis, at least he seems to think so

## Quotes

* "But the truth is, I still clogged the fucking toilet" "... I don't think that would clog the toilet" - HiTop and MauLer, EFAP 44
* "just because you reference Ferris Bueller doesn't make you Ferris Bueller" - EFAP 44
* "My fear, is that the lesson kid's will gain from this Spider-Man, is that if you idolize a billionaire just long enough, you'll be able to punch the people who were fucked over by that billionaire and his bodyguard will start fucking your mom"
* "Spider-Man is a tale about growing up, so why can't these films be more grown-up?"
* "Spider-Man isn't two-dimensional, so why can't these films have dimension?"
* "If someone does not love what they are making, then why the hell are they making it?"
* "Comic books are so fucking dumb, but so goddamn amazing" - EFAP 119
* "Movie does not care if audience thinks that it's dumb or silly, it is what it is: unashamed, uncompromised"
* "You're not mad at the wishing rock, you're mad that the movie doesn’t trust you to understand the damn rock" - EFAP 119
* "I don’t care about how Steve is back, you don’t care about how Steve is back, we care about what him being back means" - EFAP 119
* "Colors explode, heart and soul"
* "Oh no it's the shoe, oh no!" - Rags, EFAP 250
* "Nothing is ever as powerful as our dreams"
* "I meant stale on the arrival of the stale ones" - MauLer, applying HiTop's teachings
* "I think we happened"
 "It's not fault if you give me a glass of- if you give me granny's peach tea, and I drink it, and I spit it out, because I'm like 'Oh wait, this isn't granny's peach tea at all, this is ur-ine,' you can't blame me for spitting it out, you gave me piss!"
 - HiTop and Rags
* "But first, can you imagine if Raid Shadow Legends-"
 "[uproarious cheering]"
 - HiTop and everyone
* "This video is very much for me to vent, and I hope you're willing to follow along, but if not, thanks for being you"
 "I kinda despise what you do, but you're welcome"
 - HiTop and Rags
	+ "This video's about you being at fault, but thanks for being you" - Az
	+ "Don't worry, I'm not big mad when you call me a hack cuck" - Fringy
* "All the potential to create imagery"
* "Well, we liked Zod in *Man of Steel*, right?"
 "I did fucking not, by the way! What is this 'we'?"
- HiTop and Weekend
	+ "What do- I'm sor- 'WE'? 'WE'?"
	+ "What is this 'we'?... Stop saying 'we,' this is a fucking consoomer mindset"
	+ "'We'? Shut up with this 'we'!"
	+ "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WE'? WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WE'? I did not fucking clap at the end of *Flash* goddammit"
	+ "What is this 'we,' Mr Top?"
	+ "What is this fucking 'we'?"
	+ "'We'? Stop it!"
* "Out of all the DCEU villains, he was probably most definitely the best"
 "Probably most definitely?"
 - MauLer
* "A filmmaker, a writer, a storyteller"
 "You don't have to do that - 'a filmmaker, a writer, a storyteller' - you can just say like, a filmmaker"
 - HiTop and Fringy
* "Why, in the middle of a Doctor Strange movie about happiness, is Patrick Stewart there to get his neck snapped?"
* "even if it happened so briefly by the need to play the hits - Charles Xavier, Captain Carter, Black Bolt-"
 "I'm sorry, 'play the hits - Captain Carter'?"
 - HiTop and MauLer
	+ "Do we really care to see any of these characters other than Charlie? Probably not, so why?"
	 "He just described them as the greatest hits"
	 - HiTop and MauLer

* "the least common denominator"
* "Let's go to 'Hi Top Flam'- no, sorry- 'Hi Top Film Spider-Man'" - Rags
* "It feels like want to shut that damn door and go back to self-contained stories that actually have something to say" "You already said MoM had something to say, you can't go back on that. Like, they all had stuff to say, some of it was cringe" - HiTop and MauLer
* "I think I've profiled him. He's been on a couple dates where he showed the girl his video, or guy I dunno what he's into, and they were like, 'oh my god, you read things so poetically and nice,' and he started playing it more and more to the point that it's become this" - MarcTheCyborg, EFAP 250