Marvel’s latest Spider-Man movie (subtitled “Far From Home”) is an enjoyable edition to the already vast “MCU.” It is entertaining, funny and has some great teachable moments.
Surprisingly, it even had some “saintly” cameos.
*Minor Spoilers Ahead
For starters, Peter Parker heads out on a high-school trip to Venice, Italy. Not surprisingly, various Catholic churches are seen throughout this part of the film. However, there is no Christian iconography on screen until the tour group is about to head out on an unexpected detour.
They are about to board a bus and behind them in a “street shrine” (very common throughout Italy) that features none other than St. Thérèse of Lisieux!!!!
The moment lasts about 2 minutes, but you can clearly see the statue of the Little Flower behind Peter Parker. She is a very fitting saint to be associated with the “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man,” who desires above all else to live a simple life.
Fast-forward to the end of the movie and MJ (played by actress Zendaya) is wearing a t-shirt that is partially covered by her coat. However, it is clearly St. Joan of Arc!!! (You can see a clearer image of the t-shirt here.)
There was almost a third cameo, as the movie starts with a statue of a woman, who looks very much like the Blessed Virgin Mary. However, it was likely just a statue of a woman.
While these “cameos” have no bearing on the film, it is fun to see these two saints appear in a very popular and relatively wholesome movie (interestingly enough, these saints are coincidentally very much connected).
If you are interested in learning more about St. Joan of Arc, check out our upcoming comic book on the life of St. Joan of Arc!
And if you want to get that “MJ look,” here is a t-shirt that is nearly identical to the t-shirt she wears in the movie.
Philip Kosloski
Philip Kosloski is the founder of Voyage Comics & Publishing and the writer and creator of the comic book series, Finnian and the Seven Mountains.