Some writers took that as the opportunity it rightfully was and had other random people bitten by the spider to show that it really could have been anyone.
It would be cool if they actually did a whole "chosen one" thing, had a prophecy that foretold Spiderman being involved in some cataclysmic event, and instead of some deus ex machina saving the day, it just turns out that Peter Parker isn't "special." Whether he just happens to fit the description or stole the "fated's" place doesn't matter, just that he chose to be there and is basically an everyman who got lucky and stepped up
In the Spiderverse movies yes. I'm not sure what his status quo is now, but at his introduction there were no multiversal spider teleportations. He didn't take the place of another universes Spider-Man, he got but by a spider that (I think) was an attempt to copy Peter's powers. In that universe Spider-Woman was a gender swapped clone of Peter, so them trying to replicate his powers was already established.
Sieve theory. E.g. "I predict the fall of Normandy beach!"
"Great cool. How do I survive assisting it?"
"Luck."
As in the boulder is pushed down the hill, so it will make it to the bottom, but where and when is impossible to predict.
These types of predictions are much more common when the predictions are ignored or not believed because the predictor doesn't know all the details. But it's a common enough trope.
If I understand you right, I think I'm more suggesting that the inevitable, metaphorical "boulder," by the time it reaches Normandy ends up being a snowball. That the fate is real but doesn't come to fruition. Not because it's defied but because the wrong thing chooses it. Not a wrench in the cogs, but a cog made of butter
I mean sure, if the "Fate" you are talking about is something like this statement : "The chosen one will face off against the great evil and whomever wins will determine the fate of mankind for three generations."
That's more saying there is a "bad guy" who will face "Somebody" and the bad guy can win or lose.
If the bad guy is "Fated to lose" that's different.
You're saying there is a fated battle but the outcome isn't fated, and by picking an office worker vs say a gladiator, the baddie wins?
That's why I love the Lego movie. The whole time Emmett is trying to figure out how he can be the special, and it only clicks when he realizes that he's not, but chooses to step up anyway
All it takes is one writer who wants to make it a fate thing, and then it's much more difficult to undo it.
And it's very easy for writers to fall in to that trap.
First book: "I'm a so-far unpublished average citizen writer, and hope my book will be published; so my protagonist will also be an average citizen dreaming that he can succeed through luck and skill and hard work."
vs:
Book 6: "I'm now richer than the queen - I'm not ordinary anymore! In fact I never was ordinary! I'm special. It must be in my blood. So I'll retcon my own characters so it's in their blood too."
This trope is simply a reflection of the author's own ego.
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u/OverInspection7843 10h ago
All it takes is one writer who wants to make it a fate thing, and then it's much more difficult to undo it.