The White House has sparked fresh controversy by using Spider-Man imagery in a social media campaign to promote U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities. The official White House Instagram account posted four images depicting Spider-Man's hand shooting a web, with the caption: 'Your friendly neighbourhood ICE agents.' The web is shown capturing a group of men, followed by an image of an ICE officer standing over them, alongside the text: 'Criminal illegal aliens will be caught and deported.'
Marvel Fans Demand Legal Action
Marvel, the owner of the Spider-Man franchise, has not yet issued a public response to the post. However, fans have taken to social media to urge the company to pursue legal action against the government for the unauthorized use of the character. The post has drawn widespread criticism, with many accusing the administration of trivializing immigration enforcement.
Not the First Time
This is not the first instance of the Trump administration using pop culture references in immigration-related messaging. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security released a video that spliced footage of immigrants being arrested with the Pokémon theme tune. The clip, captioned 'Gotta Catch 'Em All,' featured images of Ash Ketchum and Poké Balls intercut with scenes of individuals being handcuffed. At the end of the video, the arrested individuals were presented as mock Pokémon cards, listing their alleged crimes and displaying their national flags.
Pokémon Parody Details
Each card labeled the individuals as 'illegal' and included a 'weakness' symbol depicting ice, a dual reference to Pokémon's elemental typings and to ICE itself. The video also included references to serious offenses such as murder, manslaughter, human smuggling, child molestation, and pedophilia, prompting concerns about the suitability of the content for a family-friendly franchise.
Official Responses
The Pokémon Company International confirmed to Metro that it was not involved in the creation or distribution of the video. Pokémon is jointly owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures, and it is unlikely any of these companies would endorse such content given the franchise's family-oriented image. The White House has not commented on the backlash, and Marvel has remained silent as of this writing.
