In “Spider-Man: Far From Home”, broadcast this Sunday evening on TF1, Nick Fury quotes a reply to Peter Parker: “Worried is the head that wears a crown”. But where does it really come from?
In the feature film Spider-Man Far From Home, broadcast this Sunday evening on TF1, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) addresses Peter Parker (Tom Holland) by sending him a quote whose origin he does not explain ( apart from the fact that she does not come from Star Wars): “Worried is the head that wears a crown.” But where does it really come from?
This quote comes from a work by William Shakespeare and more particularly from the second part of the play Henry IV. As he utters this verse, King Henry is tired and feeling suffocated by everyone’s expectations of his decisions.
This indirectly echoes the famous line “With great powers come great responsibilities”. A quote from the comics Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962) then popularized by Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, stated by Ben Parker to his nephew.
Above all, in the post-Avengers: Endgame context, this sentence resonates in Parker’s ears, and corresponds perfectly to his state of mind, obliged as he is to bear the burden of being the “New Tony Stark”. Additionally, Peter is grieving, Stark having been close to him, serving as a sort of surrogate father.
All of this makes Spider-Man fall prey to doubt, and draws closer to the character of Henry IV who, in Shakespeare’s play, feels like a usurper to the point that he no longer sleeps at night. We can recognize the laudable intention of Marvel to convey in their film with worldwide repercussions a sharp literary reference.
Did you notice the little hidden details in “Spider Man: Far Frome Home”?