Fans cannot unsee the uncanny resemblance between The Polar Express and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Fans usually revisit their favorite movies during Christmas, often notice some subtle details, and sometimes make outright haunting observations while rewatching classics. One such incident is quickly taking over the internet as fans spot a surprising similarity between a Christmas movie starring Tom Hanks and Peter Parker from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Recently, a fan shared their comparison of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 with The Polar Express, a beloved Christmas classic featuring the voice of Tom Hanks. After seeing the comparison, some fans cannot shake it off, while others have resorted to creating their own headcanons about the connection between the two pieces of popular media. Here is everything you need to know about the similarity between The Polar Express and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

Fans Spot a Haunting Similarity Between The Polar Express and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

The Polar Express and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 could not be more different from one another. While the former is a beloved Christmas movie from the early 2000s, the latter is a more recent video game based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Therefore, the internet was surprised when an uncanny similarity between the two popped up on X.

Hero Boy in The Polar Express

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, The Polar Express is an animated adventure film based on the 1985 children’s book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. It follows an unnamed protagonist, dubbed “Hero Boy.” However, a fan recently took to X to share the uncanny resemblance between Hero Boy and Peter Parker, particularly the version that appears in Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

watched the polar express for the first time and couldn’t shake the fact that the main character looks like insomniac peter parker pic.twitter.com/QiXlFWmngd

— Skyler (@StanNajimi) December 26, 2023

In the film, Tom Hanks voices the adult version of Hero Boy while Daryl Sabara voices the child version. Actor Josh Hutcherson provided motion capture for the child version of Hero Boy, which is now being compared to the adult version of Peter Parker from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Yuri Lowenthal voices Peter Parker in the Insomniac game. Interestingly, Hutcherson was once in consideration for playing Peter Parker / Spider-Man on the big screen.

Peter Parker and Hero Boy Comparisons Spark Hilarious Fan Reactions

Peter Parker in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Despite sharing no apparent connection, the uncanny resemblance between Peter Parker and Hero Boy has stumped fans over social media. Here’s what fans are saying about the discovery on X.

Now I can’t unsee this too 😂

— 🖇🅽🆃🅷🖤🅽🆈 (@MasterOfAnthony) December 26, 2023

They never explicitly use a name for the polar express kid, his credit is “hero boy” , so it’s very possible it is Peter Parker

— Randon Lopez (@RandonLopez) December 26, 2023

When Disney gets the rights to this movie they’ll say that if was in fact Peter Parker

— Pop Whisperer (@DimitriusCastro) December 26, 2023

omg you’re right I can’t unsee it that fever dream of a film was a canon event

— Shaheena Uddin (@shaheenauddin) December 26, 2023

Then it’s him… duh same universe cuz Tom hanks looks like the polar express conductor in real life.

— jeffjeff (@jojobolick) December 27, 2023

As the tweets suggest, fans are equal parts surprised and amused by the similarity between Peter Parker and Hero Boy. Some have even gone as far as to theorize that they are the same character. Ultimately, the similarity is nothing more than a funny coincidence that has brought out some holiday season joy among fans of The Polar Express and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.