Fil-Canadian filmmaker debuts Filipino ‘Spider-Man’

Carlos Juico/YouTube

The Spider-Verse has just welcomed a new variant, and it’s Filipino!

Filipino Canadian content creator Carlos Juico unveiled his Filipino variant of “Spider-Man” in his debut fan film titled “Spider-Man: Raf.”

Directed and starring Juico himself, the film is a labor of love for him. Not only did he helm the project, but he also donned the iconic superhero suit for the titular role.

This independent, non-profit fan film stands apart from the Marvel and Sony franchises, offering a fresh perspective on the fan-favorite character.

In the film’s description, Juico wrote, “Rafael Montera, the yellow suit Spider-Man variant from Toronto, Canada. One of the very few Asian Spider-Man variants, and the one & only Filipino Spider-Man.”

Inspired by his Filipino heritage, the passionate filmmaker carefully incorporated cultural elements into the film, notably through the protagonist’s distinctive yellow costume, drawn from the St. Andrew Cross spider indigenous to the Philippines.

To further enhance the Filipino authenticity, select scenes were shot on location in the Philippines. The familiar settings were evident, with one scene depicting children playing with spiders as if it were a tournament—an ordinary day for Filipino kids.

Towards the end, viewers can see, presumably young Raf, reciting the “Our Father” in Bisaya (Ama Namin).

In February, the Fil-Canadian director premiered the film at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Net, sharing his excitement on Instagram: “This fan-film is about a Filipino Spider-Man set in Toronto. The Spider-Verse just got a new variant!”

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Since its premiere, “Spider-Man: Raf” has drawn audiences worldwide, amassing over 240K views on YouTube, where it is now available for viewing.

“For his first movie this is really good all around acting production camera angles,” one user commented.