Spider-Man Is Back at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, and Has Not Skipped Leg Day

Spider-Man has been a stalwart of Macy’s Thanksgiving parade balloons. The webslinger first appeared at the parade in 1987, making annual appearances until he was retired 11 years later–before returning again in 2009, and being retired once more in 2014. Now, he’s back for this week’s parade for the first time in a decade, and looking, well… particularly toned. And there’s actually a very good reason for that.

“It was John [Romita Sr] the whole way through. I think we knew early on that this was the approach, the style,” Will Coss, an executive producer at Macy’s, told Polygon of just why Spider-Man’s amply defined thighs were a, well, defining aspect of the new balloon design. “Once we had an opportunity to confirm that we were going to be fortunate enough to have Spider-Man return to the parade, we keyed in on it early.”

It marks the first time the Macy’s Spider-Man balloon has been designed after a specific comic artist’s take on the character, rather than a generic one. From the webslinging pose, to the smaller eye lenses, to yes, the immaculately sculpted balloon-musculature, they’re all evocative of Romita’s definitive stylization of Spider-Man–and a fitting tribute to his legacy and impact on the character, after Romita Sr. sadly passed away last year.

“We were fortunate enough to start these conversations with our friends on the Marvel side quite a bit ago,” Coss said of the process of bringing Spider-Man back to the parade after a 10-year absence. “It just took a little bit of time to key in on character and key in on the artistic approach.” You can see the new Spider-Man in action alongside the likes of Goku and more, in a video from a recent test flight for the 2024 parade from the Associated Press:

There’s myriad reasons a parade balloon needs to be retired after their tenure–general wear and tear, damage, maintenance needs. But hopefully Spidey’s legendary, helium-filled gams don’t get caught on anything that could take the wind out of his proverbial sails when he takes flight in tomorrow’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, which begins airing on NBC and Peacock tomorrow, November 28, from 8.30am ET.

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