Marvel’s first Russian-language song appears in ‘Spider-Man’: who is anti-war singer Monetochka?
Monetochka’s 'Monopoly' plays during a Brighton Beach scene, giving the Marvel film a rare Russian-speaking cultural touch while spotlighting an exiled artist punished for opposing the war
In the film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, a few seconds of the Russian song Monopoly, performed by exiled singer Monetochka, have become a culturally resonant moment. The track, which condemns Russia's invasion of Ukraine, plays during a scene where Tom Holland's Peter Parker arrives in Brighton Beach to meet Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, a Russian former Black Widow assassin.
The inclusion of Monetochka's music introduces the song to a global audience and marks a milestone for the singer, who has become associated with anti-war activism and exile. Monetochka, whose real name is Yelizaveta Gyrdymova, was born in Yekaterinburg in 1998 and rose to fame through her politically-charged pop music that satirizes greed, corruption, and ruthless competition.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she publicly condemned the war, left Russia, and performed benefit concerts with Noize MC to aid Ukrainian refugees. Her AI-generated music video for Monopoly, however, received criticism for using artificial intelligence, which some argue threatens artists' livelihoods and carries environmental costs.
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