"I Can't Interfere, It's A Canon Event" — People Online Are Discussing "Canon Events" In Real Life Thanks To The New "Spider-Man" Movie, And It Makes Me Feel So Much Better About Every Embarrassing Thing I've Ever Done

    "When my middle school sister is in the phase where she takes selfies and covers her face (I can't do anything because it's a canon event)."

    Shelby Heinrich
    by Shelby Heinrich

    BuzzFeed Staff

    IDK if you've noticed, but there's been a lot of talk about "canon events" on TikTok lately.

    20th Century Fox

    And if you're sitting there like, "what the heck is a canon event???" Fear not. This post is here to help.

    @emma_r043 / Via tiktok.com

    Basically, a canon event is something that has to happen in your life/storyline in order to build character and make you who you are. The concept of canon has ties to anime and superhero movies and has become popular thanks to Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, which was released earlier this month. Here's a slightly spoiler-y explainer on how it relates to the film:

    I haven't seen Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse yet, but I can guess that the canon events they reference are probably the spider bite, Uncle Ben dying, etc.

    Further proof:

    @emma_r043

    To get an explanation straight from the youth of today, my coworker even asked her Gen Z son what a canon event means, and he graciously gave this input:

    Krista Torres/BuzzFeed / Via tiktok.com

    So there you have it: An event that might not always be the most fun or comfortable, but it has to happen because it'll make you who you are and contribute to your growth. Kind of like "everything happens for a reason."

    Now, because TikTok is TikTok, people have turned this idea into a trend where they point out embarrassing, cringe, and/or damaging behavior and say they can't intervene, because it's a "canon event," and we all have to experience it and learn.

    For example, who among us didn't buy a "lifeguard" sweatshirt while we were in middle school?

    Nycshooter / Getty Images/iStockphoto

    Or take selfies with our hands in front of our faces to seem *mysterious*?

    NBC

    Or with our tongues out to seem *quirky*?

    Some canon events have to do with dating, like this grave mistake every woman I know (including me) has made:

    Or going absolutely feral after a breakup:

    Other canon events have to do with your education and life choices, all in the name of ✨coming of age✨:

    OK, as an eldest daughter, I can confirm that this is DEFINITELY a canon event:

    @elchyxo

    oops sorry girl its canon !! ps if this is you please go to therapy I promise it helps. Especially if youre going through anything above… okay? okay! #cannonevent #spiderman #eldestdaughter #therapy #canonevent #intothespiderverse

    ♬ Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O'Hara) - Daniel Pemberton

    At this point, canon events have also made their way over to Twitter, where people are sharing even more things they "can't interfere" with, lest they mess with someone's personal growth and storyline.

    me when i see a teenage girl listen to fallingforyou by the 1975 for the first time (i can’t interfere it’s a canon event)

    — emelia🎀 (@silkychiffon) June 20, 2023
    Twitter: @silkychiffon

    person who grew up on the west coast wants to move to nyc (can't interfere, it's a canon event)

    — priya (@prtwoa) June 17, 2023
    Twitter: @prtwoa

    Even Nickelodeon has gotten in on the trend!

    watching a tourist continuously miss their bus (can't interfere it's a canon event) pic.twitter.com/MtWddqblOA

    — Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon) June 16, 2023
    Twitter: @Nickelodeon

    Personally, this makes me feel a lot better about my life! Sure, that situationship in college and me spilling coffee all over myself this morning weren't great, but they were *canon events* — they made me who I am today!!!

    HBO

    So, remember: Any time you experience something embarrassing/cringe/unpleasant, it's just a canon event! It's all for the plot. Don't even sweat it bb. <3