Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.’
Spider-Manfilm fans rejoice, becauseSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Versemakes more than a few connections to the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse. Multiverse storylines are pretty popular in the film industry right now, andSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseis partly responsible for that. The animated feature debut of the Friendly Neighbor Spider-Man united multiple variants of the beloved character on the big screen for the very first time, and to say Sony’s experiment was a success would be a colossal understatement.
Critics everywhere almost universally agree thatSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseisn’t just a greatSpider-Manfilm.It’s maybe the bestSpider-Manfilm ever made. Audiences clearly agree, with the film making over quadruple its budget at the international box office. If that incredible success wasn’t enough, things only got better for the hit film whenSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Versewon an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, a first for a film based on Marvel Comics. With success like that, it’s no wonder Sony quickly started working on a sequel and even incorporated multiverse storylines into their other films, such asSpider-Man: No Way Home. Sony’s biggest competitors, Marvel Studios and DC Studios, also decided it was time for them to get on the multiverse bandwagon, the former naming their latest batch of content “The Multiverse Saga” and the latter expanding on DC’s Elseworlds withThe Flash.
With the release ofSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse(which is already being billed as a worthy continuation of theSpider-Versetrilogy), the multiverse is getting bigger. The sequel features more than a few connections to both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the other live-action Marvel films under Sony’s banner. How many, you ask? Read below to find out.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.
“Don’t Even Get Me Started on Doctor Strange and the Little Nerd Back on Earth 19999!”
When Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), also known as Spider-Man 2099, slashes his way onto the screen, he drops the above quote that implies he’s well aware of the events ofSpider-Man: No Way Home. As fans of the highest-grossingSpider-Manfilm ever know, the MCU’s Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asks his fellow Avenger Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to make it so the world forgets Peter Parker is Spider-Man. The spell goes wrong, and instead brings in variants from live-action films of Spider-Man’s past. This includes not just other Peter Parkers, such asTobey MaguireandAndrew Garfield’s incarnations, but also some of Spidey’s greatest foes with Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Lizard (Rhys Ifans), Electro (Jamie Foxx), and Venom (Tom Hardy).
Strange and Parker succeed in sending the displaced variants home, but their tampering with the multiverse did not go unnoticed by Miguel O’Hara and his Spider Task Force.O’Hara doesn’t further expand on his disdain for the MCU’s heroes, but it’s abundantly clear that he thinks they cause far more harm than good.
The Spot Has a Brief Conversation with Mrs. Chen from ‘Venom’
The multiverse’s next big threat is The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), who has vowed vengeance on Miles Morales (ShamiekMoore) for turning him into a freak. He aims to do this by utilizing his new dimension-hopping abilities to gain as much power as possible to destroy everything that his Spider-Man loves. When testing this theory for the first time, Spot hops into a couple of different universes, the first being the 1930s cell-shaded one from the originalSpider-Mancomics and a universe made entirely out of LEGO bricks.
The third place Spot visits is that of Sony’s villainverse, which is comprised of theVenomfilms,Morbius, and the upcomingKraven the Hunter. Though instead of bumping into Eddie Brock or Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), Spot instead has a conversation with Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu) — the woman that runs the store that Eddie Brock frequents. The sequence features Mrs. Chen appearing unimpressed with the annoying man who just warped into her reality.
Donald Glover Reprises Aaron Davis from ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’
Marvel fans have been eager to see more ofDonald Glover’s small but significant character fromSpider-Man: Homecoming, but Aaron Davis has been missing in action from the franchise since his debut in 2017. Aaron Davis' appearance represents big things for the MCU. Not only is he destined to become Cinematic Universe’s version of The Prowler, but he also confirms that Miles exists in the MCU when he tells Peter Parker he has a nephew.Over half a decade later, we finally get an answer for where he’s been after Peter said “Bye, Mister Criminal.”
The MCU’s Aaron Davis (played once again by Glover) somehow ended up in a holding cell in Neuva York - the home base of Spider-Man 2099’s task force. This time, Davis is clearly clad in purple armor, indicating that he’s begun his career as the technologically advanced master thief known as The Prowler. Davis has a brief conversation with Miles, not realizing that the animated person he’s speaking to is his nephew from another universe. Hopefully, when the Spider-Corps send Davis back, we’ll see him put his skills to work as The Prowler in the MCU.
Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Return to the Marvel Multiverse
Since they appeared inSpider-Man: No Way Home, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s variants of Peter Parker are technically a part of the MCU. Many assumed their stories were done after their appearance in Tom Holland’s third Spidey film, yetAcross the Spider-Verseshows they’re still a vital part of the multiverse.
While we don’t get any new footage from them, we do see them again through some key moments in their lives, which Spider-Man 2099 refers to as “canon events.“For Andrew Garfield, we see his heartbreaking final moments with Captain George Stacy (Denis Leary). For Tobey Maguire, we see him consoling a dying Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson) shortly after he was shot. Their roles in theSpider-Versefilms have been small thus far, but their inclusion is still certainly exciting.
Will We Ever See Miles and His Amazing Friends Come to the MCU?
TheSpider-Versetrilogy doesn’t have any direct involvement with the Marvel Studios, and thus stands largely apart from the MCU.However, given that the MCU is in the middle of its Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios partnering with Sony doesn’t sound out of the question.Also, as mentioned earlier, we know Miles exists in the MCU and may very well appear in another feature. Even better, Sony producerAmy Pascalhas teased that a project involvinga live-action Miles Morales is currently in the works. Whether this is the MCU’s Miles, the Spider-Verse’s Miles, or a new Miles altogether isn’t known yet. Still, it’s thrilling to think we’ll see this fan-favorite character come to life soon.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseis now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
