Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now in theaters, and it’s already well on its way to exceeding the box-office performance of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It also seems like many moviegoers were surprised by the cliffhanger ending and the news that the sequel, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, is coming to theaters in less than a year.
Across the Spider-Verse has also left us with a lot of questions to be answered by Beyond the Spider-Verse. But we can’t address those issues without talking about some of the major developments in the film. So consider this your spoiler warning for Across the Spider-Verse if you haven’t seen it yet.
When does Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse come out?
Sony Pictures Animation has set a release date of March 29, 2024. Of course, preview screenings will begin on March 28, 2024.
Who wrote and directed Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse?
Keep in mind that Across the Spider-Verse and Beyond the Spider-Verse were initially conceived as a single movie. That’s one of the reasons why the ending of Across the Spider-Verse feels so abrupt. But the creative team is the same for both movies. Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson will direct the script from executive producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. David Callaham also co-wrote the script with Lord and Miller.
Who will star in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse?
One of the benefits of making two movies back-to-back is that the cast tends to be consistent. Such is the case here, as Shameik Moore will be back as two different versions of Miles Morales, alongside Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy, Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Morales, Luna Lauren Vélez as Rio Morales, Oscar Isaac as Spider-Man 2099/Miguel O’Hara, Issa Rae as Jessica Drew, Get Out‘s Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk, Karan Soni (Deadpool) as Spider-Man India, Shea Whigham as Captain George Stacy, and Jason Schwartzman as Jonathan Ohnn/The Spot.
Given the ending of Across the Spider-Verse, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, and John Mulaney will likely be back as Peni Parker, Spider-Man Noir, and Spider-Ham, respectively. It would be a huge mistake not to have them.
What’s the deal with Miles Morales’ evil variant?
The cliffhanger ending of Across the Spider-Verse left our Miles Morales stuck on an alternate Earth as a prisoner of a variant of his late uncle, Aaron Davis, and an evil version of Miles himself, who has assumed Davis’ previous supervillain persona, The Prowler. How did that happen? We can infer from the memorial to Miles’ dad, Jefferson, that he perished instead of Aaron, which is opposite of how things played out for Miles in Into the Spider-Verse.
Aaron’s variant in this movie is seen giving money to Miles’ mother, Rio, to help support her. He also speaks to Miles as if he and Miles’ variant are criminal partners in this world. That’s probably why the Miles of this world has so thoroughly embraced villainy. He also has a much heavier accent than Miles does. The only reason why Miles came to this world is because the spider that bit him was also from this version of Earth. The Spider Society’s Go Home Machine mistakenly read the DNA of the spider instead of Miles’ when it was deciding which planet to send him to.
The real question now is whether the variants of Aaron and Miles are capable of the type of redemption that Miles’ uncle Aaron experienced in Into the Spider-Verse? It’s certainly possible, but not necessarily probably.
Will the multiverse really collapse if The Spot doesn’t kill Miles’ dad?
Across the Spider-Verse puts forth the intriguing idea that the lives of Spider-Men and Spider-Women are defined by ongoing tragedies rather than the inciting tragedy that sparked their desire to be heroes. Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben almost always dies to inspire him to be a hero, although Peter’s Aunt May occasionally fills that role as well. The surprising part is that multiple Spideys lose the police captain in their lives. George Stacy, Gwen’s father and a police captain, has apparently died many times to fulfil that part of destiny.
For Miles, the stakes are higher because his police captain is also his father, Jefferson Morales. And according to Spider-Man 2099, if Miles saves his father from The Spot, then the multiverse (or Spider-Verse, if you prefer) may collapse. This is the major source of tension heading into Beyond the Spider-Verse. Gwen and Miles believe that this tragic destiny can be averted. But we’ll have to wait 10 months to find out if they are right.
Who is on Gwen’s new spider team?
By the end of the movie, Gwen was exiled from the Spider Society — kicked out of the band, so to speak. So she got her own band together. It happens so quickly on-screen that you may not have caught every character. Unsurprisingly, Gwen reached out to her friends from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to join her team and search for Miles. So while Spider-Ham and Spider-Man Noir were largely absent from the film, they’ll be back for Beyond the Spider-Verse alongside Peter B. Parker and his daughter, Mayday, as well as Spider-Man India, Spider-Punk, and Spider-Byte.
Presumably, Miles will join the team as well, once they catch up to him. And with Spider-Man 2099’s Spider Society still out hunting for Miles, a massive spider hero clash is likely on the horizon.
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