We’re a mere day out from an exciting return to the Spider-Verse franchise, and the energy in the Marvel zeitgeist is buzzing like never before; with the Marvel Cinematic Universe still in the process of finding its feet, a surefire, high-flying maverick in the form of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is even more welcome than it already would have been.
With Miles contending with his Spider-Man identity on top of being a teenager, things were hard enough before he got roped into the Spider-Society; a cross-dimensional common ground for Spider-People of all shapes and sizes led by the contentious Spider-Man 2099. And as if butting heads with the group’s explosive leader wasn’t enough of a headache, Miles will also have to contend with a brand new enemy in the form of the Spot, who looks all but ready to implode the multiverse in one fell swoop.
We’re sure it’s scarier from the perspectives of Miles, Gwen, and company, but longtime Spider-Man fans may have raised a few eyebrows when they spotted the Spot in those teaser trailers. Historically, the villain hasn’t exactly ranked high on the most-respected members of the web slinger’s rogue gallery.
But it’s exactly this reason that made the villain perfect for Across the Spider-Verse. In a recent interview with Fandango, producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller touched on the parallels between Miles and the Spot, noting how Miles’ goal of finding his feet as Spider-Man mirrors the Spot’s desire to be taken seriously as a villain.
Given the cosmic stakes at play, it will certainly be interesting to see how they clash with the more grounded dilemmas faced by Miles, the Spot, and any of the other 250 Spider-People who get wrapped up in this wave of Spider-Verse shenanigans. For all we know, the portal-hurling baddie could end up becoming a fan favorite for the first time in the character’s history.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse releases in theaters tomorrow, June 2.