Sony Pictures surprised audiences with the hit animated movie “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” in 2018. After already three incarnations of Peter Parker within the last 20 years, “Into the Spider-Verse” introduced fans to Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), the first Afro-Latino Spider-Man. Produced by the people who brought viewers “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” and “The Lego Movie” franchise, the film became a smash hit, grossing over $375.5 million worldwide.
The superhero movie was unique in its own right, not only due to it being the first animated Spider-Man film, but because of its animation style. Employing almost 800 animators, Sony Pictures took four years to complete the 1-hour, 57-minute film using comic book-like techniques to illustrate what it would look like if a comic book came to life. The innovative animation style led “Into the Spider-Verse” to win best animated feature at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, the 24th Critics’ Choice Awards and the 91st Academy Awards.
As previously mentioned, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” revolves around Morales, who, much like past Spider-Men, obtained his spider-like superpowers from getting bit by — you guessed it — a radioactive spider.
Fans rejoiced when it was announced on Twitter that a sequel to the critically acclaimed film was slated to release in April 2022.
With new threats looming for the new superhero, Morales will need all the help he can get to confront whatever troubles he may face in the “Into the Spider-Verse” sequel. At the end of the first film, it is revealed that Spider-Gwen finds a way to contact Morales despite being dimensions apart. This could mean that the other Spider-People will also find a way to travel across dimensions.
While each character introduced in the first film was entertaining and gave fans new iterations of the web slinger, it is unlikely that all of them will return in the sequel. The most likely to reappear are Peter B. Parker and Spider-Gwen, as they provided Morales with a mentor and a love interest, respectively.
The vacancy left by those who are not returning will make room for potentially more Spider-People to join forces with Morales, Parker and Gwen.
The post-credit scene of “Into the Spider-Verse” gave comic book fans a sneak peek at a familiar version of the webhead: Spider-Man 2099, played by “Star Wars” actor Oscar Isaac. Spider-Man 2099, also known as Miguel O’Hara, is exactly what his name implies — simply, he is a Spider-Man from the year 2099. One of the important bits of this scene is that O’Hara is revealed to have a prototype device that allows him to jump between dimensions autonomously, which could be what the other Spider-People will need to travel to and from Morales’ universe.
In an interview with Cinema Blend, co-producers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord said that they would like to see two other characters from the Spider-Man universe appear in the sequel, Silk and Spider-Punk.
Silk, or Cindy Moon, is depicted in comic books as a classmate of Peter Parker who got bit by the same radioactive spider that bit Parker. This is the only similarity the two have, however; soon after being bitten, Silk is put away in a windowless bunker to protect her from the supervillain Morlun.
In the 2014 comic book series “Spider-Verse,” Morlun commences a purge known as the Great Hunt, in which he plans to kill every Spider-Person. This event could be the basis of the “Into the Spider-Verse” sequel. Being that Silk is his foil, she could be a focal point in the story, warning Morales of Morlun’s intentions and joining him and his band of web-slingers. Silk would be a good addition to the film, as she would be the first Asian American Spider-Person in the Spider-Man universe.
Lord and Miller also stated that they want to somehow incorporate Hobart Brown — also known by the alias Spider-Punk — in the “Into the Spider-Verse” sequel. A foul-mouthed, guitar-carrying teenager, Spider-Punk is characterized in comic books as anarchic, leading a rebellion of persecuted civilians against his universe’s regime.
Like Silk, Spider-Punk plays a role in the aforementioned “Spider-Verse” comic series, though not a big one. Perhaps his role will be similar to that of Spider-Ham in the first “Into the Spider-Verse” film, providing comic relief and probably a lot more profanity.
Even though Lord and Miller have publicly expressed their desire to have both Silk and Spider-Punk in the sequel, there is a chance that fans could be in for a surprise, with the co-producers adding other Spider-People, both familiar and unknown.
In an interview with JOE, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Peter Parker, Tom Holland, revealed that he was originally meant to have a small cameo in the first “Into the Spider-Verse” film. This would have been groundbreaking, as it would have blended the live-action and the animation universes into one. Although this did not happen in the first film, it is possible that the sequel might somehow implement Holland as another Spider-Man, whether in a large role or just a cameo.
While they are at it, maybe Sony could even get the previous two Spider-Men, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, into the mix; it would certainly be a way to attract older Spider-Man fans. It would probably be best to keep all three appearances short, though, to avoid distracting viewers from the actual hero, Miles Morales.
One of the most interesting aspects of the first “Into the Spider-Verse” film is the alternate versions of villains in Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. For example, the movie had a gender-swapped Doctor Octopus, replacing Otto Octavius with Olivia Octavius. In addition, there was a cyborg-esque version of the Scorpion with a more high-tech scorpion suit. The film’s sequel could keep this up by giving fans newer perspectives on villains they already know. Sony should be able to get away with this by using alternate dimensions to explain the differences among the notorious characters.
Aside from his duty as a crime-fighting, spider-powered teenager Morales must have to balance his vigilantism with his home and work life. At the end of the first film, fans see him finally interacting with his boarding school roommate and best friend in the comic books, Ganke Lee. It is possible that viewers will see this relationship between the two characters develop, Lee protecting Morales’ identity as they grow as friends.
Morales would also have to keep his “extracurricular activities” a secret from his parents, as the first film reveals Morales’ father’s antipathy toward Spider-Man. However, after saving the city at the end of the movie, his father finally sees him as a hero rather than a menace. It would be quite hilarious to see Morales’ dad fanboy-ing over the hero, oblivious that his son is the person behind the mask.
The year 2022 feels far away, but fans should feel assured that they will be in for a treat when the “Into the Spider-Verse” sequel is released. No one truly knows what the film will be about due to there being so few details mentioned by the producers and writers. With many surprises and reveals awaiting fans, however, what they can expect is a great sequel to a great film.
