Can they swing to and fro? Take a look down below
Miles: I never thought I’d be able to do any of this stuff, but… I can. Anyone can wear the mask. You could wear the mask. If you didn’t know that before, I hope you do now. ‘Cause I’m Spider-Man. And I’m not the only one. Not by a long shot.”
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Before Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse came out, we made a list of five spider-heroes we expected to appear. Not to toot our own horn, but we guessed every unrevealed hero except for Spider-Ham. We even guessed SP//dr, who made the list for a laugh.
With a reported 240 characters appearing in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, it’s safe to say that we can guess five. So who are the newest heroes swinging onto the silver screen? Let’s find out.
Criteria: We won’t be including any Spiders who have been used or already reported to be in the movie. That means the cast of the first movie, Spider-Man 2099, Jessica Drew, Spider-Man from the 1967 cartoon, Spider-Man India, or Toei’s Spider-Man.
5. The Spider/Spider-Man 1602
The Spider: “There is great danger here! This man, this Morlun, is not what he appears to be. But then, neither am I.”
Spider-verse
Prithee, how did you come to be here? I know not what this “renn faire” you speak of is. Perhaps you are too far in your cups? The year? Why, it is the year of our Lord, 1602. Such odd questions. Pray tell, are you an associate of that disreputable blackguard, The Spider?
Peter Parquagh was a Scottish immigrant living in Elizabethan England. He was recruited to serve as an assistant to the Royal Spymaster, Sir Nicholas Fury, who had been friends with his parents. Peter served as a messenger, confidant, and occasional bait. He was soon assigned to guard Virginia Dare, a delegate from Colonial America.
There was a running gag about Peter interacting with odd spiders, but he was only bitten at the very end of Marvel 1602. He became a vigilante in America known as The Spider and fought to protect his new home. Unfortunately, Virginia was killed by the 1602 equivalent of Green Goblin, making her both his Gwen Stacy and Uncle Ben analogues.
The Spider made a handful of appearances before his final adventure in the event Spider-Verse. He was attacked by Morlun, a universe-traveling villain who grows stronger by eating the souls of “Spider-Totems.” The Spider was unprepared for Morlun’s brutality and was killed. The Spider was the opening kill of Spider-verse, and far from the last.
4. Spiders-Man
Spiders-Man: “Creepy monsters, aren’t they? So obsessed with eating Spider-People. I mean, some I can understand. [leers at a child Spider-Man] That kid… like veal… Not that I’d ever do that. Power and responsibility, that’s me. Definitely not eating people.”
Spider-Geddon
Magical characters often ask Spider-Man if he is a man who dreamed he was a spider or a spider who dreamed he was a man. In the case of Spiders-Man, it is absolutely the latter.
On Earth-11580, Peter Parker accidentally fell into a colony of radioactive spiders while visiting a laboratory. They ate him alive. The radiation caused the colony to develop a hive mind that believed it was Peter, leading them to become the murderous vigilante called Spiders-Man.
Spiders-Man struggled with his human emotions and arachnid instincts, always edging closer to becoming a monster. The only one who knew what had happened to him was his friend Gwen. Unfortunately, Spiders-Man avoided her because she reminds him of the monster he’s become.
Spiders-Man has a few unique tricks along with most of the usual spider-heroes powers. He can disperse into a swarm of spiders to attack foes or dodge blows. It’s implied that he can’t die unless all of him are killed. To avoid that fate, Spiders-Man sent dozens of his spiders to several universes.
3. Spider-Ma’am
Spider-Ma’am: “The Vulture? My word, what a horrid name. Though I suppose it makes sense that an antisocial hooligan like yourself would look up to a carrion-feeding scavenger.”
Vault of Spiders #2
The Vulture: “Spider-Ma’am. So the rumors are true. You are real.”
Spider-Ma’am: “Real as the dickens, my feathered friend. And I’m afraid I can’t let you rob that bank, no matter how much you dress like a bird.
Vulture: “Dress like a bird? I don’t- I have become the bird, woman! I AM THE VULTURE!”
Spider-Ma’am: “That’s nice, dear. It’s good to have an active fantasy life.”
Take a peek in any random Marvel universe and you’ll find a new spider-themed superhero. Those radioactive spiders get around and don’t always go for Peter. So what happened in the inevitable world where one bit Aunt May?
On Earth-3123, Aunt May realized that Peter had accidentally left his lunch at home. She drove to the laboratory his class was visiting and was bitten by a radioactive spider. The usual spider-antics ensued although Uncle Ben was spared. May became a vigilante called Spider-Ma’am.
Spider-Ma’am rose to prominence when Morlun’s brother, Karn, attacked her home. She offered to give herself up to save Peter and Ben. Spider-Ma’am’s willingness to sacrifice herself touched Karn and eventually led him to rebel against his family.
2. Spider-UK
Spider-UK: “How many worlds have you been to? I’ve seen multitudes. They’re all beautiful… and different.”
Spider-Verse Team-Up #3
Almost every hero on this list has Spider-Man’s powers and backstory, but that isn’t the only way to enter the Spider-Verse. Other figures have traveled the multiverse for eons, including our penultimate spider-hero, Spider-UK
William Braddock of Earth-833 was a cadet of the Captain Britain Corps, a multiversal peacekeeping organization formed by Merlyn. He was bitten by a radioactive spider and chose to honor his position in the Corps by becoming Spider-UK, complete with a Union Jack-themed Spider-Man costume.
Spider-UK was the one who began gathering spider-heroes to fight Morlun’s family, The Inheritors. He was also the one who convinced Karn to join them and went to bat for him when the other heroes were hesitant.
Spider-UK is one of the strongest spider-heroes thanks to a mix of Spider-Man and Captain Britain’s powers, but he has a fatal flaw. He has no spider-sense whatsoever, which allowed one of the Inheritors to sneak up on him and break his neck.
1. Spider-Girl
Spider-Girl: “You want a Spider-person, Normie? Face it, tiger… you just hit the jackpot!”
What If…? #105
Most characters in the Spider-Verse are relatively new, only debuting in the last ten years. Our number one Spider-Hero we expect to see in Across the Spider-Verse debuted in the distant past of 1998. Introducing Spider-Girl.
On Earth-982, Spider-Man retired after killing the Green Goblin and losing a leg. He settled down with May Jane and their daughter May. As a teenager, May began developing the same powers as her dad. Not a moment too soon either, as Green Goblin’s grandson attacked her family to avenge his grandfather.
May discovered her father was Spider-Man and found a costume that had been worn by his clone, her uncle Ben Reilly. Spider-Girl defeated Green Goblin and earned her parents’ reluctant permission to become a superhero.
Spider-Girl was one of the stars of Spider-Verse. She swore vengeance on The Inheritors after one of them murdered her family and kidnapped her little brother, Benjy. She eventually saved him and learned her mother had survived. Inspired by all she has been through, May changed her identity to Spider-Woman.
What spider-hero do you want to see in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? Tell us in the comments.
Jared Bounacos has written for Movie Rewind since 2016.
Comments
Who is Miles Morales, the Ultimate Spider-Man | Movie Rewind Backstory
[…] sought out Spider-Man again during the series Spider-Verse. The Inheritors were slaughtering every Spider-Man, Woman, and Child throughout the multiverse. Peter recruited Spider-Man into his Spider-Army to battle the […]