Sony has revealed the first proper look at Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's villain – and he sounds distinctly formidable.
Unveiled at a Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse panel during Annecy Film Festival 2022, Sony confirmed that The Spot – an adversary of Spider-Man and Daredevil in Marvel comics – would be the film's chief antagonist. Additionally, Sony revealed that Jason Schwartzman (Fargo, The Darjeeling Limited) would voice The Spot in the animated sequel.
To give non-Annecy attendees a glimpse of The Spot in action, a still image of the supervillain fighting Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) was released online during the presentation. Check out the tweet below for more, which shows that The Spot will be kitted out in his familiar black-and-white costume in the superhero film:
Meet The Spot, Miles Morales's most formidable foe yet, as debuted at #AnnecyFestival. He is voiced by Jason Schwartzman. 🕳 See him in action in Spider-Man: Across the #SpiderVerse, in theaters June 2, 2023. pic.twitter.com/9V1fzvlR6AJune 13, 2022
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For those who don't know much about The Spot, he's a villain whose body is covered in interdimensional portals. These allow The Spot to traverse the Marvel multiverse at will, traveling to different timelines to commit crimes before seamlessly escaping the authorities. He can also make portals appear out of thin air, and transport people or objects to any location. It sounds like the film's Spider-People contingent will have a worthy adversary to tackle, then.
Across the Spider-Verse is set to explore, well, the Spider-Verse in greater detail than its predecessor – Into the Spider-Verse – did. With interdimensional travel forming a key part of its plot, a menacing foe like The Spot is an ideal fit for Miles Morales' second cinematic outing.
As well as Schwartzman's casting, Sony announced/confirmed a number of other voice actors for its upcoming project. The studio revealed that Issa Rae (Insecure) would voice Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman, in the sequel – confirming months-long rumors that Rae had been tapped to play the fan-favorite character.
Meanwhile, Shea Wigham (Boardwalk Empire, the Fast and Furious series) will portray Captain George Stacey, Gwen's father and New York's Police Chief. Finally, Jorma Taccone (The Lonely Island, MacGruber) will voice the villainous Adrian Toomes, aka The Vulture.
The trio join Moore and Steinfeld, as well as Oscar Isaac (Moon Knight, Dune), who'll voice Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099, in Across the Spider-Verse. Jake Johnson, who played Peter B. Parker/Spider-Man in the first film, is also expected to return.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will arrive exclusively in theaters on June 2, 2023. A sequel, currently titled Beyond the Spider-Verse, will also launch in March 2024.
Analysis: Who is The Spot, Jason Schwartman's character in Across the Spider-Verse?
Need a bit more backstory on The Spot? Allow us to help you out.
The Spot made his debut in Spectacular Spider-Man #97 in December 1984. Real name Jonathan Ohnn, The Spot began life as a scientist working for Wilson Fisk/Kingpin. Kingpin hires Ohnn to try and replicate the radiation levels of the superhero known as Cloak, so Kingpin can mimic Cloak's teleportation powers.
After conducting various experiments, Ohnn successfully created a solid black, circular portal to another realm. Stepping through it, Ohnn found himself in a weightless dimension with a seemingly infinite number of doorways to other worlds and universes. Ohnn eventually found his way back to his timeline, but his body had been transformed by his brief visit to the unnamed location. Namely, his body was now covered in black spots, which allowed Ohnn to travel to alternate realities and become a supervillain in his own right.
With the ability to open numerous portals at will, The Spot's primary attack sees him use these doorways to punch, kick, or throw objects at his foes from unexpected angles and at great distances. The Spot doesn't possess any other superpowers, but he's more than a match for most Spider-Men and Spider-Women regardless.
Why? Because The Spot's interdimensional energy signatures can't be picked up by Spider-Man's spider-sense, or the spider-sense of any similar hero. Subsequently, The Spot has a distinct advantage of being able to launch surprise attacks on Spider-Man, forcing the webslinger to come up with unusual plans to combat this particular foe. Expect Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, and company to formulate a creative game plan to try and tackle The Spot in Across the Spider-Verse.
For more Marvel-based content, check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order. Alternatively, read up on the official runtime for Thor: Love and Thunder, which is surprisingly shorter than you think it'll be.
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