Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) may tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the movie’s producers have teased.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller hinted that the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home – which saw Peter Parker and Doctor Strange unwittingly open the multiverse – could have implications for Miles Morales and Gwen Stacey in the upcoming Sony picture.
“The multiverse is big and wide,” Miller said, “and all things grow… Why would you think [that in] a multiverse, in which many things are possible, that [those things are] not related?”
“Everything's possible except for this one thing that everyone wants,” Lord added sarcastically.
The first of a two-part sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Across the Spider-Verse will see Miles (Shameik Moore) and Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) traveling, well, across the Spider-Verse, encountering different dimensions and, naturally, different incarnations of the titular webslinger.
We already know, for example, that Spider-Man: 2099 (as voiced by Oscar Isaac) will be appearing in the upcoming movie after featuring heavily in its debut trailer. The 1978 Japanese live-action version of Spider-Man also looks set to appear, after a tweet posted by Lord back in 2019 seemingly revealed the character’s involvement.
We know Across the Spider-Verse will implement different art styles for each dimension, too, after Lord and Miller told Collider that each would “feel like it was drawn by a different artist’s hand.”
Analysis: could Tom Holland's webslinger make a cameo?
As for what the pair’s latest tease reveals about Across the Spider-Verse, the list of possibilities is a long one.
Speculation has already been rife that No Way Home stars Tom Holland and Zendaya could appear in the movie. And, although both Lord and Miller shirked the question of their involvement in the aforementioned Collider interview, the confirmed-but-not-confirmed inclusion of Marvel’s multiverse bodes well for the chances of seeing Holland’s webslinger in action once again.
The actors seem on board with the idea, at least. During the press tour for No Way Home, both Holland and Zendaya said they’re “just waiting for the phone call” when it comes to lending their voices to the animated Spider-Verse.
If one or both of Marvel’s poster couple do make an appearance, though, we don’t anticipate it’ll form a huge part of Across the Spider-Verse’s plot. In the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Lord clarified that his team’s job is to tell new and interesting Spidey stories, while acknowledging the beloved history of the larger Spider-Man franchise.
“The writers and director[s] are all buddies of ours, so we sort of have been in the loop as far as what's going on [in other movies],” Lord said. “And we are always trying to make sure we're not stepping on each other's toes and telling different types of stories, and different themes, and all that stuff – because people want an original story that feels new and interesting. It's our job to give it to them.”
It’s clear, then, that Across the Spider-Verse will deliver on its promise of fan service while also breaking new narrative ground for the decades-old character. And with Across the Spider-Verse (Part Two) also in the pipeline for the coming years, the franchise has never been in ruder health.
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