Our Favorite Spider-Cameos From Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Miles Morales is still getting used to being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man while trying to live a normal teenage life in his reality of Earth-1610. But everyone knows that Spider-Man never has it easy, as Miles must now contend with the Spot, an Alchemax scientist whose physical form is covered in miniature interdimensional portals following the collider explosion in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." He's now wreaking havoc throughout the multiverse, searching for other Alchemax colliders to make himself even stronger. Gwen Stacey aka Spider-Woman is on the hunt for the Spot, which results in her reconnecting with old pal Miles. But their reunion doesn't last long, as Miles is soon whisked away on a journey into multiple universes, where he encounters even more versions of himself.
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is a stellar follow-up to the "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," greatly expanding on many of the amazing ideas explored in that film. With a perfect balance of heart, comedy, action, and imagination, we're ecstatic about what "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" has in store. One of this film's more crowd-pleasing aspects is the incredible number of new Spider-Man variants that appear here. Many are deep cuts from comic book lore, meaning the filmmakers went to great depths to surprise us. While there are too many to count in one article, let's take a look at a few of our favorite Spider-Cameos in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."
Bombastic Bag-Man
Say, is that a Spider-Man with a paper grocery bag on his head?
It sure is, true believer. This is one of the more obscure characters included in the film. Bag-Man made his first appearance in "The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 1 #258," which took place after Spider-Man got the black symbiote costume (which would later become Venom) during the "Secret Wars" crossover event. Spider-Man took it to the Baxter Building so the Fantastic Four could examine it further, leaving him without anything to hide his identity on his return trip home. Luckily, the Human Torch had a spare Fantastic Four suit to lend to Spidey, but the only mask they could provide him in one of the world's most high-tech buildings was a paper bag to put over his face.
The Bag-Man persona was revived years later as part of the "Identity Crisis" story arc, which is where he gets the "Bombastic" part attached to his name. Despite the character's general irrelevance to Spider-Man's overall mythos, that hasn't stopped him from appearing in various video games, and now a big-budget movie. Because Sony can't legally reference the Fantastic Four, the cinematic version is given a plain red and blue suit. It looks like he's holding a bundle of other paper bags, which makes sense since he's probably bound to go through a few of them in a typical fight. Or just walking in the rain.
Insomniac's Spider-Man (and Spider-Man)
No, that's not a typo. Look closely in the background of the Spider Society's Nueva York headquarters, and you'll spot two Spider-Men talking to each other; these are the Peter Parker and Miles Morales characters from Insomniac Games' "Spider-Man" video game series. The first installment in the popular franchise was released in 2018. It saw everyone's favorite wall-crawler take on Mister Negative and his violent scheme to take over New York City's criminal element. It was followed up by the DLC expansion "Marvel's Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps," wherein Hammerhead starts a gang war in the wake of Mister Negative's downfall.
Because 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" was such a massive hit with critics and audiences, it only made sense for its main character to get his own video game from Insomniac, which fans got in the form of 2020's "Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales." In that game, Miles has been training under Peter Parker's tutelage and is entrusted to keep New York safe while his mentor accompanies Mary Jane on a work-related trip. Both Spider-Men team up in the upcoming "Marvel's Spider-Man 2," so it isn't surprising they'd appear in a brief cameo in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." If you look closely, you'll see Miles' roommate Ganke Lee playing the game in their dorm room. I haven't finished the math yet, but this is probably the most expensive video game commercial in history.
Spider-Cat
Is there any animal that doesn't have a secret Spidey alter ego? You probably remember that anthropomorphic cat in a Spider-Man costume that attacked Miles — yeah, he's called Spider-Cat. The character made its first appearance in the "Spider-Island: I Love New York City #1" segment, "9 Lives." In it, a seemingly normal house cat is attacked by Venom Pigeon (a pigeon possessed by the Venom symbiote, in case you were wondering) and dons a Spider-Man costume for a brutal brawl that costs him most of his nine lives. While the fight was a dream the cat was having, the story concludes with a reveal that it really is a web-slinging feline.
Spider-Cat went on to play a role in the massive "Spider-Verse" crossover event on which both "Spider-Verse" movies and "Spider-Man: No Way Home" are loosely based. The story deals with Morlun and his family, the Inheritors, setting out to kill every Spider-Man in the multiverse. This prompts the main Spider-Man (who, during this time, was Otto Octavius in Peter Parker's body — don't ask) to put together a team of other Spider-Men and -Women to stop Morlun's onslaught. Unfortunately for Spider-Cat, it was captured by the Inheritors and tortured before having its life essence sucked out. But don't feel too bad for the little guy; his comic book death didn't stop him from signing a deal with Sony Pictures, so it looks like everything worked out for him in the end.
Peter Parkedcar
Every time I think there couldn't be a more outlandish Spider-Man variant, I'm proven monumentally wrong. Case in point: Peter Parkedcar, seen most prominently during the Spider Society's hunt for Miles Morales.
Peter Parkedcar played a small yet pivotal role in the "Spider-Verse" crossover event. The Ultimate Universe's Miles was tasked with traversing the multiverse to recruit Spider-Man variants to defeat Morlun and the Inheritors. He stumbled upon Parkedcar during his mission, and together they drove across multiple realities to arrive just in time with an arachnid cavalry. Parkedcar returned for the "End of the Spider-Verse" comic book storyline, which saw him embark on yet another road trip across the multiverse with Miles.
An obvious riff on the goofy Spider-Mobile that Spider-Man drove for a time in the 1970s (he only signed on to use it in his crimefighting to solve his money problems), Parkedcar was a bit of a mystery when he was first introduced in "Spider-Verse." Luckily, we got some more background on him in the "Edge of Spider-Verse Vol. 2 #4" segment, "Drive You Crazy!" Here, we learn that in Parkedcar's reality, he slaves away under J. Jonah Jalopy, looks after his dear old Aunt-T, and has to contend with bad guys like Mr. Reo Speedbuggy. Creator Dan Slot tweeted that he intended for Parkedcar to originate from a universe of talking automobiles a la Pixar's "Cars." You know, with Sony and Marvel Studios both able to use Spider-Man, and with Disney owning both Marvel and Pixar...
Spectacular Spider-Man
Following the conclusion of Sam Raimi's (mostly) beloved "Spider-Man" trilogy, the CW and Disney XD were able to satisfy fans' hunger for Spidey with the stellar animated series, "The Spectacular Spider-Man." Though the more stylistic character redesigns didn't sit well with viewers at first, the series totally won over its detractors with its perfect blend of action, drama, and comedy. While we've all seen a young Peter Parker struggling to maintain his dual life as a high schooler and a superhero about a thousand times now, "The Spectacular Spider-Man" still managed to mine this era of the character's life for plenty of engaging new storylines. The show drew most of its inspiration from the classic 1960s comic book run, but it also borrowed elements from the then-recent "Ultimate Spider-Man" series and even Raimi's films, having something for everyone.
Because the series was canceled after an all-too-brief two seasons, fans have been clamoring for it to return (as evidenced by #SaveSpectacularSpiderMan occasionally trending on Twitter), making his appearance all the more special. Even better is the fact that the filmmakers brought back actor Josh Keaton to reprise the character he voiced all those years ago. The Spectacular Spider-Man is first seen as part of a montage cradling a deceased Captain George Stacy, a recurring character in the original show. Of course, now that "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" has reignited interest in "The Spectacular Spider-Man," is there a series renewal on the horizon?
Spider-Man Unlimited
You may have seen a Spider-Man adorned with a web cape hopping around in the background of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" as a member of Miguel O'Hara's crew. This is a reference to one of the more bizarre versions of the character, "Spider-Man Unlimited." This was a show that followed the popular 1990s "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," which ended on a cliffhanger. "Unlimited" went down the curious route of giving Spider-Man a new high-tech suit designed by the Fantastic Four's Reed Richards, then sending him to Counter-Earth to rescue John Jameson (J. Jonah's astronaut son) after a space mission goes wrong. On Counter-Earth, Spider-Man takes on the High Evolutionary and encounters completely different versions of characters from his own world.
It was a strange cartoon, considering it came out right after "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," which did such a great job of adapting iconic storylines from the comics. The radical departure from pretty much everything that preceded it was due to the fact that Sony had acquired the rights to Spider-Man. The show's creators were banned from using many of the existing characters and elements that might make it into the films. Unsurprisingly, the series only lasted for one season, but it did predate Spider-Man's multiversal adventures by nearly two decades. Really, if you think about it, "Across the Spider-Verse" is coming full circle by giving a nod to "Spider-Man Unlimited."
Sun-Spider
Sun-Spider is one of the more recent additions to the Spider-Man comic book mythos to make an appearance in "Across the Spider-Verse," which just goes to show you that the filmmakers have been keeping up the source material. Following the release of 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," fans went on Twitter to share art depicting who their Spider-Man variant would be using #spidersona. Artist Dayn Broder tweeted out their creation, Sun-Spider, which caught Marvel's attention. The publisher requested to use the character in their comic books. How cool is that?
Sun-Spider showed up in 2019's "Spider-Verse" comic series; in one of the issues, Broder (via Polygon) stated, "As a disabled person, I almost never get to see any disabled superheroes. l wanted to create someone like me: an ambulatory wheelchair user, who can still kick butt in her own modified way. Sun-Spider is hyper-flexible, though this does have drawbacks since it means she requires extra stability, and the crutches help with that." And kick butt she does — her crutches double as web shooters. The character's backstory was further fleshed out in the 2022 comic series "Edge of Spider-Verse," wherein it's revealed that Sun-Spider's civilian identity is Charlotte Webber, a teenager who, just like pretty much every other Spider-Man variant, has to balance a life of homework and protecting the world. In the film, Sun-Spider is voiced by comedian Danielle Perez, a wheelchair user herself.
Spinneret and Spiderling
If you squint your eyes enough during a scene set at the Spider Society headquarters, you just might be able to glimpse a woman walking with her child off in the distance — that's Spinneret and Spiderling. These two characters made their first appearance in the 2015 limited series, "Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows," set during that year's massive "Secret Wars" crossover event.
The series takes place in a reality where Peter Parker has married Mary Jane Watson and sired a daughter named Anna-May "Annie" Parker, who also happens to have her father's spider-based powers. In this reality, superheroes have largely been defeated, with the remaining going into hiding. Peter decides to retire Spider-Man and equips him and his daughter with power inhibitors to avoid being caught. Obviously, things go wrong, resulting in not only Peter getting sucked back into the superhero life, but Annie embracing her abilities to join in the fight. "Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows" was popular enough to warrant a follow-up that sees MJ wanting to fight crime as well, prompting Peter into designing a suit for her that enables her to siphon some of his powers. The Parker family becomes a superhero clan, with Annie taking on the codename of Spiderling and MJ becoming Spinneret. It's an adorable premise; one that reminds us that, despite how complicated Spider-Man's life is, there are some timelines wherein he lives (mostly) happily ever after, both on the page and on the big screen.
LEGO Spider-Man
LEGO "Spider-Man" has been around for some time now, having first been unleashed in 2002 to coincide with the release of his big screen debut. Since then, he's appeared in multiple LEGO sets, and has even branched out into such films as "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Maximum Overload" and "LEGO Marvel Spider-Man: Vexed by Venom." Fans have been able to play him in video games like "LEGO Marvel Super Heroes" and "LEGO Marvel's Avengers."
Because of the character's prevalence, it was only a matter of time before he'd make the leap onto the silver screen, and what better introduction than "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?" LEGO Spider-Man's inclusion is special for a number of reasons. First, two of the film's writers — Phil Lord and Christopher Miller — are behind 2014's "The LEGO Movie" and 2019's "The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part," making this film a crossover of sorts between the two franchises. However, the really cool part about seeing LEGO Spider-Man in this film is that his sequence was animated by a 14-year-old. Teenager Preston Mutanga re-created the "Across the Spider-Verse" trailer using nothing but LEGOs. Lord and Miller were so impressed with what they saw that they hired him, with Miller telling The New York Times, "We were like, 'This looks incredibly sophisticated for a nonadult, nonprofessional to have made.' It blew us all away, including some of the best animators in the world."
Web-Slinger and Widow
With an infinite number of Spider-Man versions roaming around the multiverse, is it really surprising that there'd be Western-themed Spider-Man out there? "The name's Patrick O'Hara, pardner. But folks 'round here call me ... Web-Slinger. And this here's my trusty horse, Widow." Making his first appearance in "Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 #9," Web-Slinger is a gunman who entertained audiences across the Wild West with his expert marksmanship. But it seems that there's no timeline that doesn't have at least one radioactive or mystical spider running around to bite an unsuspecting do-gooder. In this reality, Patrick and Widow are bitten by one such arachnid, enhancing both of their abilities.
The two were featured most prominently in the "Spider-Verse" comic book crossover, where they joined Miles Morales' interdimensional Web-Warriors to fight Morlun and his Inheritors. Because that storyline is the partial basis for "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," they make welcome appearances in the film, both voiced by actor and comedian Taran Killam. One of their standout moments is when they're asked why Widow wears a mask, to which Web-Slinger responds that it's because he, too, has a secret identity. Duh.
The Amazing Spider-Monkey
Because there needs to be a Spider-Man variant of every creature in the animal kingdom, it should surprise no one that there's a Spider-Monkey out there. However, unlike the Peter Parker that we all know and love, Spider-Monkey, while still a hero, lacked a strict set of morals and often killed his enemies. That's what happens when you live by the law of the jungle, I guess. There are plenty of puns to make with the character; one of his archenemies is Doctor Ooktavius, and Spider-Monkey was a member of the Ape-vengers. (It should be noted that Spider-Monkey ended up killing Ooktavius.)
Spider-Monkey's appearance in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is relevant, as the character has had more than his fair share of madcap multiversal adventures in the comics. As seen in the "Spider-Verse" crossover, he was a member of the Superior Spider-Army, which consisted of Spider-Man variants from across many dimensions who came together to defeat Morlun and the Inheritors. While Spider-Monkey was ultimately killed before the story's end, remember that comic book deaths are practically meaningless; it was either just a dream, he faked his death, or he was resurrected for some vague plot reason.
Pter Ptarker / Spider-Rex
When Miguel O'Hara sends the massive squad of Spider-Folk to hunt down Miles Morales, you may have been surprised to see a Tyrannosaurus rex clad in a Spidey suit among them. This was definitely not the creation of the filmmakers — this is Pter Ptarker, also known as Spider-Rex, and his first appearance was in 2022's "Edge of Spider-Verse Vol. 2 #1." Us comic book fans are more than familiar with the "thwip" sound effect that accompanies the wall-crawler shooting webs out of wrists, so imagine our delight at seeing Spider-Rex's web shooters making a sound effect spelled out as "T-WHIP."
In the comics, Spider-Rex's backstory is both absolutely bonkers and extremely faithful to Peter Parker's origin: Ptarker was initially a feeble Pteranodon who was picked on by the T-Rex Norrannosaurman before they encountered a meteorite filled with alien spiders, which bit and imbued them with new powers. However, this incident also resulted in the two dinosaurs switching bodies, with Ptarker's consciousness ending up in the bigger and stronger T-Rex form. Ptarker successfully defeated his enemy, but accidentally killed it and two other innocent onlookers. Wracked by guilt at what he'd done, he decided to only use his powers for good. Nice to know that the concept of responsibility extends so far throughout the multiverse.