Spidey fans got a real treat with the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018. After all, it’s not every day that you get to see more than one, let alone seven Web-Slingers, in a single movie. But that’s exactly what the Oscar-winning animated film delivered.
So which Spider-characters are in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? We’ll provide answers through this comprehensive list. Be warned though – there might be potential spoilers ahead!
Which Spider-Characters Are Returning?
Miles Morales
Miles Morales is the main character in the Spider-Verse animated movies. Into the Spider-Verse saw him come to terms with accepting his destiny as the Wall-Crawler in his dimension.
Speaking of dimensions, Miles Morales lives on Earth-1610. Random trivia: Earth-1610 is the same universe that features a version of Colonel Nick Fury modeled after Hollywood star Samuel L. Jackson. The actor would later portray the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Miles first appeared in the comics in 2011 through Ultimate Fallout issue #4. His backstory would be fleshed out further in the same year with the publication of Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man.
Like Peter Parker, Morales’ comics origins involve getting bitten by a mutated spider (thanks to Osborn Industries experiments), which gives him his Spidey abilities.
In the first Spider-Verse movie, Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) gets bitten by a spider experimented on by the Alchemax corporation. Also, the movie Miles gets mentored by a Spider-Man from another dimension, while the comics version is guided by Colonel Fury.
Gwen Stacy, aka Spider-Gwen
Gwen Stacy (at least the Earth-616 version) needs no introduction among Marvel comics readers. But it’s the Earth-65 Gwen who becomes a Web-Head.
Debuting in Edge of Spider-Verse #2 in 2014, Spider-Gwen goes by many names in the comics. She has carried the monikers Spider-Woman or Ghost-Spider and even gained the title of Gwenom when she bonded with the Venom symbiote.
Her comics origins practically mirror that of the original Peter Parker we know and love (that’s the Earth-616 version). She gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gains superpowers.
She gets blamed for the death of Peter in her universe (in Earth-65, Parker becomes the villain Lizard). Parker’s passing inspires Gwen to embrace her role as a hero.
Unlike that of movie Miles, the origins of Spider-Verse 1’s Spider-Gwen (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld of Hawkeye fame) pretty much stay consistent with her comics counterpart. The film even shows her alter ego as a drummer.
Peter B. Parker
In the first Spider-Verse movie, Peter B. Parker (voiced by Jake Johnson) is sent to Miles Morales’ dimension thanks to a particle accelerator built by the Kingpin (Wilson Fisk).
This version of Spidey is older (38 years old) and practically retired, so to speak. Still, he takes it upon himself to mentor Morales.
In Spider-Verse 1’s climax, Peter B. Parker originally plans to stay in Morales’ dimension after sending the other Spider-characters home and destroying the collider, thereby sacrificing his chances of returning to his respective universe. But Miles arrives just in time to save the day and send Peter B. Parker home too.
If you’re wondering if Peter B. Parker has appeared in the comics – he hasn’t, or more accurately, he hasn’t yet. And if you’re curious about the “B.” middle name, it stands for “Benjamin” (after Uncle Ben).
Which New Spider-Characters Are Appearing?
Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099
Technically speaking, Spider-Man 2099 is not a new character because he already appeared in the post-credits of Into the Spider-Verse.
However, he doesn’t play a role in the first movie’s plot. Across the Spider-Verse should allow him an opportunity to team up with or go against (or both) the other Spider-characters.
In the comics, he literally is the Spider-Man of the year 2099. But on a number of occasions, he has crossed paths and crawled walls with the present-day Spider-Man. Check out our Spider-Man 2099 explainer post to know more about this futuristic Web-Head.
In the Spider-Verse movies, he is voiced by Oscar Isaac, who is no stranger to comic book movie adaptations. He recently played Marc Spector/Moon Knight and Steven Grant/Mr. Knight on the MCU series Moon Knight and also portrayed the ancient mutant Apocalypse in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse.
Ben Reilly, aka Scarlet Spider
In the comics, various bad guys tried to clone Peter Parker’s DNA, with varying degrees of success. It can be argued that Ben Reilly is perhaps the most stable Spidey clone of them all.
The cloning was so successful that for a time, Ben Reilly (and comics readers) really thought he was the real Peter Parker.
There’s no doubt that Ben Reilly fans are gonna have a blast watching how Scarlet Spider will crash the Spider-party in Spider-Verse 2.
To know more about Ben Reilly’s origins, powers, and notable adventures (and misadventures), make sure to check out our Scarlet Spider explainer post.
Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman
We mentioned before that at one time, Spider-Gwen was known as Spider-Woman. But in comics history, the original Spider-Woman was Jessica Drew (voiced by Issa Rae in Spider-Verse 2).
She made her comics debut in 1977 (via Marvel Spotlight #32) and went on to become an Avenger (including becoming a Secret Avenger member) and S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent.
Jessica Drew’s Spider-origins in the comics are quite unique, to say the least. That’s because she was already born with her Spider-abilities.
What happened was that her mom, while pregnant with Jessica, got hit by a radiation beam carrying spider DNA.
Apart from her powers and fighting abilities (she knows martial arts), she’s a trained spy who can speak half a dozen languages.
Hobart “Hobie” Brown, aka Spider-Punk
Across the Spider-Verse 2 also marks the cinematic debut of one of my favorite alternate-dimension Spider-Men ever – Spider-Punk.
As his name suggests, Spider-Punk (voiced by Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya from 2018’s Black Panther) is an African-American punk rock musician from Earth-138 (where Norman Osborn is the President).
Before becoming a superhero, Spider-Punk was a homeless teen named Hobart Brown. One day, he gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gains the usual Spidey powers.
In the comics, he proceeds to defeat Osborn by literally hitting the President with his electric guitar.
I mean – what could be more punk rock than that? Plus, he gets to jam with drummer Spider-Gwen.
Mangaverse Spider-Man
Mangaverse Peter Parker is a teenage ninja from Earth-2301. He’s a member of the Spider Clan, which is led by a sensei named Uncle Ben.
After Sensei Ben is killed by Venom (who’s working for the Kingpin), he vows to exact revenge upon those responsible.
As a ninja, Mangaverse Spider-Man is a skilled martial artist. Bonus trivia: He’s one of the few Spider-Men who can shoot natural webs (as opposed to relying on mechanical web shooters).
Maybelle Reilly, aka Lady Spider
Not to be confused with Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) and Spider-Gwen, Lady Spider (real name Maybelle Reilly) hails from Earth-803 during the late 19th century. You can think of her as a female steampunk version of the Wall-Crawler.
She got bitten by a spider too, but one that’s normal. No, she didn’t get superpowers, but the spider’s bite did inspire her to become a superhero.
Using her intelligence, she proceeds to build a suit (from spare parts in her dad’s garage) equipped with four mechanical arms and web shooters. That’s how she manages to sling webs and crawl walls while fighting bad guys.
Spider-Monkey
Spider-Monkey is literally a spider monkey that was bitten by a radioactive spider. Spidey fans have already been treated to Peter Porker in the first Spider-Verse movie. In the sequel, they should be able to enjoy another bonkers Spider-character.
Japanese Spider-Man, aka Supaidaman
Wait – who? First of all, this one’s not the same as Mangaverse Spider-Man. This version’s real name is Takuya Yamashiro. And get this – he appeared in a Japanese TV show called Spider-Man that ran from 1978 to 1979. He’s probably the most awesome Spidey ever. Proof: He drives a flying car and his spaceship transforms into a giant robot.
Pavitr Prabhakar, aka Spider-Man India
Hailing from Earth-50101, Pavitr Prabhakar is the version of the Web-Slinger who lives in India. He got his spider-powers from an ancient yogi. You can identify him by his costume, which incorporates dhoti pants and curly-toed shoes.
Bombastic Bag-Man
This Spider-Man version is actually just the original Peter Parker borrowing a Fantastic Four uniform and wearing a bag on his head to hide his identity. That’s what happens when you go to Reed Richards’ laboratory to get rid of your symbiote costume but never bother to pack an extra outfit.
Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man
This Spidey doesn’t hail from any comics page but from Marvel’s Spider-Man, a video game created by Insomniac Games.
Who Is the Villain in Spider-Verse 2?
Based on what we can see in IMDB, the villains are likely the Spot and Vulture.
In Spider-Verse 2, the Spot is voiced by Jason Schwartzman (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) and appears to be the man behind all the interdimensional chaos. After all, the villain (real name Dr. Jonathan Ohnn) possesses the ability to open portals into other dimensions or places.
As for Vulture, Jorma Taccone is cast as the voice actor. Note that in the comics version of the Spider-Verse saga, five different versions of Vulture from different dimensions join forces. Taccone is portraying Adrian Toomes (in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, Toomes is played by Michael Keaton).
