Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse revealed which Marvel villain will serve as the film's antagonist.
Announced in a Twitter thread chronicling the film's presentation at the 2022 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, The Spot is labeled as "Miles Morales's most formidable foe yet." Alongside the unveiling of the interdimensional baddie, Sony Pictures Animation confirmed the character's spooky design with a new still from Across the Spider-Verse. The image sees Miles accidentally striking Gwen Stacy, suited up as Spider-Woman, by kicking into one of the many portals spread across The Spot's body. Voiced by Jason Schwartzman, it's currently unknown how The Spot will play into the greater narrative of the upcoming Spider-Man movie.
Sony Pictures Animation also provided a brief summary of The Spot's abilities, describing how he's able to go up against Miles Morales and his team of Spider-People. "Spot's whole body is covered in interdimensional portals (made to feel like "living ink") that can send him anywhere he wants to go. He can also make these portals appear out of thin air to transport objects and people at will," reads the official description.
Set after the events of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the film's sequel will further expand on Miles Morales's multiverse adventures. According to producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Across the Spider-Verse is substantially bigger than the original movie, featuring the largest crew of an animated movie ever. This increased scale also applies to the movie's characters; while Into the Spider-Verse sported 40 unique character models and assets, the sequel features 240.
Beyond Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, Across the Spider-Verse is set to include plenty of popular Wall-Crawlers. The film's teaser trailer revealed that Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) will feature in the film while footage debuted at CinemaCon 2022 confirmed the inclusion of a pregnant Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman (Issa Rae).
While fans may be excited about seeing some of the favorite comic book Web-Heads return to the big screen, Lord and Miller further teased enthusiasts with a possible Marvel Cinematic Universe crossover. When asked whether the MCU's Peter Parker could appear in Across the Spider-Verse, Miller simply stated, "All things are possible in the Multiverse."
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swings into theaters on June 2, 2023. Its sequel, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is slated to release on March 29, 2024.
Source: Sony Pictures Animation
