What Spider-Man lovers must know

As Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse gears up for both a sequel and a spinoff, Screen Rant’s Ryan George reveals what (probably) happened in the pitch meeting for this wild multiverse-colliding adventure. Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman and produced by Jump Street duo Chris Miller and Phil Lord, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse brought the Ultimate Universe Spider-Man, Miles Morales, to the big screen for the first time.

When the movie begins, Miles Morales is just a regular kid living from Brooklyn, with a creative streak and a place at a prestigious boarding school. However, following a bite from a radioactive spider, Miles develops not only the usual array of Spider-Man powers, but also extra abilities like a bio-electric shock attack called Venom Blast and the power to turn himself invisible. Before Miles can get to grips with his new gifts, his universe’s Peter Parker is murdered and Kingpin’s super collider sends five other Spider-Mans hurtling into Miles’ universe.

There’s Peter B. Parker, an older and schlubbier version of the Spider-Man from Miles’ world; Spider-Gwen, a version of Gwen Stacy; Spider-Man Noir, a version of Peter Parker from a detective noir universe; Peni Parker, a Japanese-American schoolgirl with a radioactive spider friend and a mech suit called SP//dr; and Spider-Ham, a spider who was bitten by a radioactive pig, who hails from a Looney Tunes-esque cartoon universe. And yes, while most of these characters are obscure, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse somehow manages to make its madcap multiverse plot make sense even to the casual viewer.

Miles Morales and Spider-Verse React
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wasn’t just a hit at the box office. It was also regarded by many – including Academy Award voters – as the best animated film of 2018, and it took home an Oscar with that accolade on it. In particular it was praised for its achievements in blending different styles of animation. Needless to say, Sony is eager to capitalize on the movie’s success, and so Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 is already in the works, along with a spinoff movie that focuses on Spider-Gwen and other female Spider-Mans, like Spider-Woman and Silk.

While some thought that Sony’s Spider-Man properties would be doomed now that the live-action Peter Parker has been absorbed into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the studio has enjoyed surprising success. Despite terrible reviews, Venom was a massive box office hit, grossing $855 million globally as people all over the world lined up to watch Tom Hardy climb into a tank and eat lobsters. Suddenly that Morbius the Living Vampire movie with Jared Leto doesn’t sound so crazy…