This is truly the decade of Spider-Man. Spider-Man has injected the Marvel Cinematic Universe with new vitality, and the new PS4 Spider-Man game is the reason that everyone is behind on their homework. We’ve even had the casting news that Jake Gyllenhaal will be playing Mysterio in the next live-action Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Far From Home. With all of this buzz, your spidey senses may have missed the new trailer that came out a few weeks ago for the animated Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in theatres December 14th.
A montage of Peter being Very Cool.
You might be sighing and thinking, “Honestly? There’s way too much Peter Parker as it is. Do they really need to tell his story again?” and that is a valid thing to feel. You’re also in luck. This isn’t a movie about Peter Parker: it’s about Miles Morales, a 13-year old-kid from Brooklyn who happens to also get spider-powers. His world is turned upside down when suddenly other spider-powered people start popping up, travelling from their own corners of the multiverse.
The action-packed first trailer for the movie introduced us to Miles and showed us his first encounter with Peter Parker, but it didn’t show us much of what to expect from the movie. The second trailer features Miles Morales and appearances from five other spider-people. It also shows us what kind of troubles our heroes will be facing.
There’s a lot of spider-heroes. Let’s break that down first.
Miles Morales
Miles Morales is undeniably the main focus of the film, and he’ll be voiced by Shameik Moore (The Get Down, Dope). The character was introduced as the new Spider-Man in 2011, and fans have speculated that Marvel may have plans to introduce him into the MCU someday. The quick version of Miles’s comic book backstory is that, when he is thirteen years old, he wins a lottery to enrol in a charter school, goes to visit his uncle, and gets bitten by a spider. He gets really cool spider-powers, like the ability to turn invisible (as seen in the trailer) and to zap people. We can assume from Miles’s suitcase in the trailer and the scenes in dorms that he’s at the same charter school in this movie, so his backstory is likely very similar to that of the comic books.
Miles has to balance school and being a hero, just like Peter before him, but he also has to contend with his father being law enforcement (who are not usually fond of Spidey). You will love him instantly, and then worry about him because he is barely even a teenager.
Peter Parker
Peter Parker will be voiced by Jake Johnson (New Girl, Tag). He comes from a universe where it seems he has settled down with Mary Jane Watson. The new trailer opens with Peter telling us about his life as Spider-Man, and it’s clear throughout the trailer that the most important thing for him is to get home to MJ. However, even though he is reluctant, he agrees to help Miles learn to be Spider-Man.
Gwen Stacy
The spider-people get a bit more obscure from here, but you might have heard the name Spider-Gwen before. She’s a bit of a fan favourite (that fan being me). In her universe, Gwen Stacy was bitten by the spider instead of Peter Parker. Without giving too much away, the public believes that she, as Spider-Woman, murdered a student, and she must run from the law while keeping her city safe.
We don’t learn much about this movie’s version of Gwen—voiced by Hailee Steinfeld (Pitch Perfect 2, The Edge of Seventeen)—in the trailers. We see that she’s a drummer, though, so I’d say she’s the coolest of the bunch.
Peni Parker and Spider-Man Noir
Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) and Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage) are also joining the team, although we don’t see much from them in the trailer. Peni isn’t regularly spider-powered, but she pilots SP//dr, a mecha suit. Spider-Man Noir is spider-powered, but in his comics iteration, he is also skilled with firearms. Cage also based his voice for the role on Humphrey Bogart, an icon of the 1930s. I bet you didn’t expect to read that today.
Spider-Ham
The last spider-being, who I think is definitely the most realistic of the bunch, is Spider-Ham. Fans of stand-up, the show Big Mouth, and memes will be excited to know that John Mulaney is voicing the super-pig. We are only graced with two quips from Mulaney’s character during the trailer, but can expect him to be the main comic relief of the ensemble.
Now let’s talk plot.
In the trailer, we see well-known and beloved villain Wilson Fisk (Liv Schreiber) make a few appearances, and it looks like he’s up to some no good science. Fisk stands shrouded in darkness and says, probably to another villain he’s team up with, “You ever hear of a super collider? You’re gonna love this.”
That right there? That’s how we get all the spider-people in one place. The super collider seems to pull the spider-people from their universes. Why them? That remains to be seen. It might be a good thing, though, because according to the trailer, the super collider is threatening to destroy Brooklyn, and possibly the whole multiverse. The spider-gang will have to destroy the machine somehow, but that’s not all the trouble being teased.
There were also short glimpses of the Prowler, a villain with a connection to Miles that I won’t spoil, as well as the Scorpion and the Green Goblin (see: every Spider-Man movie, game, and comic ever). It isn’t clear how these characters relate, so I won’t speculate too much, but it looks like our heroes will be well matched.
Animation!
The animation we got to see in this trailer was unreal. The way the movie seamlessly shifts between almost-realism to a more wacky style adds to the feeling that you’re watching a comic book. Even the five spider-heroes are animated in slightly differing styles. Peni’s animation looks similar to anime. Spider-Ham looks like a Looney Tunes character. It’s visual candy!
Will you be seeing this movie in theatres? Let us know!
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