Sony has dropped the latest trailer for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and it introduces viewers to not one, not two, but six different versions of Spider-Man. According to the trailer, the villains will trigger a dimensional collision that threatens the entire Multiverse - and it's up to the Spiders to stop it.
Dan Slott came up with the idea of the "Spider-Verse" in 2014, a creative arc that allowed him to bring together every alternate-universe version of Spider-Man ever. It was a massive success, not least because it launched the careers of a number of brand new Spiders, including Spider-Gwen. Sony clearly fell in love with the idea, and now it's making it's way to the big screen in a stunning animated movie helmed by Peter Ramsey, Robert Persichetti Jr. and Rodney Rothman (with a script by Phil Lord and Chris Miller).
Related: Into The Spider-Verse: Trailer, Cast, Every Update You Need To Know
The new Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse trailer shows six of the Spiders in action (although we shouldn't assume they're the only wall-crawlers we're going to see in the film, with Spider-Punk rumored). Here's everything you need to know about all the Spider-People confirmed so far.
Peter Parker aka Spider-Man
Everybody knows Peter Parker, although Sony insiders have insisted that this version of Peter Parker is different to one we've ever seen before. He's like a pro athlete who's nearing his '40s, seasoned and more than a little careworn. "This is no longer a fresh or new experience," co-writer Rodney Rothman explained, "He's taken a lot of hits. He's lost a lot." Although the character is voiced by Jake Johnson, this latest trailer strongly implies this is the Spider-Man of the Tobey Maguire films, albeit years later. Notice that his memories include a number of key scenes from the first Spider-Man trilogy, ranging from the famous upside-down kiss to Spider-Man's stopping the train. If this is the case, we may finally find out what happened to Peter after the events of Spider-Man 3.
This Peter seems to be the first alternate Spider-Man encountered by Miles Morales, and the dynamic between the two characters is clearly the emotional center of the film. Peter takes the younger Spider-Man under his wing, attempting to train him - and possibly help him avoid making the same mistakes Peter's made over his years as the wall-crawler of his dimension. Given how comfortable Peter is with the idea of the Multiverse, it may be he's already done some dimension-hopping at some point in his career.
Just as in the comics, it looks as though Peter Parker has experimented with creating a wide range of costumes. In an amusing riff on Iron Man's Hall of Armors, he keeps each costume in case it's ever needed again. Prominent examples include the S.H.I.E.L.D.-created "Secret War" outfit and a non-conductive suit he created in order to deal with Electro. It will be exciting to see whether or not Peter, or even some of the other Spiders, don these costumes.
Related: Who's Who In Spider-Verse's Voice Cast
Miles Morales aka Ultimate Spider-Man
The star of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales was created by writer Brian Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli back in 2011. Miles is usually referred to as the Ultimate Spider-Man, given he was created as part of Marvel's modernized Ultimate Universe. The character only decided to suit up after he saw his reality's version of Spider-Man die in battle; inspired by Peter's heroism, he dedicated himself to using his powers responsibly and making a difference in the world. Reaction to the character was mixed, with some decrying Marvel's decision to pass on the Spider-Man torch to a young Afro-American as little more than a publicity stunt. The years since have essentially settled that debate, though, with Miles's enduring popularity leading the comic book publisher to bring him into their mainstream comic book universe.
It looks as though the Miles Morales of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (voiced by Shameik Moore) is pretty new to this hero gig, and he's certainly never come across the idea of alternate dimensions before. As the protagonist, the movie will explore just how Miles decision to be a superhero affects his family dynamic. At the very least, the trailer promises an amusing relationship between Miles and his father.
Gwen Stacy aka Spider-Gwen
What if Gwen Stacy were the one bitten by the radioactive spider? When Dan Slott was planning out the "Spider-Verse" event in 2014, he jotted down that idea; it got passed to writer Jason Latour and artist Robbi Rodriguez, and they decided to roll with it in a spinoff issue. The moment Rodriguez's designs hit the internet, though, they went viral under the hashtag #SpiderGwen. It was clear Marvel Comics had a hit on their hands, and there were even reports Sony was interested in developing the idea in a movie (of course, they'd just killed off Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2).
Another daughter of a cop, Spider-Gwen has seen a lot of pain in her young life. Her example inspired classmate Peter Parker to take dumb risks with genetic experiments, and as a result he was transformed into her reality's version of the Lizard. The police blamed Spider-Gwen for Peter's tragic death, and ever since then she's struggled to find a way to honor her friend's memory. In her private life, Gwen's a drummer, part of a group known as the Mary-Janes (you can guess who leads the band). She's developed something of a reputation for being flaky, largely because poor Gwen tends to be so exhausted that she falls asleep during rehearsals.
Realted: Get To Know Spider-Gwen
Where Peter will be Miles's mentor, Hailee Steinfeld's Gwen will be his friend. The trailer lifts a lot of ideas from the comics - including the purple stylized backdrop of Gwen's reality - so it's possible there's more to it than that; in the comics, Gwen and Miles have toyed with a relationship, even sharing a few kisses. In a surreal twist, they've even encountered their future kids.
Page 2 of 2: The More Obscure Spiders In Into The Spider-Verse
1930s Peter Parker aka Spider-Man Noir
Back in 2009, Marvel decided to launch a creative range of noir comics that reinvented their heroes against the backdrop of the '30s and the Great Depression. David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico worked together on the design for Spider-Man Noir, imagined as a teenager who stumbled into the life of reporter Ben Urich. Peter received a tip meant for Urich, one that took him into harm's way and led to his being bitten by some sort of mystical spider - and the rest, as they say, is history. The Spider-Man Noir comics were tremendous, and popular enough to lead Marvel to commission a sequel.
Marvel seem to really pushing Spider-Man Noir of late; along with his role in Into the Spider-Verse (voiced by Nicolas Cage) he plays a major role in the PS4 game, and Peter's new costume in Spider-Man: Far From Home definitely evokes comparisons to Spider-Man Noir. Hasbro recently released a Marvel Legends action figure, too.
Peni Parker aka SP//dr
Another character created for the "Spider-Verse" event, Peni Parker (in the movie played by Kimiko Glenn) is a fascinating new iteration of Spider-Man. In Peni's reality, her aunt and uncle were researchers who were working on the powerful cybernetic SP//dr suit. Peni's father died while wearing the SP//dr, and only Peni had the right genetic code to take his place. Aged nine, this brave child agreed to be bitten by a radioactive spider in order to bond with SP//dr's CPU. She's since defended her reality from some pretty terrifying villains, ranging from her reality's version of Mysterio to a new Goblin.
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Marvel seems to believe Peni has serious potential. The comic book publisher is currently working on a sequel to "Spider-Verse," which they've dubbed "Spider-Geddon." Although the event is in early days, Peni Parker appears to be one of the main characters in the story.
Peter Porker aka Spider-Ham
Created by Tom DeFalco and Armstrong, Peter Porker is an anthropomorphized funny animal parody of the wall-crawler. Porker was born a spider, but was exposed to radiation by scientist May Porker, and mutated into a half-swine, half-spider form. He's been the subject of a number of parody comics and short adventures, going up against villains such as Doctor Octopussy and working alongside fellow heroes and vigilantes like Captain AmeriCat and the Goose Rider. Spider-Ham's always been popular with comic book readers, and Marvel originally planned "Spider-Verse" to launch a new ongoing series; that was shelved after Spider-Gwen's popularity meant she became a wiser choice, but Marvel has continued to use Spider-Ham as a secondary character in various alt-reality stories. For Into the Spider-Verse, he's voiced by John Mulaney
Don't call him Spider-Pig, though. As he recently cautioned a super-villain, Spider-Pig is just a cartoon character.
