Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse surprised many viewers to become one of the most popular and highly-rated superhero films in recent years. Its sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is set to hit theaters on June 2nd, 2023, and will feature fan-favorite Miles Morales as he teams up with other heroes from the Spider-army to take down a mysterious new villain.
Along with returning characters like Gwen Stacy, he will be joined by Jessica Drew’s Spider-Woman and Miguel O'Hara's Spider-Man 2099. Considering the vastness of the Marvel multiverse, there are plenty of other heroes and villains who could also appear. But who are the most likely candidates to arrive in the Spider-Verse?
Silk
One of the safest bets for a new character in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is Cindy Moon, alias Silk. In fact, she’s already been announced as one of the characters set to star in a female-centric spin-off film with Gwen Stacy and Jessica Drew. Therefore, it would be unsurprising to see Silk first appear here.
Silk, like Miles Morales, is relatively new to comics, only being introduced in 2014, yet she has quickly become very popular, and would make for an ideal animated companion for the Spideys.
Scarlet Spider
As the Spider-Verse films will likely showcase all sorts of different Spider-people, it could also incorporate a controversial, yet incredibly consequential storyline, the Clone Saga. This introduced the Scarlet Spiders, namely Ben Reilly and later Kaine Parker, as clones of Peter Parker created by the villain the Jackal.
This arc is not something fans will likely see in the MCU, yet it could find its place in the Spider-Verse films, and thus it could incorporate Ben and/or Kaine. Particularly, Ben Reilly has an interesting history in the comics as a hero and villain, so his story could translate very well to a film like this.
Venom
In crossing the Spider-Verse, these films could very well introduce anyone associated with Spider-Man, but the best bet is to go with one of the hero’s most popular secondary characters, Venom. This could feature Venom in a fully villainous role in comparison to recent portrayals in Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage where he is more of an anti-hero.
Alternatively, variants of Venom and the symbiotes could be incorporated so as to distance itself from Sony’s Spider-Man Universe in which Venom is the predominant character. This could include Flash Thompson as Agent Venom, a more militaristic ally.
Morlun
There is no shortage of villains from Spider-Man’s iconic rogues' gallery that the Spider-Verse films could draw from. At the top of the list should be Morlun, given his role as the main antagonist in the Spider-Verse comics. He is part of the Inheritors, vampires who feed off energy and life force rather than blood.
Morlun is one of Spider-Man’s most powerful enemies and is exceptionally ruthless as he hunts Spider-Totems – supernatural entities linking together all reality – across the Multiverse. Essentially, this leads him and his ilk to try and eradicate every variation of Spider-Man and their allies, thus he is a perfect villain for these films. However, he might be reserved for the third film, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Madame Web
Another character that could appear from the Spider-Family is Cassandra Webb, better known as Madame Web. She is currently in more discussion since Sony unexpectedly announced that Dakota Johnson would star as the character in her own solo film, Madame Web, as part of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. However, that shouldn’t limit her involvement here.
Madame Web is a blind, clairvoyant mutant and operates similar to Oracle in DC comics, helping Spider-Man and his allies in their endeavors. If not in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Madame Web could also figure well into the Spider-Woman spin-off given her affiliation with several of the characters.
Ai Apaec
One character who calls himself Spider-Man resembles a spider more than others. That would be Ai Apaec, who is actually an ancient god characterized by their six arms, snake hair, and venomous bite. He is best associated with Norman Osborn, having been recruited into the Dark Avengers – a team that could feature in the MCU soon – with a suit modeled on Spider-Man.
His story as a spider-centric character could certainly feature him in the Spider-Verse films, whether as a potential ally against a greater evil like Morlun. The films could otherwise use villainous characters such as Ai Apaec in a team like the Dark Avengers.
Superior Spider-Man
A variant of Doctor Octopus, Olivia Octavius, voiced by Kathryn Hahn, was featured among other villains in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and yet another version could still appear in the future. An interesting possibility could be to feature an Otto Octavius from an alternate universe as the Superior Spider-Man.
This was when he swapped consciousnesses with Peter Parker, forcing the young hero to fester away in the villain’s dying body. The arc is extremely compelling as it forces Octavius to confront what it means to be Spider-Man, and thus a hero. Whether as an antagonist or ally, Superior Spider-Man would therefore make for a welcome entry into the Spider-Verse films.
Rhino
The artistic animation style really let several characters shine better than they ever could in live-action, such as Kingpin, Prowler, and Scorpion. The same could be applied to another of Spider-Man’s classic enemies, Aleksei Stysevich, more commonly known as Rhino. The Russian thug turned major supervillain’s aesthetic and powerset would definitely fit in well with this type of animation.
It would be cool to see Rhino as a comic accurate portrayal as the disastrously dangerous and powerful, yet dimwitted juggernaut that he is – especially since the last film he was in was The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which never really showed Rhino at his best. He could even be joined by other popular Spider-Man villains like the Vulture, Lizard, or Mysterio.
Arácnido
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will introduce Takuya Yamashiro AKA Japanese Spider-Man to the masses, yet he could not be alone. Additionally, Arácnido could be featured – especially since the character was first introduced in the Spider-Verse comic series. Since he is a minor character in the comics, there is a lot that comic fans might not know about Arácnido.
However, there are even more mysterious and unanswered questions surrounding the Mexican hero that a Spider-Verse film could explore, including his name and how he got his powers. Another good choice similar to Arácnido could be the Spider-Man of Earth-50101, Pavitr Prabhakar, an Indian teen who joins the Spider-Army.
Spider-Punk
A particularly exciting and popular inclusion could be Hobart Brown AKA Spider-Punk, who is actually an alternate British version of Hobie Brown, the original Prowler – not to be confused with Aaron Davis, Miles Morales’ uncle and the Prowler in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Like Peter Parker, he became an avatar for a Spider-Totem and thus he can be a target for Morlun and the Inheritors if they appear.
His unique style and characterization would definitely fit in well in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and beyond. Thankfully, there’s more to draw from for Spider-Punk besides the Spider-Verse comics run since he’s currently headlining his own series.