Sony's Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man Earth-19999 retcon gets explained by the director of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Following in the shoes of the Academy Award winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the animated sequel will delve even further into the multiverse. While Miles Morales' universe was visited by different versions of Spider-Man in the first film, the young hero will be traversing the multiverse in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, meeting new versions of the wall-crawler. Along the way, Miles will learn of the existence of the MCU's Spider-Man, as evidenced by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's trailers, and the movie's director explains its MCU connection.

Speaking to SFX Magazine (via Digital Spy), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's co-director, Kemp Powers, addressed the movie's MCU Spider-Man tease. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse admits how dumb Doctor Strange was in his actions during Spider-Man: No Way Home, which led to a shift in the multiverse. According to Powers, the film is "not tied into the Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything like that." The co-director explains the decision to include the MCU reference, with the Earth-19999 designation rather than Earth-616, was made simply to have fun. Powers goes on to confirm the animated film's team did not add the tease "in conjunction with Marvel." Check out the full quote below:

“The world of Miles Morales and Spider-Verse, it’s not tied into the Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything like that. But this is a Lord and Miller film. We like to have a little bit of fun, we like to be a little bit meta and to acknowledge the world in which we are creating these stories. That’s the best way to explain it.”“This isn’t something where we did anything in conjunction with Marvel. Miles’s universe, trust me, there’s plenty to work with."

Related: Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse: Cast, Plot & Everything We Know So Far

Will Tom Holland Appear In Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse?

Split Image: Miles Morales poster for Across the Spider-Verse, flanked by Spider-Man variants; Spider-Man (Tom Holland) bruised and exhausted

While Powers seems to imply that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will not carry any other further MCU connections besides the scene seen in the movie's trailers, it is very much possible that the animated film's co-director is lying to keep a surprise. After all, there have been both hints by the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse team in the past, as well as rumors of the movie's plot hinting at a role for Holland's MCU version of Spider-Man.

Holland is rumored to appear in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. According to Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider, the actor will appear in a surprising way in the film. Miles Morales would end up in a live-action universe during his multiversal travels in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The hero would then be faced with none other than Holland's Spider-Man. The rumor does not elaborate if Miles would also appear in live-action during the scene or if Holland's universe would be revealed to be the MCU.

It is inevitable that Miles Morales will join the MCU one day. The character's popularity has grown exponentially since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released in 2018, and the MCU has already set up the character to appear through Donald Glover's Aaron Davis, who mentioned his nephew — Miles — in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Holland's Peter Parker being present in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse could serve as foreshadowing for the two Spider-Men's future meeting in the MCU, even if the animated film's version of Miles does not appear in live-action.

Source: SFX Magazine (via Digital Spy)

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