Sony greenlit a sequel and a couple of spin-offs to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse before the movie was even released, because there was a lot of buzz surrounding it and the studio had a lot of faith in the movie. Unlike The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which had sequels and spin-offs rushed into development before failing miserably upon arrival, Into the Spider-Verse was the runaway hit that Sony was hoping it would be. Not only was it a box office smash; it won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, too. So, here are 10 Things We Hope To See In The Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Sequel.
Miles questioning his choice to be Spider-Man
One line that stuck out in the first Into the Spider-Verse movie was when Miles told Peter that he didn’t want to be Spider-Man and Peter told him, “I don’t think you have a choice, kiddo.” An important part of the Spider-Man character – and superhero mythology as a whole – is their choice to use their powers for good once they acquire them. Miles’ internal conflict in the Spider-Verse sequel could involve him questioning his choice to be Spider-Man; a choice that he was pushed into in the first one. Miles seemed unsure of his desire to be a superhero, so he can’t just change that suddenly.
More alternative versions of Spidey villains
A fun part of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was the chance to see slightly tweaked versions of Spider-Man villains from different dimensions. Instead of Dr. Otto Octavius, Doc Ock was an evil female scientist named Dr. Olivia Octavius (or “Liv,” as her friends call her), and her tentacles worked slightly differently than the other versions we’ve seen before, being more flexible and retractable. It would be great to explore more scenarios like this in the sequel. For example, what if Otto Octavius was bitten by the radioactive spider? Or, what if the Green Goblin came from Peni Parker’s anime universe?
Spider-Man 2099
The unusual post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduced us to Miguel O’Hara, better known as Spider-Man 2099, the futuristic incarnation of Spidey. While his trip into the old Spider-Man animated series was played for laughs, it did seem to set him up for a larger role in the sequel. At least, that’s what fans are hoping, especially since Miguel was voiced by Oscar Isaac, one of the greatest and most popular actors working today. Giving Spider-Man 2099 a bigger role in the sequel would also be great for world-building, as the filmmakers could explore Nueva York, the renamed future version of the Big Apple.
Aaron’s funeral
Into the Spider-Verse didn’t really have time for Miles to contemplate the fact that the uncle he looked up to was a supervillain, nor did he get a chance to go through the grieving process after the Kingpin killed him. He got some form of catharsis from defeating the Kingpin, but that alone isn’t enough. In the sequel, Miles and his father should go through this mourning period together, starting with attending the funeral. Miles Morales isn’t the first Spidey whose character development is helped along by the murder of an uncle, but Aaron Davis is a very different character than Ben Parker, so there are a lot of interesting things to explore.
Peter B. Parker in a good place
Some fans have suggested that we won’t get to see Peter B. Parker, the 38-year-old version of Spidey played by Jake Johnson, in the sequel to Into the Spider-Verse, because his arc was completed in the first one. We first met him as a Peter who’d become burned out with being Spider-Man and gotten a divorce from Mary Jane.
It was Peter Parker’s endgame, and it was pretty sad. At the end of Into the Spider-Verse, he’d gotten his groove back, started getting back in shape, and brought flowers to Mary Jane. In the sequel, we should see Miles’ reluctant mentor, if only briefly, to see him in a happy place.
The same animation style
The animation style of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was one of the best parts of the movie. A lot of its frames could stand on their own as beautiful works of art, from Miles jumping head-first across the New York skyline to the opening of the interdimensional portal to Spidey crying in the shower. Its jittering 2D style was the closest that filmmakers have come to recreating the feeling of flicking through a comic book on the big screen. While the sequel to the movie might make some drastic leaps with the narrative and world-building, it should keep the same animation style.
Miles’ dad becoming Spider-Man’s biggest fan
Unlike other big-screen Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, Spider-Man has to hide his secret identity to protect his loved ones. This is true of both the Peter Parker and Miles Morales incarnations of the character, and when it’s done right, it’s used for dramatic irony. Peter’s classmate Flash bullies him mercilessly, but is also a Spider-Man superfan without realizing they’re the same person. We saw in Into the Spider-Verse that Miles’ father Jefferson Davis (played brilliantly by Brian Tyree Henry) has strong opinions about Spider-Man. He spent the first film disliking him before changing his mind when he witnessed his heroism, so it would be fun to see him pivot and become Spidey’s biggest fan in the sequel, without realizing it’s his son.
Returning Spider-People
While the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will likely introduce Miles Morales to new interdimensional versions of Spidey, it would be great to see all our favorites from the first one again. Spider-Gwen is getting her own spin-off, but we saw her contacting Miles across realities at the end of the first Spider-Verse movie, so it’s a no-brainer to bring her back for the sequel, too. Plus, Peni Parker, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham – it would be a joy to see all of these characters back on the screen again; maybe not in the same large roles, but at least making an appearance.
Building towards Spider-Geddon
It would be awesome if Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the first chapter in a trilogy leading up to an adaptation of the “Spider-Geddon” storyline from the comics being the final part. In “Spider-Geddon,” the Inheritors – a team of Spidey villains – escape from the post-apocalyptic dimension they’ve been stranded in and seek revenge against the Spider-Army that put them there.
If the sequel introduces us to more Spider-People, builds up the Spider-Army, and has them trap the Inheritors in a destroyed world, it would set the stage for “Spider-Geddon” to form the basis of the final film in the Spider-Verse trilogy.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man
Marvel Studios reportedly had a cameo appearance by Tom Holland’s Spider-Man cut from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. But now that Marvel Studios has no control over Tom Holland’s Spider-Man – no matter how terrible that may be – Sony is free to include him in Into the Spider-Verse. It might not even have to be a cameo. He could have as big a role as Spider-Man Noir or Spider-Ham had in the first one. Holland has said that he’d love to fight alongside Miles Morales’ Spidey on the big screen without Peter Parker’s death being the cost of it, so the Spider-Verse sequel might be the way to go about it.