Warning: SPOILERS for Spider-Verse #6
The final issue of Spider-Verse #6 features the return of a great icon from Spider-Man's multiversal history: the giant Japanese robot Leopardon! To be sure, the transforming mech titan has appeared in recent crossover events, including 2014's Spider-Verse and 2018's Spider-Geddon. It's always a fun occasion when Leopardon arrives since he holds a special place in the hearts of Spider-Fans.
For those unfamiliar, Spider-Man had a short-lived but beloved live-action Japanese TV series, produced by Toei Company in the late 1970s. The show was a delightful mix of the tokusatsu genre (which would eventually manifest the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and the aesthetic of the American live-action Spider-Man shows of the '70s (the Electric Company shorts, the Nicholas Hammond-starring TV series). Supaidāman, a.k.a. Takuya Yamashiro, had the classic costume and power set, but his world and origin story was radically different; for one thing, there was a giant robot. Eventually, Takuya and the company became an "official" part of Marvel continuity/the Spider-Verse, specifically originating from Earth-51778.
In the Spider-Verse limited series, Miles Morales leads a team of various Spider-People to find a "tangle" in the Web of Life and Destiny, because who else is going to handle that sort of problem? In this interdimensional nexus, they're set upon by monsters from the Iron Cross Army, canonically the main villains from the Japanese series. And then:
The Spider-Robot motif is, of course, also represented in Peni Parker and SP//dr, as featured in the Into The Spider-Verse film. But Leopardon is older and bigger. Traditionally, Leopardon transforms into a spaceship named, aptly, "Marveller." It's worth noting that Leopardon pre-dates Voltron, the Power Rangers' Megazord, and most of the giant transforming mechs we've come to know and love. Positive audience reaction to Leopardon encouraged Toei to introduce more such characters into their shows, thus paving the way for the gigantic robot phenomenon.
The Japanese Spider-Man show is a cult classic in every way. By re-imagining Spidey's story in a new cultural context, it arguably made the case for the multitude of alternate-universe Spider-People who make up the "modern" Spider-Verse. (Plus, the actor's spidery body language when he's suited up in that show is spectacular.) "Japanese Spider-Man" in casual usage usually refers to the Toei TV version, but in fact, there have been several Japanese Spider-characters over the years; Takuya Yamashiro is the only one, to the best of our knowledge, to be regularly accompanied by a humongous robot friend. Red Ronin matchup, anyone?
Spider-Verse #6 is available now at your local comics shop.