A new toy may have revealed a clue about the upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse movie. The computer-animated film will be the second installment in a three-part movie series following the huge commercial and critical success of its first film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018. The original movie told the story of Miles Morales, a teenage boy who becomes a new Spider-man and joins forces with Spider-people from other universes to protect his own universe against villain Kingpin. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Film and received praise for its plot, humor and animation style.
The upcoming sequel was originally set to be released in April 2022, but due to COVID-19 pandemic complications, the film's release date was bumped to June 2023, with the third installment set for release in May 2024. So far, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's cast has been set, with actors Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld reprising their roles as Morales, and Gwen Stacy alongside Oscar Isaac and Issa Rae as new Spider-Man/Woman variants. However, details about plot have yet to be announced, save for Miles heading into the multiverse with other Spider-People and its central villain The Spot, who audiences are now learning more about.
New merchandise for the film may have given fans a small clue as to what Across the Spider-verse will be about. The Hasbro toy, an action-figure of the Marvel character The Spot, traditionally a villain to both Spider-Man and Daredevil, was spotted in a Canadian Walmart and shared by Instagram user TOYSHIZ. On the back of the packaging, the toy description describes the villain in the early stages of his journey. A small line on the box explains: "If The Spot can realize the true power of his abilities, he could become a threat to the entire universe." According to the comics, the Spot has the ability to open up interdimensional portals, even over his own body, that allow him to commit crimes in multiple universes.
The Spot's Role In Spider-Verse 2 Explained
While it's confirmed Jason Schwartzman will voice The Spot in the upcoming film, little else has been revealed about th Spider-Man villain's involvement in the story. However, the description on the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse toy's packaging implies that the film may introduce The Spot around the moment he discovers his own superpower. If so, this hints at a more nuanced portrayal of the character potentially struggling to perfect his abilities while showing the scale of what he could become, unlike other villains including the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus and Tombstone who all had fully developed powers in the previous animated Spider-Man film.
Nearly five years after the incredibly popular Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, fans are getting eager and excited about the long-awaited sequel. If Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse wants to maintain the element of surprise, they need to be careful about every little breadcrumb that drops, namely in regards to The Spot, a villain yet to be adapted for a webslinging movie. Of course, by keeping fans engaged and speculating, Sony is certainly building the anticipation leading up to the film's June 2, 2023 release.
Source: TOYSHIZ/Instagram
