If there’s one lesson you will take away from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, it’s that there’s a Spider-everything, and I mean everything. Now, a lot of comic book heroes have a lot of variants thanks to the multiverse. Even so, you won’t find an Iron Man variant like Ironsaurus Rex or a Captain America variant like CapMobile. However, you will find actual Spider-Man variants that are cars, monkeys, cats, horses, or even dinosaurs. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse delves deep into Spider-Man lore to find all these Spider-oddities, resulting in some pretty unexpected Spider-Man variants.
Of course, not all of the variants are totally off the wall. Some variants, like the chilling Last Man Spider-Man and Web Slinger, are darker and more unique takes on the character that we’d love to see again. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse takes advantage of the fact that it has a plethora of Spider-Man variants to pluck from Spidey history and includes countless iterations for viewers to scope out. While a lot of these variations were expected due to promotional materials, the film managed to keep an impressive number of them fairly under wraps. Here are 15 of the most unexpected Spider-Man variants in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Spider-Rex
Pter Ptarker (a.k.a. Spider-Rex) is arguably one of the weirdest and most terrifying Spider-Man variants of all. Viewers can catch him during the chase scene in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, where he proves to be nightmare fuel as a Tyrannosaurus Rex with the agility of a Spider-Man. In the comics, Ptarker comes from Earth-66 and was originally a Pteranodon. A meteorite hit Earth and somehow transferred him into the body of T-Rex with Spider powers, so he became the Amazing Spider-Rex.
The Spider-Mobile
When you hear the word “Batmobile,” you know it’s a car that Batman drives—it’s not actually Batman in car form. However, the Spider-Mobile is indeed an actual Spider-Man in car form. Peter Parkedcar hails from Earth-53931, a world of sentient cars reminiscent of Pixar’s Cars universe. He joined an alternate Miles Morales to save the multiverse from the villain Shathra in the comics. In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, he seems mostly regulated to chauffeuring his fellow Spider-Man variants around Spider Society.
LEGO Spider-Man
Since a lot of superheroes have LEGO versions, LEGO Spider-Man isn’t as unusual as some variants on this list. Still, it was exciting to see both him and his LEGO world (Earth-13122) get a full scene, which was animated by 14-year-old Preston Mutanga. It was the Spider-Verse and LEGO Movie crossover we didn’t know we needed.
Spyder-Knight
One thing about Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is that it doesn’t limit itself to choosing Spider-Man variants from the comics, but delves into Spider-Man’s video game and TV history, too. This is how they managed to work in Spyder-Knight, a medieval Spider-Man who appears in the animated Ultimate Spider-Man series. The best shot viewers get of him is in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse poster. He has been upgraded to look like a more authentic medieval knight, and he’s also one of the few Spider-Man variants who gets to use the fancy “Spyder” spelling.
Spider-Man Tsum Tsum
Yes, there is even a Spider-Man Tsum Tsum, and he’s the most adorable Spider-Man variant ever. He first appeared in Marvel Tsum Tsum #1, in which several Marvel characters got Tsum Tsum counterparts. One little Tsum Tsum happened to witness Spider-Man saving the world and took on his likeness. He began saving the world, too, and even came up against Ultron Tsum Tsum. He can be spotted briefly in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse being held by another Spider variant in the Spider Society cafeteria.
Spider-Cat
Cats are already scary enough, but imagine having your cat swinging through the air and spitting up spider-web hairballs in your face. That’s exactly what Spider-Cat does in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse when it hurls its tiny, vicious yet adorable body at Miles (Shameik Moore)’s face during the Spider chase. We were especially glad to see Spider-Cat in the film because he was formerly believed to be deceased after bravely fighting Bora and Brix in the comic books. Fortunately, it seems he has a few more of his nine lives left.
Spider-Byte
Margo Kress (a.k.a. Spider-Byte) is arguably one of the coolest Spider-Man variants. She used her tech skills to create an avatar with Spider powers and now chases down villains in cyberspace while her friends think she’s just checking her e-mail. It was surprising to see her play such a prominent role in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and even have a “moment” with Miles.
Spider-Cop
Spider-Cop comes from Earth-19119 and has an extremely brief comic book history. He’s just a Spider-Man who uses his Spider powers to be a cop. However, PlayStation Spider-Man was once really pumped to learn that a Spider-Cop actually existed because he frequently used the same alias when working with the police force. Hence having both Spider-Cop and PlayStation Spider-Man pop up in the film was pretty clever. Additionally, with his cheap-looking security officer costume and lack of a mustache, the film’s take on Spider-Cop is quite funny and way less menacing than the comic book version.
Underoos
In PlayStation’s Spider-Man (2018), one of Spider-Man’s suits is the underwear suit. It’s exactly what it sounds like: he wears his Spider-Man mask, underwear, and nothing else. Hence the nickname Underoos, which is a type of superhero underwear for kids that Fruit of the Loom released in the 1980s. It was also Tony Stark’s nickname for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man in the MCU. Meanwhile, this odd Spider-Man can be spotted very briefly in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s Spider Society. Fortunately, it’s from such a distance that it’s appropriate for a PG movie, but it’s still hilarious that the film thought to include this Spider-Man.
Andrew Garfield & Tobey Maguire Spider-Mans
Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man appear in flashbacks in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, with Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) using scenes from Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man for examples of canon events. Viewers were so preoccupied with whether Tom Holland would cameo in the film that it’s surprising when Garfield and Maguire both pop up instead.
Web Slinger and Widow
In the comics, Patrick O’Hara (a.k.a. Web Slinger) is a gunslinger who gets bitten by a radioactive spider, as does his horse, Widow. He has fought both the Inheritors and Michael Morbius, but he’s not the most well-known alternate Spider-Man. So it was a little surprising when Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse gave Web Slinger and his horse a bigger role than most variants, with his horse keeping up the odd trend of animals being Spider-Man. We even learn that Widow has a secret identity, too, because why not?
Julia Carpenter (a.k.a. Spider-Woman)
Julia Carpenter is going to be entering Sony’s Spider-Man Universe in Madame Web next year, portrayed by Sydney Sweeney. Instead of Madame Web being the character’s film debut, though, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse snatched the opportunity to debut her in a non-speaking cameo. It’s a fun tease of the character’s future in the SSU.
Spider-B*tch/Spider-Kingpin
Yes, you read this Spider-Man variant’s name correctly and yes, she’s an actual comic book character. Her real name is Ashley Barton and she’s the daughter of Peter Parker’s daughter, Tonya, and Hawkeye. However, she’s not the nicest Spider-Man variant, using her powers to decapitate Kingpin and take over his position as a crime boss. Barton can be briefly spotted in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. However, since it is a PG film, she’s referred to as Spider-Kingpin. In the comics, though, she does roll with the nickname Spider-B*tch.
Last Stand Spider-Man
Last Stand Spider-Man hails from Earth-312500 and is an older and much darker version of Peter Parker. He went down a dark path after killing Kraven the Hunter and became more of a vigilante than a hero. Given his dark backstory, it was surprising to spot him in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, just nonchalantly getting into the Spider-Mobile with his fellow Spider variants.
Captain Spider
Flash Thompson’s Captain Spider can be spotted in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, participating in the Spider chase in a varsity jacket. In the comics, on Earth-78127, Flash Thompson was bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter. So of course he became the most pretentious Spider-Man variant, calling himself Captain Spider and strutting about with his chiseled chin and blond hair showing through his costume. Given that we’ve seen Thompson in the MCU, it was fun and surprising to see an alternate version of the character with Spider powers.
(featured image: Sony Pictures / Marvel Comics)
Published: Jun 12, 2023 06:23 pm