The new "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" has been running in cinemas for some time now. The high expectations of fans and critics have been met in every respect - so the movie is a worthy successor to the popular "Into the Spider-Verse". In today's Original, we take a look at the next movie in the series, namely "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse", which is due for release next year.

Of course, there might be some spoilers, since we'll be talking about the plot of Part 2. We will also include content from the comics for theories about Part 3, which obviously don't necessarily have to make it into the film. So, for those who haven't seen "Across the Spider-Verse" yet: Call your friends, go to the movies and then come back to this article!

This is What the Spider-Verse is Currently About

The "Spider-Verse" movies are based on a comic published in 2014. This one unites various Spider characters for the common fight against a villain named Morlun. Many versions of the friendly neighborhood spider appear here, including Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir and more characters from the Ultimate Comics. New additions included Gwen Stacy as Spider-Gwen as well as Spider-Punk, who also make appearances in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse".

The Story of "Across the Spider-Verse"

"Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" will wrap up the animated series with Miles Morales for the time being and is a direct sequel to Part 2. For that reason, the ending of "Across the Spider-Verse" is particularly relevant to the plot of Part 3. So here's a quick recap of what ended up happening in the film:

The new villain Spot considers Miles Morales his nemesis because, as a scientist, he was transformed into his current form by the explosion of the particle accelerator in "Into the Spider-Verse". By clashing with Miles, he realizes that the particle accelerators from other dimensions can help him in becoming even stronger. In Mumbattan, various Spider-Men come together and the team led by Spider-Woman Jessica Drew prevents major damage from occurring as the universe is about to implode.

At Spider-Verse headquarters, Miles meets Miguel O'Hara aka Spider-Man 2099, the head of the team. He enlightens Miles about the so-called canon events that connect all Spider-Men and Spider-Women. These are events that cannot be prevented under any circumstances, as otherwise you endanger the existence of the characters. Therefore, it is essential to avoid too wide variations. But because Miles saved Captain Singh in Mumbattan, that's exactly what happened and the universe of Pavitr Prabhakar is at risk.

Moreover, Miles himself is something of an anomaly and should not in fact be part of the Spider-Verse team, since there has already been a Spider-Man in his universe in the form of Peter Parker. Miles ends up in a conflict of interests: his newly promoted father, who is now also a captain, must die according to the canon - and that's what villain Spot is after. While Miles naturally wants to do everything in his power to keep his father from dying, it is in Spider-Man 2099's best interest to adhere to the canon.

The Conclusion of "Across the Spider-Verse"

The events eventually come thick and fast: Miles does not return to his universe as expected, but lands on Earth-42, where there has never been a Spider-Man. Instead, different baddies have made themselves at home there and he is briefly captured by Prowler. In the meantime, Spider-Gwen is looking for him, but she is unable to find him on Earth-1610. Now, stepping more or less into the lead role, she assembles a team of old and new heroes to locate and rescue Miles in the multiverse. This is where the movie ends with a big cliffhanger, which will be cleared up in the upcoming movie.

Theories on the Plot of "Beyond the Spider-Verse"

Now many are wondering: What will happen next in "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse"? Since there was no post-credits scene at the end of "Across the Spider-Verse", there is no straightforward clue yet as to whether we can expect a particular surprising twist. Nevertheless, there are plenty of unresolved endings that can be picked up - plus a few Eastereggs that might already reveal to us what will become important in Part 3.

Is Miles' Father Going to Die?

Let's start by stating the obvious: It is safe to assume that the team around Spider-Gwen has an interest in maintaining the Spider-Verse. But that also means that they want to thwart Miles' plans to save his father. We can probably expect a big conflict between Miles and his former team here. However, many fans suspect a surprising twist in which Miles' mother will die in the end. This theory is not too far-fetched, after all, something like that also happens in the comics.

Spider-Man 2099 as a Vampire Villain

The Spider-Verse led by Spider-Man 2099 might also hold a dark secret: Already during the movie, there is some tension between Gwen and Miguel - she doesn't seem to trust the leader very much. Also, in one scene you can see that his mask has vampire-like features, which could be a reference to the comics. There, the main villain is the initially mentioned Morlun, who in turn is the leader of his own vampire family. It is therefore quite possible that Spider-Man 2099 hides more behind his mask and has his own agenda.

Appearance of the Sinister Six

But there is also the villain Spot, who keeps seeing Miles as an enemy and wants to kill his father. The fact that Spot is getting more and more powerful due to his ever increasing number of spots on his body has already been seen in the movie. Even at the beginning of the second film, when Spot is not anywhere near as powerful as he is at the end, he was an extremely tough villain to defeat. It seems likely that he can't be beaten without an alliance of all the available Spider-Verse heroes. However, it is improbable that Spot will be the only bad guy that Miles, Spider-Gwen and the likes will have to deal with.

Indeed, a number of fans believe that the so-called Sinister Six will make their debut in the Spider-Verse in Part 3. On Earth-42, for example, J. Jonah Jameson mentions the Sinister Six Cartel. Also, there are many company names that have striking similarities to the members of the antagonist squad, including, for example, the Vulture Corp, a Sandman-style Rolex, the ELECTROphone and many more. In addition to the three Easter Eggs, there are references to Doctor Octopus, Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter. While none of these things provide clear evidence, we can well imagine that this theory will later become reality.

Miles Morales as Prowler

Another storyline that will gain significance is the yet to be unveiled revelation of Miles' identity to his family. Speaking of identity, in the second film, Miles is shown to have a very different career on the crime-ridden Earth-42 with none of the superhero fame. In fact, on this planet Miles is none other than Prowler, and it's not unlikely that we will learn more about the latter's history. Another reason is that Mahershala Ali as Uncle Aaron and Donald Glover as Prowler are two top-class actors who have been signed up for the dubbing and it would seem appropriate to show more of them than their comparatively short appearance in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse".

As you can see, many questions remain unanswered and for some, the ending of "Across the Spider-Verse" may be unsatisfactory due to the cliffhanger. The wait for the story's closure in part 3 shouldn't take too long, as the planned release is barely nine months away.

Cast and Production

The team for "Beyond the Spider-Verse" remains mostly the same: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson return as the directing trio. Phil Lord and Chris Miller will also keep on working as screenwriters and will finish telling the story together with Dave Callaham. In addition, Daniel Pemberton once again provides the movie's score. The unchanged staff is hardly surprising, after all, "Across the Spider-Verse" and "Beyond the Spider-Verse" are considered as one coherent movie in terms of story content.

The situation is similar when it comes to the cast: Here, too, all the key characters are expected to make another appearance. In an interview with Collider, however, Lord and Miller hinted that despite the numerous returnees, there is still plenty of room for surprises. One possibility, for example, could be Cindy Moon aka Silk, who will also get her own series later on. In addition, a "Spider-Woman" animated movie is being considered, a "Miles Morales" live-action movie is in the works, and "Spider-Man 4" with Tom Holland is likewise in development. Here they could take the opportunity to set things up with appearances in "Beyond the Spider-Verse".

Will the Release of "Beyond the Spider-Verse" be Postponed?

The fact that Parts 2 and 3 are closely related can also be seen in the proximity of their release dates. The development of the second film began even prior to the release of "Into the Spider-Verse" in 2018, while Part 3 is now scheduled to be released just a few months after its predecessor. However, as Spider-Gwen star Hailee Steinfeld recently told us, she currently hasn't voiced a single sentence for Part 3, while that had been the case for Part 2 over a period of 4 years. We hope that this is not a bad sign for the planned theatrical release of "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse" on March 29, 2024 and hope for an early, culminating conclusion of the film series.