TV & Movies

Across the Spider-Verse features the best, most spectacular Spider-Man

Lucy-Jo Finnighan
spectacular spider-manMarvel Studios

Into the Spider-Verse features every Spider-Person under the sun, but there’s one Spectacular Spider-Man feature that we’d love to mention.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is considered by many to be the best Spider-Man movie of all time, so to say that people are excited for the film’s sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, would be an understatement. And at long last, it’s finally here.

As we stated in our review of the film, “The Spider-Verse movies as a whole are a masterclass of animation and what it can do. From the visuals to the characters, to the comedy and the action, for every criticism we have, there’s a multi-verse load of positives.”

Now, there are so many characters and Easter Eggs in this film, including a certain Spectacular appearance. But to what extent does the Spectacular Spider-Man appear? We’ll explain, but first: Slight Spoiler warning for Across the Spider-Verse!

Across the Spider-Verse features a spectacular cameo

The official plot for Across the Spider-Verse is as thus: “After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.”

One of the many Spiders Miles is pitted against is the Spectacular Spider-Man himself, from the animated TV show of the same name, voiced as always by Josh Keaton.

Unlike many of the Spiders, who only dart along the screen during action scenes, Keaton actually gets to speak in this movie. As Spider-Man 2099 and Miles “clash on how to handle a new threat” – a threat which we won’t spoil – multiple Spiders come forth to try and convince Miles that 2099 is doing the right thing.

This includes the Spectacular Spider-Man, who states: “We know it’s hard. But it’s the truth, Miles.” While it may be difficult to understand why so many Spider-folk are willing to go along with Miguel’s plan, it does make some sense for this Spider.

See, an overarching arc on the TV show is Peter Parker’s eventual acceptance that there’s a reason he must remain Spider-Man, even as he deals with all of the hardships that comes his way. He accepts that Spider-Man must make certain sacrifices, which is something that Miles is unwilling to accept in Across the Spider-Verse.

The Spider-Man continues to show why he’s spectacular however, as during Miles’ big fight with Miguel, the cartoon manages to hold onto Spider-Cat in order to prevent him from being hurt in the fallout.

Why is the Spectacular Spider-Man the best Peter Parker?

Now, this may be only one Spider-gal’s opinion, but the Spectacular Spider-Man show is arguably the best on-screen depiction of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker ever. It also has the best Spider-Man theme song out there.

Based on the Marvel Comics (obviously), and developed by Greg Weisman and Victor Cook, the series ran for two seasons from 2008-2009, and is currently resting fresh at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

And it’s hard not to agree with the website. The TV show – and Josh Keaton’s performance – aces its depiction of Peter Parker, getting the nerd aspect right, and the wise-cracking cool superhero part right, all while having well-done overarching narratives and character arcs.

While some may disagree on the animation style, its quality still flowed well, particularly in action scenes, where you could feel every hit and swing the hero took.

The villains are also done spectacularly, with the Sinister Six all being set up in individual episodes before banding together in the run-up to the Season 1 finale, ala The Avengers. And if you’re a fan of the symbiote arc, you need to watch this cartoon, as it is the best onscreen-depiction of Venom and Eddie Brock ever. Definitely better than Spider-Man 3.

Now, granted, the show is able to accomplish this amount of depth in its heroes and villains as it has much more screen time than any of the films. However, hardly any of the other Spider-Man TV shows have come close to the quality of Spectacular Spider-Man, even with longer runtimes.

Fans also look on this show nostalgically, as it was definitely cut down in its prime. Despite Season 2 being brilliant, and ending on a cliff-hanger, the show was caught up amidst the Disney-Marvel-Fox rights debacle, which led to The Spectacular Spider-Man being cancelled, and Ultimate Spider-Man being created in its wake.

Its been over a decade since then, and while a rebooted third season of the show seems unlikely, fans are always holding out hope. And who knows, maybe Keaton’s cameo in Across the Spider-Verse will renew interest in the project again.

For now, we can at least appreciate his short scene in the movie. So make sure to check out Across the Spider-Verse if you haven’t already, or at least watch the trailer below:

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is in cinemas now. Check out our other coverage below:

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