Spoiler warning for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released in December of 2018 and was met with outstanding reviews from audiences and critics alike, even winning an Oscar for Best Animation, which it definitely deserved. In November 2019, a sequel was announced, and everyone was ecstatic. Unfortunately, due to Covid, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was delayed for 8 months. Thankfully, we finally got the sequel we wanted on June 2nd, 2023.  

Going in, many people were excited but skeptical. Typically superhero movie sequels aren’t as good as their predecessors. Take Thor: The Dark World, Wonder Woman 1984, and The Incredibles 2 as examples. Each of their originals range from great to fantastic, while the sequels themselves are considered some of the worst films produced by their respective studios. Because of this, people were concerned that Across the Spider-Verse would continue this trend. It thoroughly breaks that trend in every way possible.  

When it comes to sequels, sometimes the characters will act completely different from how they acted in the original. This can work if it’s done properly, such as if a character went through something that would change their personality, but most of the time it doesn’t. It is to the point where some characters are completely unrecognizable from their counterparts in the originals. In Across the Spider-Verse, all the characters feel like the same people we loved in the original. That’s not to say that they feel static or as if they aren’t interesting. The characters in the original were already great, so they only changed a little bit between movies, and any changes were explained by flashbacks. Miles felt the exact same as he did in the original since nothing super big really happened to him between movies. Gwen acts a little more reserved because, as we see in a flashback, her father found out that she is Spider-Woman, and he didn’t take the news very well.  

The new characters were also great. Pavitr and Hobie are great additions to the supporting cast. Spider-Man 2099 and The Spot are perfect antagonists with each playing different roles. Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O’Hara) plays a more active role in going against what Miles is trying to do, while The Spot acts as a looming threat who will likely play a much larger part in the sequel. 

Speaking of the sequel, the only huge complaint I’ve heard about the movie is that people are mad that it ended on a huge cliffhanger. Personally, I don’t mind it that much. I would much rather wait for the second part of an amazing movie than have everything crammed into one movie. Unfortunately, due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the project has been delayed indefinitely. Once the strikes end and the third Spider-Verse movie is released, I’ll be the first one in the theater.