When it arrived in cinemas back in 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a radioactive arachnid bite to Hollywood’s throat. It crushed the arguments that superhero films had to choose between pathos and humour; it showed how easily the gap could be bridged between what lives in the pages of comic books and what’s possible on screen; and it proved that mainstream animation shouldn’t be forced to live under the shadow of Disney’s fairytale castle.
Its follow-up, Across the Spider-Verse, is another lesson taught by the coolest teacher you’ve ever met. DC, the MCU… this is how you do both sequels and multiverse storylines without breaking a sweat. Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), the one and only Spider-Man of his world and a mainstay in the comics since 2011, discovers that all of his interdimensional shenanigans from the previous film have started to untether the delicate web of reality. Enter Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), an absolutely hench spider-individual from a futuristic dimension, with a Type A personality and zero sense of fun. He’s taken it upon himself to start patching up the anomalies. And poor Miles is nothing but a thorn in his side.
