Summary
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is packed with Easter eggs, multiple Spider-Men, and references that fans of all ages will love.
- The opening credits feature an audible cough and visual cue from writer/producer Chris Miller, continuing a running gag in their movies.
- Spider-Gwen's room features a trans flag, hinting at the possibility that she may be trans, while also confirming her as an ally.
Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has a massive amount of Easter eggs and a literal army of different Spider-Men from multiple realities. As Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) enters the vast Spider-Verse for the first time, he meets several different Spider-People seen in the original comics, games, and more. Likewise, there are so many amazing and spectacular references Spider-Man fans of all ages will absolutely love.
In Across the Spider-Verse, Miles learns about his true place in the multiverse in a sea of countless versions of Spider-Man. Encouraged by his parents to forge his own path, Miles does exactly that when he ends up at odds with the vast majority of these Spider-Verse heroes who've formed a formidable Spider Society. Here are all of the most prominent new heroes, Easter eggs, and Spider-Cameos we've managed to spot in Across the Spider-Verse.
79 Coughing During Across The Spider-Verse Opening Logos
Eagle-eyed viewers will notice an audible cough paired with a visual "cough!" text at the very beginning of Across the Spider-Verse's opening credits. As revealed in April of 2023, the cough belongs to writer/producer Chris Miller. Having originally coughed during the audio mix for Phil Lord and Miller's 21 Jump St., the cough has been added to nearly every movie they've done since as a running gag. However, the visual cue seems to be a new addition for Across the Spider-Verse.
78 “Let’s Do Things Differently” (Spider-Gwen’s Story)
In Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, every new version of Spider-Man was introduced with personal origin narration beginning with, "Let's do this one last time". However, Across the Spider-Verse shifts gears with a deeper dive into Spider-Gwen's past and present with the opener: "Let's do things differently".
77 Spider-Gwen's Trans Flag And Color Scheme
Featured in Gwen's room on Earth-65 is the trans flag that says "Protect Trans Kids". Combined with the similar color schemes of Gwen's world, some have come to believe that Across the Spider-Verse is hinting that Spider-Gwen herself might be trans. While that hasn't been confirmed, she's at the very least confirmed to be an ally.
76 J.K Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson
Featured multiple times across a few different realities, J. Jonah Jameson was there to report on Spider-Man (or Spider-Woman) being a menace. Likewise, it's wonderful that actor J.K Simmons playing and/or voicing JJJ is apparently a multiversal constant. While there was fresh dialogue from Simmons, the LEGO universe hilariously featured dialogue from Simmons' first outing as Jameson in the Sam Raimi-directed Spider-Man trilogy.
75 Doctor Strange and the Nerdy Kid From Earth-199999 (MCU)
Confirming that Kingpin and his super collider created a massive hole in the multiverse, Spider-Man 2099 also referred to "Doctor Strange and that nerdy kid from Earth-199999", a reference to the MCU and the events seen in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Unfortunately, this is the only reference to Tom Holland's Webslinger, though perhaps there's hope for an appearance in Beyond the Spider-Verse.
74 Across The Spider-Verse's Real-Life Cameos
Across The Spider-Verse contains a series of appearances from real-life people involved in the creation of the movie throughout its runtime:
- To begin with, Spot crashes into a table near directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.
- When Spider-Man and Spot are having the foam fight, Pam Marsden (Head of Physical Production at Sony Pictures Animation) as well as Kristine Belston (President of Sony Pictures Animation) are in the background.
- Michelle Grady (Executive Vice President and General Manager at Sony Pictures Imageworks) is shown in the foreground during one of Miles’ spider-traversal scenes.
- Bob Persichetti (Executive Producer) and Alan Hawkins (Head of Character Animation) are near Miles as he carries cakes on the subway.
- Alan Hawkins is also on the money that Spot is shown trying to steal with his powers.
- Visual Development Artist Jay Thankur reveals one of the billboards in Mumbattan is his girlfriend in the digital movie bonus content.
73 Hammerspace (Spider-Ham)
During Spider-Gwen's battle with a Da Vinci-themed Vulture from another universe, she gets help from Spider-Man 2099 and Jessica Drew's Spider-Woman. When 2099 rips off one of the Vulture's wings, the villain pulls a new wing from a pocket dimension which 2099 refers to as "Hammerspace", a nod to John Mulaney's Spider-Ham who was able to pull cartoon objects like hammers out of nowhere as seen in Into the Spider-Verse.
72 “I Think It’s A Banksy” (Post-Malone)
In Into the Spider-Verse, a erby comments on a multiversally-warped lampost: "I think it's a Banksy", referring to the work of the iconic street artist. This was actually a line from rapper Post Malone, and it's heard again in Across the Spider-Verse following the battle with the Da Vinci Vulture at the Guggenheim Art Museum, taking place in Spider-Gwen's Earth-65.
71 "We Love and Accept You"- Miles Morales' Parents
During Miles' narration introducing himself and what he's been up to since Into the Spider-Verse, he imagines a scenario where he tells his parents that he's Spider-Man, believing that in some other universe they might be okay with his Webslinging. While Miles' parents do know he's Spider-Man in the comics, it wasn't a walk in the park and led to some pretty significant family struggles. Likewise, Miles' mom in the Insomniac game universe knows his secret as well.
70 Ganke Lee Is NOT Miles' Guy In The Chair
Unlike the MCU's Ned Leeds, the Ganke from the comics, or the Ganke from the Insomniac games, Across the Spider-Verses's Ganke Lee has zero interest in being Miles Morales' "guy in the chair". He wants no part in Miles' antics as Spider-Man, believing that even one act of helping Miles would be a slippery slope that would lead to him becoming "The Guy".
