10 Mind-Boggling Facts You May Not Know About Spider-Punk – The Coolest Spider-Man Variant In Across The Spider-Verse
Out of all Spider-Man variants that appear in Across the Spider-Verse, if you need a reliable homie that will definitely help you out in a tight situation, it’s got to be Spider-Punk, one of the best Wall Crawlers there is. This rebellious version of Spidey surely knows how to make his entrance, aggressively barging in and rocking his electric guitar, thus breaking the barrier that stands between Miles and The Spot. Not only that, but he’s also the one that instructs Miles to free himself from Miguel O’Hara’s captivity and makes Gwen a substitute multiverse watch so she can track down the protagonist later. In conclusion, the best Spider-Man variant in the film.
Making his comic debut not even a decade ago, Spider-Punk might come as a new addition to the arachnid squad that not many fans know about. Therefore, we’re here to learn more about the rebellious and propaganda-hating Wall Crawler variant, and what he has to offer behind that spiky mask of his.
#1. His real name is Hobart.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
In the animated movie, Spider-Punk is dubbed Hobie by others, but his full name is Hobart Brown, comes from Earth-138, also known as the Punk Universe. In this universe, he teams up with Captain Anarchy, Hulk, and others to fight against the nefarious Norman Osborn, who is the president of the country.
#2. He gained his powers from…radioactive waste.
Source: Marvel Comics
Of course, like the other Spider-People, Hobie got bitten by a radioactive spider and then became a Spider-Totem, but it doesn’t come from a lab like Peter Parker’s situation. Instead, the arachnid was exposed to illegal radioactive waste that comes from Oscorp. This is also one of the reasons why Spider-Punk uses his power to rebel against Norman Osborn, as a form of vengeance, but also to restore order to the city.
#3. He hates the nickname Spider-Punk.
Source: Marvel Comics
Although widely known as Spider-Punk, it turns out Hobie despises the name, and once even criticizes MC-2 Spider-Woman (Earth-982 Mary Jane) for calling him that way.
#4. He wields musical instruments in battle.
Source: Marvel Comics
That’s right. Instruments. With his trademark electric guitar that can send massive shockwaves to damage the enemies and disable Oscorp’s latest technologies. In the final battle against Osborn, he defeats and kills the tyrant by smashing the guitar over his head, before unmasking himself to the viewing crowd.
#5. Hobie is also part of a band.
Source: Marvel Comics
That much should be obvious, looking at his outfits, and the name Spider-Punk screams music. Hobie Brown acts as the lead vocalist and guitarist of a punk band named The Spider-Slayers, and frequently performs public concerts. As he’s the Spider-Army’s leader for a brief period, Hobie recruits members into his band and then convinces them to join the Spider-Army to fight villains such as Osborn or The Vulture.
#6. He has a Deadpool pin on his jacket.
Source: Marvel Comics
Spider-Punk is known for his trademark denim jacket, which is popular among punk artists. He loves the jacket and attaches a lot of pins on it, including an Avengers one, or a United Kingdom flag pin. However, the Spidey variant also has a hand-drawn Deadpool pin, which implies the similarities between the two in terms of rebelliousness and the tendency of breaking rules. It would be interesting to see the two of them team up sometimes, though.
#7. He was supposed to be Earth-138’s Spider-UK.
Source: Marvel Comics
According to the comic author Dan Slott, the visual for Spider-Punk was originally designed for Spider-UK. This idea was later discarded, so the design was used to create a brand-new Wall-Crawler variant.
If we look closely, we can see some eerily similar patterns between the two variants’ outlooks, especially with the white-and-blue stripes color palette.
#8. In Earth-616, he’s the first Prowler.
Source: Marvel Comics
While Hobie Brown is a hero in Earth-138, the same cannot be said about his Earth-616 counterpart. In this universe, Hobie took the title of the original Prowler. He used the technologies he created to steal and commit small crimes, but was later saved by Peter Parker, and turned into an ally afterward.
#9. He’s head over heels for Gwen Stacy.
Source: Marvel Comics
In Across the Spider-Verse, we can see how our Miles got a bit jealous as Gwen turns out to be really close with Spider-Punk, but this is not without reasons, as the two are even closer than you think in the comic. In Earth-138, Gwen Stacy is an extremely talented musician, and she’s the one that greatly inspires Hobie. Spider-Punk holds her in very high regard, dubbing her “the greatest artist of all time”.
Unfortunately, Earth-138 Gwen was tragically killed afterward before their romance could blossom, leaving Hobie devastated. If Hobie’s background in the Spider-Verse franchise matches his comic counterpart’s, no wonder he’s very attached to Earth-65 Gwen Stacy in the movie.
#10. In Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Punk is (literally) built different.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
When Hobie Brown appears in Across the Spider-Verse, we can already see how different he is compared to the others, and it's not only because of his looks. According to the movie producers, the British Spidey is one of the most technically complicated elements of the film, animated in a whole different frame rate from everyone else.
While Miles and other characters were animated on one image every two frames, which is standard for most 2D animations, Hobie was occasionally animated on three, and his individual parts like guitar, jacket, outline…were set on different frame rates. That’s why Spider-Punk’s movement looks much more disruptive and chaotic than the others, sometimes it feels like he’s from a different dimension. The animators spend almost three years dealing with his unique animation style for the whole movie, and the result pays off handsomely.
Are there any other fun facts you want to know about Spider-Punk? Will we learn more about his past in Beyond the Spider-Verse? Share your thoughts in the comments.