In 2018 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, we were introduced to a team with various Spidey variants, who helped our protagonist Miles Morales greatly during his fight against Kingpin to find a way back to their respective universes. The squad consists of Gwen Stacy, Peter B.Parker, Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker, and Spider-Ham, each of them wields unique Spider powers and quirks. They are an interesting bunch, that’s for sure, and we all want them to return in the franchise’s sequel, Across the Spider-Verse.
Across the Spider-Verse takes us to a whole new dimension of the Multiverse, by presenting the vast Spider Society, with countless unorthodox Spider-Man variants, which even includes a dinosaur (Yes, you heard that right). However, the biggest question is: Is the Into the Spider-Verse’s original lineup here at the Spider Society as well? We all know Gwen and Peter B. Parker will make a return as shown in the trailer, but what about Peni Parker and the others? Will they return in Across the Spider-Verse? Let’s find out.
#1. Gwen Stacy
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Compared to the first film, Gwen has an even bigger role to play in Across the Spider-Verse, having a whole opening sequence dedicated to her. She also accompanies Miles during most of his journey through the Multiverse, playing a crucial part in his character development as a whole. At the end of the movie, Gwen was seen rallying a group of Spider-People, which includes Peter B. Parker, Pavitr Prabhakar (Spider-Man India), Hobie Brown (Spider-Punk), and some other familiar faces.
#2. Peter B. Parker
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Likewise, Peter B. Parker also appears in the trailers like Gwen, but he only makes his entrance in the later half of the movie. Compared to his depressed self back in 2018, the current Peter gives off a whole new different vibe to him, as he's much more vibrant and positive. He also manages to reconcile his relationship with Mary Jane, and the two even have a child named Mayday, who also inherits her father’s arachnid power.
At first, Peter sides with Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099, and joins in the chase to stop Miles from returning to his universe, but then he switches sides and aids Gwen’s crew in finding the protagonist, who is captured in Earth-42.
#3. Peni Parker
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
A Japanese anime version of Spider-Man, Peni controls a Spider-like mecha robot created by her late father, which also wields the same power as any other Web-Slingers. Since Peni didn’t appear in the trailers, fans were afraid that she might not return in Across the Spider-Verse, especially considering the overwhelming amount of Spidey variants in the sequel. But Peni returns, though her screen time is brief.
The girl’s reunion with Miles isn’t a happy one, she looks older and more depressed. Some theories stated that Peni might have experienced her second canon event, which caused the death of another close person to her, hence the grim expression. Regardless, Peni joins Gwen’s crew to save Miles at the end, with a much more confident look, so we can expect her to return in Beyond the Spider-Verse as well.
#4. Spider-Ham
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Served mostly as a comedic relief character, Peter Porker was a fresh breeze to the original lineup. He’s funny, he’s witty, and he has a big comic hammer to boot. However, Spider-Ham only appears at the end of the movie, when Gwen is recruiting allies to help her find Miles Morales. We didn’t get to see Miles using Porker’s hammer in Across the Spider-Verse, so here’s something to look forward to in the sequel.
#5. Spider-Man Noir
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
In contrast to the gleeful Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir comes from a much darker and more gruesome dimension, which explains his pitch-black outfit and his somewhat cynical demeanor. Fans weren’t expecting him to return in Across the Spider-Verse, since the voice actor Nicholas Cage said in an interview that he won’t reprise the role, but the character still makes a cameo appearance anyway, as one of the Spider-People who’ll come to rescue Miles Morales. This also hinted that Cage will certainly return as Spider-Man Noir in the next sequel.
#6. The whole team’s back in Across the Spider-Verse.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Fans were happy to see that the whole original lineup is able to make their return in Across the Spider-Verse. Moreover, judging from the ending, it’s safe to say that they’ll have even bigger roles to play in the third part of the trilogy. The team also gains some new powerful members, such as Spider-Man India and Spider-Punk, so we can expect great things to happen in Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Do you think the team will return in the next movie, and what role will they have? Make sure to tell us in the comment.