In continuing Spider-Verse's pattern of bringing in the niche and absurd from Spider-Man lore, eight lesser-known villains were almost included in 2023's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Throughout both Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its sequel, niche aspects of Spider-Man lore have gotten the spotlight — from Spider-Man Noir to Spider-Ham and even to the Spider-Mobile. All of those and more have real (sometimes even canon) comic precedence.
One such piece of lore that almost made it into Spider-Verse 2 was The Bar With No Name, a hangout for all of Spidey's rogues (and sometimes even other Marvel heroes' rogues galleries). Several such rogues, noted as "background villains," were cut from the movie, so it's fair to assume they may have populated the bar.
8 Spider-Man Rogues Cut From Spider-Verse Sequel
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse concept artist Jesús Alonso Iglesias shared designs for eight villains that were cut from the movie.
8-Ball is a Spider-Man villain and Bar With No Name regular who debuted in the comics in 1991. The pool-themed rogue, despite his silly-looking outfit and gimmick, has a fairly high intellect, allowing him to invent various gadgets and systems.
The concept design for Across the Spider-Verse is incredibly faithful to the character's comic counterpart, with the blue-and-white suit, pool cue, and 8-ball head.
A product of the High Evolutionary's experiments in the comics, Hippo is essentially an anthropomorphic hippopotamus. He made his debut in 2009 and has appeared irregularly since as a minor character in places like a Supervillains Anonymous meeting.
The white tank top in the concept art matches the designs of his comic counterpart, though the tattoos seem to be unique to this version.
Interestingly, this Spidey foe called the Jackal has ties to a character who made his non-comics debut in Across the Spider-Verse, Ben Reilly (Andy Samberg).
The Jackal was once a professor of Peter Parker's and Gwen Stacy's who ended up attempting to clone them both, and in the process created Ben Reilly and several other Spider-Clones.
Throughout his chronology, he adopted a physical appearance that matched his villain name and cloned himself, Peter, and others several times over. Had he been in Across the Spider-Verse, there would have been potential for jokes about duplicate Spider-Men, and he could have even met with Samberg's Ben.
The Hobgoblin is, essentially, a Green Goblin successor who has had several identities over the years. One was teased in Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Ned Leeds alluding to not wanting to become the character.
This Hobgoblin concept art remains faithful to the comics, particularly with the orange cloak and pumpkin bomb.
The Human Fly is to flies what Spider-Man is to spiders. His comic powers give him the proportionate strength of a fly, along with several housefly-like abilities like enhanced vision and flight.
He debuted in 1976 and has taken on several other heroes in the Marvel universe besides Spider-Man throughout his appearances. This concept art shows a bright, cartoon-like version of the villain that matches his earliest comic appearances.
Screwball, this pink and stylish rogue, is another newer member of Spidey's gallery, having first appeared in 2008. She's so new that her secret identity is still a secret, even to readers.
In her Screwball identity, however, she is a popular live blogger and influencer in the Marvel Comics universe. Had she not been cut from Across the Spider-Verse, it would have been funny to see her react to Miles Morales' social media scandals and cancellations, as shown in an early montage in the movie.
For being a lesser-known rogue, Puma has certainly made his way around the Marvel Comics universe. He has been a player in several events and has even occasionally acted as a hero.
The half-mountain lion of a character has several powers and abilities, including the fact that he transforms from a human to a lion-like form in the concept art. Even if just a cameo in The Bar With No Name, his appearance in the movie would have offered a fun, animalistic addition.
Finally, the Hypno-Hustler is a music-themed rogue with hypnotic technology who made his first debut in the comics in 1978. The headphones he sports in the concept art are what protect the Hypno-Hustler from his and his band's hypnosis.
Flashy and showman-like, the Hypno-Hustler has gotten help from familiar Spider-Man rogues like the Tinkerer in upgrading his hypnotic tech.
Could More Rogues Appear in Spider-Verse 3?
With Across the Spider-Verse featuring such a wide variety of Spider-Man Variants, it would be a cool parallel to see that same variety in Beyond the Spider-Verse but with Spider-Man villains.
This would work on a story level, too; the first two movies feature ensembles of Spider-People and were about Miles as Spider-Man, while the third will feature Miles as The Prowler in an alternate universe.
Does Prowler-Miles have a relationship with rogues and anti-heroes from around the Spider-Verse in the same way Spider-Man Miles does with the Spider Society?
Further, fans know that a Bar With No Name scene was planned out, so many would likely enjoy seeing it come to fruition in the franchise's third movie.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is available for purchase on various digital platforms.
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