Sony Pictures' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is said to have a major connection to one of the MCU's biggest movies from Phase 4.
Spider-Verse 2 comes as the sequel to 2018's beloved Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which featured Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Peter B. Parker, and various other Spider-heroes as they faced off to save the Multiverse.
Into the Spider-Verse pre-dated the releases of any major MCU stories with a Multiverse focus, though there was a brief mention in 2016's Doctor Strange.
Since then, however, the MCU has started its Multiverse Saga, exploring the concept of multiple Spider-Man Variants meeting in Spider-Man: No Way Home, reminiscent of Into the Spider-Verse's similar theming.
Spider-Man: Into the MCU?
According to scooper Daniel Richtman, the multiverse-impacting events of Spider-Man: No Way Home may be referenced in June's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Daniel RPK reports that while Tom Holland himself will not appear as Peter Parker, despite recent rumors indicating otherwise, the Multiverse shenanigans he got into may be referenced directly in the animated film.
His scoop states that "a certain event" that was bad for the multiverse will be mentioned as having occurred. Additionally, "the mess that Doctor Strange & that nerdy kid caused” will be mentioned too, with Peter Parker referred to as "the nerdy kid" due to him being forgotten by the world at the end of No Way Home.
This manner of referencing the events of No Way Home may seem familiar to fans, as it resembles a conversation with Doctor Strange, Wong, and America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As they sit in a cafe, the three discuss "an incident with Spider-Man," but seem to have no apparent recollection or knowledge of the man behind the mask.
Chavez: "How much experience do you guys have with the multiverse?"
Strange: "We have experience with the multiverse, most recently there was an incident with Spider-Man..."
Chavez: "Um, what man?"
Strange: "Spider-Man, he has the powers of a spider."
Wong: "Hence the name."
In fact, this is not the first time a Doctor Strange mention in the animated Spider-Verse movies has been on the table. Directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord revealed that 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse almost included a cameo from the sorcerer himself.
A Connected Multiverse for Spider-Verse 2
The concept of a Multiverse lends itself well to big-screen Marvel, as it can explain why there have been so many different versions of characters like Spider-Man over the years in different franchises and from different companies.
As such, it will be interesting to see what other implications the potential combination of two cinematic Multiverses would have. A Multiverse implies infinite possibilities, meaning technically the MCU's version of the Multiverse would have a universe where Into the Spider-Verse took place, and vice versa.
Fans may have the chance to see that fact explored in more depth if this crossover — even just through a simple mention — were to take place.
Further, an established connection between the MCU and Sony's Spider-Man Universe brings into the realm of possibility appearances from fan-favorite Spider-Verse characters in the MCU's future projects.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 2.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
