Fans got a look at new test footage highlighting behind-the-scenes work on Daniel Kaluuya's Spider-Punk from Sony Pictures' Spider-Verse 2 (officially titled Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse).
Spider-Punk quickly became a cental character in Sony's latest Spider-Verse outing, adding a unique dynamic to Miles Morales' journey as he explored the vast reaches of the multiverse.
He was also one of the most unique-looking Spider-Men in all of Spider-Verse 2 due to his texturing and choppy visuals, having gone through a number of designs in pre-production before making his debut on the big screen.
Spider-Punk Shines in Spider-Verse 2 Test Footage
Sony Global Group shared a one-minute-long video highlighting the development process and new test footage for Hobie Brown's Spider-Punk in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The video highlights the process for developing the look for Spider-Punk in Spider-Verse 2, showing the layers of imagery that went into effect to bring him to life in Sony's animated sequel.
The video also featured an interview with VFX supervisor Michael Lasker, who highlighted how "everything about [Spider-Punk] was different" and noted that he was one of the most complicated characters to develop in the whole movie:
"So, Spider-Punk was one of our most complex, just 'How are we gonna make this happen?' characters. Everything about him was different, we had to texture him with photocopy dots and paper texture. Every frame that he moves was supposed to look like he was cut and pasted and re-put back together again."
The full video can be watched below:
Spider-Punk in particular was a character that "had to stand out" amongst the dozens of heroes in this movie, leading to some unique techniques being used for his visuals:
"We needed to him integrate into the lighting just enough so they all feel like they’re in the same place, but he had to stand out."
The animation department would later pick out different specifics from what the VFX artist created for the hero, which made it so that Spider-Punk "would constantly be changing the different looks" that were made in his shots:
"We created all these styles based on visual development artwork and all these looks, kind of set up like a menu at a restaurant. And then, when it would get to animation, they would say ‘We’re gonna pick that, then we’re gonna pick that, then we’re gonna pick that,’ so he would constantly be changing the different looks that we designed, and he stole the show."
The video also highlighted Hobie interacting with other characters like Shameik Moore's Miles Morales, showing how much work had to be done to make sure he fit into the same universe as less complicated characters visually.
Will Spider-Punk Return in Spider-Verse 3?
After Spider-Punk threw a wrench into the romance building between Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, all indications are that he'll be back for Spider-Verse 2's upcoming sequel, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
He became arguably the biggest challenge for Sony to develop in this latest outing, prompting the studio to highlight him as often as possible during the promotional tour.
Daniel Kaluuya even recently commented on the possibility of a Spider-Punk spin-off from these movies, noting that he would "would love to watch that as a fan" if it were ever to become a reality.
And while his role in the sequel may not be quite as large as it was in Spider-Verse 2, his relationship with Miles is sure to serve as a thrilling sub-plot while the multiverse is threatened.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will be available for purchase digitally on Tuesday, August 8 before its Blu-ray hits shelves on Tuesday, September 5.
