Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse director Kemp Powers explained the sequel's unexpected Easter egg tied to Tom Holland's MCU Spider-Man in its latest trailer.
Sony Pictures' Spider-Verse 2 surprised everyone when Oscar Isaac's Miguel O'Hara told Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy about the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, saying, "And don’t even me get started on Doctor Strange and the little nerd back on Earth-199999."
While fans pointed out that this is a clear retcon from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' claim that the MCU is Earth-616, some speculated that Tom Holland's version of the web-slinger could show up in the sequel.
Spider-Verse 2 Director Reacts to MCU Easter Egg
In an interview with SFX, via Digital Spy, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse director Kemp Powers talked about the sequel's MCU connections and Miguel O'Hara's line about the "little nerd in Earth-199999."
Powers confirmed that "the world of Miles Morales and Spider-Verse" is "not tied" to the MCU, noting that the reference to Tom Holland's Spider-Man is simply the film's way of being "a little bit meta" and acknowledging the history of the Spider-Man character:
“The world of Miles Morales and Spider-Verse, it’s not tied into the Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything like that. But this is a Lord and Miller film. We like to have a little bit of fun, we like to be a little bit meta and to acknowledge the world in which we are creating these stories. That’s the best way to explain it.”
The Spider-Verse 2 director also explained that the "little nerd" reference aka the MCU's Spider-Man played by Tom Holland "isn't something where [they] did anything in conjunction with Marvel:"
“This isn’t something where we did anything in conjunction with Marvel. Miles’s universe, trust me, there’s plenty to work with. That gag is one of many..."
Powers then teased that Spider-Verse 2 has a gag that will left audiences "pretty stunned:"
"My favorite gag is one that people don’t know about yet. But I think when they see it, they’re going to be pretty stunned. It’s a serious film, but it’s also a film with a lot of fun in it.”
Spider-Verse 2 writers Christopher Lord and Phil Miller previously teased the sequel's MCU Multiverse connections, with Miller hinting that "the Multiverse is big and wider" while Lord sarcastically said that "everything's possible except for this one thing that everyone wants:
Miller: "The Multiverse is big and wide. And all things grow... Why would you think a Multiverse, in which many things are possible, that [those things are] not related?
Lord: "Everything's possible except for this one thing that everyone wants."
Moreover, Lord mentioned that they've always "been in the loop" about the events of No Way Home, noting how they try to "not [step] on each other's toes [so we tell] different types of stories:"
"... Amy Pascal, who was producer on Spider-Verse and also on live-action Spider-Mans... she's been sort of our conduit to knowing exactly what's going on in the Spider-Verse in various forms. The writers and director are all buddies of ours, so we sort of have been in the loop as far as what's going on. And we are always trying to make sure we're not stepping on each others toes and telling different types of stories and different themes and all that stuff, because people want an original story that feels new and interesting. It's our job to give it to them."
Will Spider-Verse 2 Include More MCU Connections?
While Spider-Verse 2's MCU Easter egg tied to Spider-Man: No Way Home could be a one-and-done, Kemp Powers' comments may hint that there are still surprises that are in store in the sequel.
Whether it's a possible live-action appearance from any Spider-Man or a callback to Loki or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remains to be seen, but the possibilities are endless for a Multiverse-centric movie like Across the Spider-Verse.
It is unknown if Tom Holland's Spider-Man will appear in Spider-Verse 2, but its international trailer did reference the MCU's web-slinger and Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's respective Spider-Man.
In fact, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse producer Amy Pascal even mentioned in a previous interview that Holland "loves these [Spider-Verse] movies," openly teasing the actor's appearance as Spider-Man in the movie.
Given that Spider-Verse 2 already proved the existence of many Spider-Men across the Multiverse, the MCU's web-slinger's potential appearance wouldn't hurt the sequel.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is set to premiere in theaters on Friday, June 2.
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