Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse just got a new trailer, ahead of its release on June 2. Sony Pictures and Marvel dropped the trailer for the second chapter in Miles Morales’ animated arc, ensnaring him in a web of new Spidey-themed enemies from across multiple dimensions. The new footage also offers an extensive look at the hot-headed vigilante Spider-Man 2099/ Miguel O’Hara, played by Oscar Isaac, who is willing to take dicey risks to achieve the end result. The film will feature six major art styles, so entering each new dimension gives off a unique vibe. The first film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film in 2019, opening the gates for big-budget Hollywood studios to mess around with wacky new art styles and frame-rates, instead of sticking to Pixar-like CGI animation.
The trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens with montage-like visuals of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) juggling between school life and crime fighting in the bustling streets of Brooklyn, New York. It seems he has become kind of a rebel, talking back to his parents and flunking in Spanish class, despite his heritage. We’re then given a brief introduction to the new villain The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), whose ghost-like body is covered with multiversal portals that allow him to freely travel between different universes. “So are you, like, a cow or a dalmatian?”, Miles asks him in a funny exchange at an evacuated bodega.
The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer then cuts to Miles’ room, as shown back in 2021, where he gets a special invite from his love interest Gwen Stacy/ Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), before getting catapulted across the multiverse.
Here, he meets an elite crew of Spider-People entrusted with protecting the multiverse, under the guidance of Spider-Man 2099 (Isaac). In a colourful transition, we get a quick glimpse at the key Spideys that are pivotal to the story — Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), and a very pregnant Jessica Drew/ Spider-Woman (Issa Rae). “You can never be part of this. Don’t even get me started on Doctor Strange and that little nerd back on Earth-199999,” O’Hara/ Spider-Man 2099 says, referencing the events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Meanwhile, Peter Parker (Jake Johnson) is a father now, with his baby exhibiting the qualities of an adept web-slinger. She literally crawls on walls.
“Miles, being Spider-Man is a sacrifice. You have a choice between saving one person and saving every world,” Spider-Man 2099 explains, as we’re treated to visuals of Gwen’s past, hinting at the death of a Spider-Man in her own universe. Just like in the comics, O’Hara seems to have a lot of trauma in this one, causing him to prioritise the ultimate mission, no matter the kind of choices he’s forced to make. For him, the ends justify the means. Of course, the plan isn’t revealed to us for spoiler reasons, but Miles isn’t biting, putting him at war against the entire multiversal Spider crew. “You can’t run forever, kid!”, O’Hara yells, as he chases Miles across dimensions — hopping over cars and fast-moving trains.
“Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go,” an emotional Miles responds. “Nah, I’mma do my own thing.” The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer ends with a tease at the blossoming romance between Miles and Gwen, in addition to a meme-like moment where the Spider-People point at each other.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swings into theatres worldwide on June 2. In India, the animated movie will be out in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada, and Malayalam.