Dive ‘Into The Spider-Verse’ With Trailer For Adaptation Of 2014 Crossover Event
Sony Pictures released the official Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse trailer Wednesday full of scenes that should thrill fans of Miles Morales and Gwen Stacey. An older Peter Parker takes the young Marvel superhero under his wing in an alternate universe that “looks and sounds like yours – but it’s not.”
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a very loose adaptation of the 2014 Marvel story-line that crossed over with every Spider-Man and Spider-Woman ever created. The Sony Pictures animated film will take a narrower focus by using Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) as the vehicle to introduce the Spider-Verse concept to larger audiences.
Into the Spider-Verse is still Miles Morales’ story and will showcase him struggling with trying to fit into his role as a new superhero while balancing school life and his parents. Miles father, Jefferson Davis (voiced by Brian Thyree Henry), plays a large role in the new trailer as he takes Miles to school in a police cruiser and embarrasses him with some paternal love.
While Miles deals with his father’s embarrassing antics he somehow manages to crossover into a different universe where he meets up with and is mentored by an older version of Peter Parker (voiced by Jake Johnson). This Spider-Man still has the same playful demeanor as the younger version fans are familiar with but is still able to impart words of wisdom and introduce young Miles to what it means to be Spider-Man.
The big bad of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse appears to be a monstrous version of the Green Goblin. In fact, it is very close to the same version of the arch-nemesis seen in the Marvel Ultimate line of comic books that Miles Morales originated. Kingpin (voiced by Liev Schreiber) is also mentioned as one of the film’s villains.
The big surprise at the end of the Into the Spider-Verse trailer is the debut of Gwen Stacey in her white-hooded Spider-Gwen costume. She originates from yet another Marvel universe where she was bitten by a radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker, which signals at least three possible universes to be featured in the animated film.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is being produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller of Lego Movie fame with Lord also writing the screenplay. The film sports three directors with Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman all contributing to the effort. The unique animation style of the movie is reportedly driven largely by Lord and Miller with the Sony Picture Animation style enhanced with hand-drawn comic book techniques.
Miles Morales’ journey Into the Spider-Verse on December 14 will actually be his second appearance in mass media for 2018. He is also due to appear in the PlayStation 4 exclusive, Marvel’s Spider-Man, by Insomniac Games. However, only a cameo appearance has been hinted at thus far.
For those unfamiliar with Miles Morales, the Afro-Latino character first appeared in 2011 in Marvel’s Ultimate line of comics following the death of Peter Parker in that alternate universe. He was eventually merged into the mainline Marvel universe during the conclusion of the “Secret Wars” storyline in 2015. He now shares the Spider-Man mantle with Peter Parker there and has been featured in his own comic series along with team series like The Avengers and The Champions.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has borrowed many of the elements from the old Ultimate universe. For example, the character Ned in Spider-Man: Homecoming is a near direct copy of Miles’ best friend Ganke.
