Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is finally out in theaters, and fans worldwide could not be more thrilled with the next installment of the Spider-Verse franchise. The animated sequel has received high praise from multiple critics and fans of the Spider-Verse alike, many citing it as their favorite Spider-Man movie yet. The story places Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) on the forefront as he’s catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse’s very existence.
In today’s article, we will break down one of the most important elements of the story that appeared near the film’s end, and how it potentially sets up our story for the next installment in the Spider-Verse franchise.
[Warning: Spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse below!]
The spider that changed everything
By the very end of the film, Miles Morales travels to another dimension. This dimension is known as Earth-42. While everything seems similar to Miles’ original dimension (Earth-1610), things begin to unravel as the scene unfolds, and there are some stark differences between the two.
The critical difference that establishes the rest in Earth-42 is that the spider from that dimension was taken to Earth-1610 by the Collider Experiments of that Universe, thus leaving Earth-42 without a Spider-Man.
This pivotal moment then causes Earth-42 to unravel with the death of Miles’ father, Jeff Morales, Uncle Aaron still alive, Miles becoming the Prowler, and crime running rampant in New York at the hands of the Sinister Six Cartel.
Who are the Sinister Six (Cartel)?
In Marvel Comics and Media, the Sinister Six are a group of supervillains that often antagonize Spider-Man. The team’s lineup has varied over the years, but the core concept involves six of Spider-Man’s most formidable enemies uniting to take him down. They scheme and collaborate to challenge Spider-Man individually or as a collective force, posing a significant threat to the wall-crawler.
In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the film briefly acknowledges the presence of the Sinister Six in Earth-42, with J. Jonah Jameson discussing how the Mayor has established a curfew due to the turf wars of the “Sinister Six Cartel.” As of now, we do not know who the members of this specific cartel are. However, the answer may have been clued in during the film’s final sequences.
During Miles’ “Final Swing” across Earth-42, several signs and adverts spread across New York. Some of these adverts alluded to some exciting characters in Spider-Man media, potentially alluding to the antagonist characters we may see in the next Spider-Verse film.
These signs included the name of several companies and products, including:
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- ELECTROnics/ELECTROPhone
- Vulture Corp
- A Sandman “Rolex Watch”
- Scorpo
- Oct 8
- RR (Rhino Casino)
The names of the companies could potentially allude to the iconic Spidey villains that might make an appearance as the members of the Sinister Six Cartel in the next Spider-Verse film: Electro, Vulture, Sandman, Scorpion, Doc Ock, and Rhino.
It’s important to note that there may be other villainous characters that could appear in the upcoming Beyond the Spider-Verse film. Other companies with references to iconic Spider villains appeared in this final sequence as well, including a “Hammer” logo, teasing Mob Boss Hammerhead, as well as an S with a shockwave around it, teasing the appearance of Shocker.
Having these villains appear in the next Spider-Verse film may seem daunting. These villains don’t even include the appearance of Miles’ nemesis, Spot, the antagonistic presence of Spider-Man 2099, and the still-to-be-determined nature of the Miles’ Prowler. But, with a new Spider-Team on the horizon; consisting of Spider-Gwen, Peter B. Parker, Spider-Punk, Spider-Man: India, Spider-Byte, Peni Parker, Spider-Ham, and Spider-Man Noir, we might need all hands on deck for this incredible clash of characters.
Which villains do you want to see in Beyond the Spider-verse?
We’ll have to wait and see what lies in store for 2024 when the next installment of this franchise, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, comes out in theaters!
But what do you think? Which villains do you want to see in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-verse? Are you excited for the next chapter in Miles’ story? Let us know on Twitter @mycosmiccircus or The Cosmic Circus Discord! Also be sure to check out our Spider-Verse review!
Review: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse is an Animated Masterwork
Spider-Man Miles Morales Reading Guide
