Spider Man Across the Spider Verse surprise cameos you wouldn't want to miss

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse released to critical and commercial acclaim. Following a Rs 4.20 crore revenue in India on its opening day, the latest SpiderVerse film is attracting audience in cinema halls worldwide. However, it also raises more questions than it answers. 

The Miles Morales-centred features appearances from several popular Spider-People. Some of these characters are Superior Spider-Man, Marvel’s PS4/PS5 Spider-Man, Unlimited Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2211, Spider-UK and more. However, there were other surprise appearances that weren’t teased before, but are there, much to the fans' delight. Here’s how Spider-Man films connect with live-action Spider-Man movies in an unexpected way. 

(Spoilers Ahead) Spider-Verse 2 has live-action Spider-Man characters

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has surprising easter eggs littered throughout its 2 hours 16 minutes long runtime. When Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is getting familiar with Earth-928, inhabited by  Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Issac as Miguel O’Hara), a number of anomalous villains are seen. One of the captured villains include Donald Glover as The Prowler. 

(Donald Glover as Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming | Image: Marvel Studios/Instagram)

Donald Glover serves as a direct reference to the MCU, as he has previously appeared in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Glover played the role of Aaron Davis, a small-time criminal. Aaron Davis is Miles Morales’ uncle, who died in the first SpiderVerse film after being killed by Kingpin. 
 

Sony’s Venomverse, The Amazing Spider-Man and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man tie-ins

A surprising Venom reference pops into Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The film features not Tom Hardy but the sassy grocery store owner Mrs Chen (Peggy Lu). The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) suddenly transports to her location and takes tips on how to be a good villain. 

(Peggy Lu as Mrs Chen in Venom (2018) | Image: sonypictures/Instagram)

The other live-action appearances in the film include Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man. In a scene, Spider-Man 2099 is explaining to Miles that there are canon events in every Spider-Person’s life. Subsequently, Tobey and Andrew’s versions of Spider-Man appear on the screen mourning the loss of their respective Uncle Ben. 

(Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man | Image: sonypictures/Instagram)

Is Spider-Verse 2 part of the MCU?

No, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is not part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will be accurate to say that the MCU is one of the universes within the Spider-Verse continuity. The Spot becomes more powerful by the end of the film, thereby expanding his reach to a surprising number of universes. Since all the characters exist within the Marvel multiverse, it will not be a surprise to see similar cameos in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which will release on March 29, 2024.