The co-directors of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse -- Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson -- share their personal experience with Spider-Man/Miles Morales and Spider-Woman/Gwen Stacy, along with the characters' cultural importance.
In an interview with Marvel, the three filmmakers talked about the strong bond Miles and Gwen have formed with today's audiences. "To my son, Miles is the first Spider-Man that he really knew and cared about…My son, who's 15 now, that's how he met Spider-Man is through Miles," Powers said. "He's their everything. And you never forget that and trust me. I don't think any of us haven't been reminded of it on an almost daily basis for the past several years."
Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen's Popularity with Marvel Fans
Santos added that the significance of Miles taking over the Spider-Man mantle from Peter Parker in comics and animation allowed all fans to imagine themselves as the beloved wall-crawler. "Peter wore the mask. So any kid could wear the mask and pretend to be [Spider-Man]," Santos said. "Miles has allowed anybody to see themselves as Spider-Man, truly, with the mask on, with the mask off. It's super special, and it's something that I think we've said it a few times here, but we shouldn't take for granted."
Santos also mentioned Spider-Gwen's enthusiastic Marvel fan base, and recalled a viral trend where artists created fan art of the hero in abundance, piquing his interest in the character. "I had to crack the book open and get to sort of understand this sort of sliding door story of how Gwen becomes Spider-Woman," the director explained.
Speaking with regard to Across the Spider-Verse, Thompson commented on the long-distance relationship between Miles and Gwen in the movie, and how it's grown since the prior Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). "Even though it's been a year and a half, and they're dimensions away from each other, they're the only one person in any dimension who can understand them," Thompson said. "I think, having those same experiences helped sort of guide the relationship between Miles and Gwen through the film. That only one person in any dimension can understand them. Having those same experiences helped sort of guide the relationship between Miles and Gwen through the film."
Which Heroes Are in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
In addition to Miles and Gwen, respectively voiced by Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld, the diverse cast of Spider-People in Across the Spider-Verse includes Spider-Man 2099/Miguel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac), Spider-Man India/Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), Spider-Punk/Hobie Brown (Daniel Kaluuya) and Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew (Issa Rae). These heroes will return in the direct follow-up to Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is slated to release March 29, 2024 as of writing. Until then, reviews praise Across the Spider-Verse for being everything audiences love about superhero movies.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing exclusively in theaters.
Source: Marvel