Spider-Man 2099 -- aka Miguel O'Hara -- is one of the more interesting offshoots to the Spider-family. He served as the headliner for Marvel's 2099 line which began in 1992 and has remained a presence in the comics even after his own line finished its run. Naturally, he's slated for a major role in the upcoming animated feature Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which makes a terrific vehicle to introduce him to a larger audience.

It also presents an intriguing opportunity. Given the Spider-Verse movies' embrace of alternate universes, and with the Marvel Cinematic Universe now fully immersed in multiversal mayhem, O'Hara is a prime figure to cross over. Doing so would not only give him a chance to shine on Marvel's biggest stage but add a fun new wrinkle for Tom Holland's Peter Parker. Across the Spider-Verse could establish the notion almost effortlessly, then leave it to the MCU to run with it.

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Secret Wars Had a Huge Impact on Spider-Man 2099

Spider-Man 2099: Exodus omega cover header.

The 2099 series posited an alternate future in which new heroes have claimed the mantle of older ones. Spider-Man 2099 #1 (Peter David, Rick Leonardi, Al Williamson, Steve Buccellato and Rick Parker) puts him in a cyberpunk-style world of sinister megacorporations. O'Hara begins as a scientist working for the powerful Alchemax company, then imprints himself with the genes of a spider in an effort to escape their control. That eventually turns him into his century's version of Spider-Man.

His powers have their share of downsides, and his dystopic universe has made him a darker and harsher hero than Peter Parker. The two eventually connect following the events of the second Secret Wars storyline. O'Hara finds himself in the contemporary working alongside an adult Parker in his science company, Parker Industries: forming a natural allegiance with his predecessor.

His showstopping appearance in the post-credits Easter egg from the original Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse presents him with a gizmo to let him travel the multiverse. That sets him up for his large part in Across the Spider-Verse, though the specifics remain under wraps. He also looks slated to play an antagonistic role, serving as the leader of multiple Spider-People from different realities and likely coming into conflict with Miles Morales, as the movie's teaser strongly suggests. In an interview with ScreenRant, actor Oscar Isaac described him as "the one Spider-Man that doesn't have a sense of humor," which seems to confirm his status as a well-intentioned foe rather than a friend.

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Spider-Man 2099 Is Just the Ally the MCU's Peter Parker Needs

Spider-Man 2099 in Across the Spider-Verse

O'Hara's appearance in the first film carries some powerful ramifications. His gizmo means that he can move as he pleases through the multiverse and conceivably land in any reality he wants to. The prime MCU revealed the creation of alternate realities in Loki Season 1, Episode 6, "For All Time. Always." and hasn't been shy about developing it. That means Spider-Man 2099 could arrive there anytime the creators wish, following in the same tracks as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Peter Parkers in Spider-Man: No Way Home. It also gives Holland's Peter an arc to establish Parker Industries: turning him into the "new" Tony Stark and adding O'Hara to the MCU as the kind of friend he had to give up in No Way Home.

With upcoming projects like Avengers: Secret Wars promising to take full advantage of variants, it seems unlikely that they would ignore the potential. Along with the variant Spider-Gwen, O'Hara may be the most prominent representation of that corner of the Marvel Universe, making his addition to the MCU and its upcoming Secret Wars almost a no-brainer. His link to Peter and now-ready ability to travel the multiverse provide all the justification the franchise needs.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens in theaters June 2, 2023.