Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse co-director Justin Thompson has elaborated on the sheer number of Spider-People present in the highly-anticipated sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
During a recent interview with Collider, Thompson stated that there are approximately 280 Spider-People in Across the Spider-Verse, up from co-writer and producer Chris Miller's previous estimate of 240. Furthermore, even when excluding unnamed characters, the number still comes in at just shy of 100. "The exact number? Oh boy, we kept adding, like all the way up until the very end," Thompson said. "Honestly, I'm gonna be level with you, we just finished the film, like in the last like two weeks, and I don't think I've had time to pause and actually take a final count. But I think it was about 280 the last time I looked in. Just to be clear, that doesn't mean specific, unique characters that you might recognize, it might mean variations as well. But if you're just talking about named characters, then I think there's probably about 95."
2018's Into the Spider-Verse featured a fair amount of spider-themed heroes -- namely, Miles Morales/Spider-Man (Shameik Moore), Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter B. Parker/Spider-Man (Jake Johnson), Peter Porker/Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), Peni Parker/SP//dr (Kimiko Glenn), Peter Parker/Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Chris Pine) and Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). While characters like Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir and Peni Parker are not expected to return for Across the Spider-Verse, the fast-approaching sequel still certainly ups the ante.
Joining Miles, Gwen, Peter B. and Miguel on this new adventure are the likes of Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman (Issa Rae), Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), Hobart "Hobie" Brown/Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) and Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider (Andy Samberg). Promotional material for the film also reveals countless other Spider-Variants from across the multiverse, such as Doppelganger, Otto Octavius/Superior Spider-Man, Julia Carpenter/Spider-Woman, Mary Jane Watson-Parker/Spinneret and Anna-May Parker/Spiderling, just to name a few. There are also plenty of additional variants of the OG Spider-Man, Peter Parker, including the versions from the PlayStation game Marvel's Spider-Man and the CW/Disney XD animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man. Across the Spider-Verse's second official trailer even features a nod to Tom Holland's version of Peter Parker from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Is Nearly Here
Across the Spider-Verse is slated to open in theaters on Friday, June 2. The film's official synopsis reads as follows: "Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most." A follow-up, titled Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, is slated for release on March 29, 2024.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens in theaters on June 2.
Source: Collider