Summary
- Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’s release date has been officially removed, potentially indicating a longer wait for the sequel.
- Gwen Stacy’s Spider-Verse team includes Spider-Ham, Peter B. Parker, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man India, Spider-Punk, and Peni Parker.
- New Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse fan art depicts a version of events wherein Spider-Man 2099, Man-Spider, and a variant of Spider-Man with the Fantastic Four spare costume join Gwen’s team.
Gwen Stacy’s Spider-team gets an extra boost with other Spider-Man variants in new Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse fan art. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse marked the return of Miles Morales as he faces his biggest multiverse challenge of all time. After getting stuck on Earth-42, Miles is not just forced to deal with Spider-Man 2099 coming for him but also the shocking twist that his Variant took a different path in life.
The ending of the 2022 movie set the bar higher than ever for the sequel, perhaps partially explaining the prospective longer wait for the third movie, as Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’s release date has been officially removed by Sony Pictures. All that is known about the follow-up film is that Gwen, a.k.a. Spider-Woman, has assembled a team of Spider-Man variants to try to rescue Miles before Miguel O’Hara or even The Spot can get to him.
The initial team consisted of Spider-Ham, Peter B. Parker, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Man India, Spider-Punk, and Peni Parker, marking the return of several Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse characters. However, in new Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse art by rxzarx, the artist suggests a version Gwen’s band of heroes that has a few different allies. In the 2.0 version of the team, Spider-Man 2099 is seen joining Gwen’s squad, along with the introduction of Man-Spider, and the inclusion of a variant of Spider-Man who is given the infamous Fantastic Four spare costume. Miles is also spotted, likely meaning this artwork is meant to imagine what the final team could look like in stopping The Spot.
Why Gwen’s Spider-Verse Team Needed To Miss Some Of Spider-Man’s Most Powerful Variants
Unlike the first film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse concluded with the main hero essentially facing his first – but temporary – defeat, being all on his own in a universe and captured by his own variant. This was a key point for the film to close on, as this sense of both Miles and Gwen’s team being underdogs is necessary in order for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse to have a bigger impact by showing their successes.
If Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse featured Gwen already having all of the Spider-Verse’s most powerful variants, it would have felt more anti-climatic. This would have risked the sense of drama and stake for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, because the team is supposed to be the rebels that are now turning against Miguel in order to save Miles. At the same time, the current team also sets up a potential big storyline from Gwen, because she will likely still be trying to convince other Spider-Man variants to join their cause, which is likely easier said than done.
Ideally, it would also be great to see other Spider-Man variants that audience members may not expect to see join Gwen and the others. Figures like Spider-Man 2099 are set up as villains with Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, but also clearly shown as three-dimensional figures with sympathetic motivations, meaning that redemption stories are more possible than in other superhero installments. Hopefully, once the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes are over, Sony will be able to get back to work on Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse and, finally, give it a new release date as the world waits to see how Miles’ trilogy comes to an end.
