Spider-Man: Edge of Spider-Verse Sets up the Spider-Society

The Spider-Society is swinging out of the Spider-Verse — and into the Marvel Comics universe. The animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse movie introduced the Spider-Society: an elite team of Spider-People founded by the Oscar Isaac-voiced Miguel O'Hara, the Spider-Man 2099 of Earth-928. This multiversal Spidey squad included the Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman of Earth-65 and the Jessica Drew Spider-Woman of Earth-332, but excluded canon-threatening anomalies like the Miles Morales of Earth-1610.

But there's a new canon event in this week's Edge of Spider-Verse #1 (2024). The fourth volume of the Spider-Verse anthology series features the story "Prologue," by writer Alex Segura and artist Salvador Larroca, which sees Julia Carpenter — the psychic called Madame Web — summon Miguel from the future to present-day New York on Earth-616. Madame Web weaves the Web of Life and Destiny that connects the Multiverse and all Spider-Totems, who are endangered by a mysterious threat. It's time to form the Spider-Society.

Miguel and Madame Web have been discussing the pros and cons of putting together a team of Spider-Heroes from across the multiverse, but her senses have alerted her to "something big" that is accelerating their timeline. "Whatever will be coming will be targeting our most powerful Spider-Heroes," she warns Miguel. "We need to keep this looming menace off-guard. We need to form a society of the unexpected. A task force built on the Spider-Heroes these villains would never see coming."

Their near-infinite options include Mayday Parker (Spider-Girl of Earth-982), Aña Corazón (Araña of Earth-616), Peter Porker (Spider-Ham of Earth-8311), Gwen Stacy (Ghost-Spider of Earth-65), Miles Morales (Spider-Man of Earth-616), Felicia Hardy (Night-Spider of Earth-194), Hobie Brown (Spider-Punk of Earth-138), Peter Parker (Spider-Man Noir of Earth-90214), Jessica Drew (Spider-Woman of Earth-616), Peter Parker (Weapon VIII of Earth-72), Zarina Zahari (Spider-UK of Earth-834), and Cooper Coen (Web-Weaver of Earth-71490).

Miguel needs time they don't have to choose his team. He immediately rules out Spider-Ham and selects the first member of the Spider-Society: Araña. Madame Web entrusts Miguel with picking wisely, and departs with an ominous warning: "For all our sakes, let's hope the threat I'm seeing isn't already here." With the fate of the universe depending on Spider-Man 2099's choices, he mulls over options for the Spider-Society roster: they'll need chemistry, especially if the threat is as serious and as sinister as Madame Web suggested.

Just then, the tentacle-like mechanical arms of Doctor Octopus — a Doctor Octopus — attack Miguel with two silhouetted villains: a Kraven the Hunter and a Green Goblin. "The Spider-Society will form. But they will barely stand a chance against us," the shadowy figure says. The Goblin responds: "Even a society cannot withstand... an army." This isn't a multiversal Sinister Six... it's a Sinister Society. 

The next prelude to Marvel's Spider-Society event is in the pages of new one-shot Web of Spider-Man #1 (2024), on sale March 27 from Marvel Comics.