Spider-Man Director Confirms Villain for Next Two Films Spider-Verse Films

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is going to take fans on a journey across different realities of Spider-Man characters (and animation styles) – but for what purpose? The first film, Into the Spider-Verse had a clear villain in Kingpin, whose machinations opened up a hole in the multiverse that brought various Spider-Characters to the reality of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). However, every teaser trailer, photo and interview for Across the Spider-Verse has been largely unclear about what threat brings Gwen Stacy back to Miles and sets off multiversal journey. 

Well, as some diehard Marvel fans has surmised, the villain for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Parts 1&2, will be none other The Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman). Across the Spider-Verse co-director Kemp Powers confirmed The Spot as the villain of the next films in a new interview with Total Film Magazine:

"The Spot is an interesting villain because he seems like a joke, but when you really look at his powers, there's incredible potential," Powers explains. "His ability to open portals across dimensions sets him up perfectly for the Spider-Verse. He's the villain of the next two films... and let's just say that the Spot and Miles are connected in surprising ways."

Who Is Marvel's The Spot? 

In Marvel Comics lore, the supervillain known as The Spot started out in mid-80s Spider-Man comics as Dr. Jonathan Ohnn, an MIT scientist who went to work for Kingpin. Ohnn was tasked with mimicking the powers of the teleporting superhero Cloak (of Cloak and Dagger) but instead opened a doorway to a different dimension altogether, and became lost in it. That realm was one filled with many other portals, and when Ohnn found his way back into his own reality, his body had been transformed and left covered with dimensional portals (or "spots") that Ohnn could take off and use as portals that he controlled the size, shape, and movement of. Those portals allow The Spot to teleport portions of himself or his whole body across space and dimensions. 

Clearly, as Powers hints, The Spot is a villain who is uniquely suited to be a much bigger kind of threat in the Across the Spider-Verse franchise. It's also probably not hard to tie his origin to Miles' epic battle and defeat of Kingpin and his interdimensional portal machine in the first Into the Spider-Verse films. Spider-Man creating his own tragic or dire circumstances is a treasured tradition... 

What Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse About? 

Here's the synopsis for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Part 1:

"After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man [Morales] 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."

The new trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse launches on Tuesday, December 13. It has a release date of June 2, 2023.