Summary
In recent years, theSpider-Mancharacter has become synonymous with the multiverse, especially with the success of films likeNo Way HomeandAcross the Spider-Verse.Fans of the character love seeing different iterations and variants of Spider-Man interact, fight side by side, and sometimes even fight one another. Multiverse events are a great way for fans to seemore niche versions of Spider-Manbeing given the praise they deserve.
Since the inception of the Multiverse in Marvel Comics in the 1970s with the first ‘What If?’ comic run, Spider-Man has traveled the Multiverse occasionally, but it was never really a main aspect of the character. However, since the release of the Spider-Verse comic run in 2014 and the release of Sony’sSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,Spider-Man content is now almost always expected to contain some form of multiversal event.
8Ultimate Spider-Man “Return to The Spider-Verse”
A Unique Multiversal Adventure
The later seasons of theUltimate Spider-Manshow provided some great multiversal content, giving fans insight into some of the lesser-known variants of Spider-Man and other iconic Marvel characters. In the return to The Spider-Verse arc, Spider-Man must journey across the multiverse to repair the Web of Life and Destiny.
Along his journey, fans meet some unique characters, like Web-Beard the Pirate, a pirate variant of Spider-Man; the Web-Slinger, a cowboy Spider-Man; and Blood-Spider, a version of Peter Parker that was turned into a vampire. Then, there’s the mastermind behind it all: the Wolf-Spider, an evil version of Peter Parker who wants to dominate the multiverse. Fans also get to see some great variants of Spider-Man villains, like King Lizard, Doc Ock Holliday, and a variant of Uncle Ben known as the Phantom Rider.
Shattered Dimensionswas one of the earliest examples of Multiversal content reaching mainstream popularity. This 2010 video game followsfour versions of Spider-Man: The Amazing Spider-Man (Earth 616), Spider-Man Noir (Earth 90214), Spider-Man 2099 (Earth 928), and The Ultimate Spider-Man (Earth 610). The story follows Madame Web calling upon four different Spider-Men to recover fragments of the Tablet or Order and Chaos.
This game is a great example of showcasing how similar yet different these characters can be, despite all technically being Spider-Man. Each Spider-Man has different and unique abilities, making the gameplay fun and engaging as well as adding to the story and overall multiversal theme. This game highlighted characters like Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Man 2099, giving them mainstream fandom even with casual fans.
6Ultimate Spider-Man “The Spider-Verse”
The First On-Screen Appearance Of Miles Morales
The Spider-Verse arc inThe Ultimate Spider-Manintroduced many younger fans to the idea of the multiverse when it aired in 2015. In this arc, the Green Goblin gains possession of the Siege Perilous, a device that allows its user to travel the multiverse, and begins collecting DNA from different Spider-Men to create the ultimate weapon.
What made this multiversal event great were the characters. For the first time, fans got to see Petra Parker, a female version of Peter Parker as Spider-Girl. Fans are also introduced to the Hulk variant Joe Fixit, a combination of the Hulk and a 1930s gangster. Other Spider-Man variants also appear, like Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Knight, and Spider-Ham, as well as villains like She-Goblin. This multiversal event brought fans the first on-screen appearance of Miles Morales, arguably paving the way forInto The Spider-Verse.
5Spider-Verse
The Biggest Spider-Man Crossover In Comics
The Spider-Verse was one of the most hyped crossover events at the time of its release, bringing together fan favorite Spider-Man variants from many different comic runs into one complete series. The story showcases the Inheritors, an immortal family that hunt and consume Spider-Totems (characters connected to the Web of Life and Destiny), causing the Spider-Army to assemble to keep one another safe.
This multiversal event featured many fan-favorite characters, like Spider-Gwen, Silk, Spider-Man 2099, Miles Morales, Ben Reilly, Kaine Parker and, of course, Spider-Man (Earth 616). Other obscure Spider-Man variants appear, like Spider-Ma’am (Aunt May as Spider-Woman), Spider-Monkey, Spider-Boy and more.
4Spider-Geddon
The Sequel To Fan Favorite Spider-Verse Comic Run
A sequel to Spider-Verse,Spider-Geddonconcludes the story of the Inheritors after they were defeated and imprisoned in the previous comic run. This comic run takes a slightly more brutal approach when showcasing the power of the newly escaped Inheritors as they kill off major Spider-Man variants early into the story.
A key factor that divides fans in this comic is the presence of the Superior Spider-Man (Otto Octavius in Spider-Man’s body). However, Superior Spider-Man taking the lead role in this run makes for an interesting story. Other Spider-Man variants like the Scarlet Spider, Ghost Spider, Spider-Man UK, Spider-Punk and Miles Morales all make their return. New characters are also introduced, like Spider-Man from Earth 1048 (The PS4 Spider-Man) and Web-Slinger.
Into the Spider-Verseis arguably one of the best movies that deals with multiversal events and helped present the idea of the multiverse to the mainstream media. The film follows the new Spider-Man (Miles Morales) as he deals with the death of the original Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and the aftermath of a multiversal experiment gone wrong.
The film brings many fan-favorite characters to the big screen, like Miles Morales, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham, and Peni Parker. This was the onscreen debut of these characters and the first time a Spider-Man movie had a Spider-Man character take the lead role that wasn’t Peter Parker.
After the success ofInto the Spider-Verse,many fans wanted to see multiversal Spider-Man content in live action. Many especially hoped to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield revisit the role of Spider-Man, and that is exactly what they got.No Way Homebrought together the three live-action Spider-Men into one movie, exceeding all fan expectations and becoming the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time.
Not only do fans get to see their favorite live-action Spider-Men return,but also some of their favorite villains, like Doc Ock, the Green Goblin, Sandman, Electro and the Lizard. Other classic characters like Kraven the Hunter, Black Cat, Rhino, Scorpion, and Mysterio make appearances as silhouettes in the rip in the Multiverse. Daredevil, although not in costume, also appeared in the movie, making it the first appearance of the character on the big screen since 2003.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseis the biggest multiverse event to happen for the Spider-Man character, with nearly 300 Spider-People making an appearance in the movie. Although many don’t play a major role and just serve as Easter eggs and cameos, it’s a truly incredible number of characters.
The story showcases iconic characters with the likes of Lego Spider-Man,Spider-Man PS4, Andrew Garfield, Spider-Man, Spider-Man Unlimited, Spider-Man 67, Spider-Man India, Spider-Mobile, Black Suit Spider-Man, Spider-Byte and many more. The story also delves deep into how the multiverse works, explaining the depth and detail to even the casual viewers, presumably helping fans adjust to more multiverse Spider-Man-related content in the future.
