Given the way that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ended, with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) opening a portal to communicate with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), we assumed that a lot of the second film was pre-planned, as if the creative voices knew that a sequel was happening. That’s not really the case, however. Yes, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ranks as one of the best Spider-Man movies ever made, but it wasn’t as calculated as you believe. Phil Lord and Chris Miller even told CinemaBlend, during an exclusive interview, that a key element of the ending of Into the Spider-Verse had to be retconned to fit better with what they delivered in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. It turns out, a few things that we pick up aren’t intentional… which leads to Lord and Miller shooting down a popular fan theory.
If you have made it this far into the story, you probably know that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also ends on a cliffhanger. The Miles Morales that we have been following through two movies winds up on Earth 42, an alternate dimension where there is no Spider-Man, and Morales has become The Prowler. Given that reality, fans went back to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and noticed something very clever. In the scene where Miles meets Chris Pine’s Spider-Man for the first time, the color scheme in the background shifts for Miles… and reflects the colors of The Prowler.
Some thought this was a tease of the character’s fate in this world. But during a recent event for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and the film’s Oscar chances, I asked Lord and Miller directly if that color shift was a Prowler hint, they burst that bubble, with Chris Miller explaining:
That one is a happy accident. I wish we could claim that that was intentional. There are a lot of things in there that are intentional. And a lot of little hidden gems that you can see on second viewing, or that you'll even pick up when watching the first film. But that one is a happy accident.
That’s wild. There are definitely times that eagle-eyed scoopers think that they have spotted a clue in a story, and it turns out to be nothing. There are entire TikTok accounts dedicated to such foolishness. But given the details that are put into Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, I really chose to believe the Prowler colors theory. Lord and Miller previously told the ReelBlend podcast that the bagel thrown at the character in Into the Spider-Verse INTENTIONALLY was a breakfast food with a hole in it because that person would go on to become The Spot. That’s insane. But the colors are not intentional.
Here are Lord and Miller talking Across the Spider-Verse with the ReelBlend podcast:
Now, we patiently wait for the trilogy capper, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. We know a good deal about it already, but are scratching our head over plot details, release dates, and more. We’ll continue to track the film, so keep it here for all things Spider-Man.
