Aside from being Miles Morales' cinematic debut, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is notable for being the first time we're seeing more than one Spider-hero in action on the big screen. As Miles gets the hang of his new abilities, he'll be mentored by classic Spidey, Peter Parker, who hails from another universe. But the arachnid fun doesn't stop there, as the new trailer that dropped today revealed that Gwen Stacy will also be popping up in her Spider-Gwen guise, and she'll be voiced by Bumblebee star Hailee Steinfeld.
For decades, Gwen Stacy was chiefly known as one of Peter Parker's love interests, and her dying at the hands of the Green Goblin remains one of the most historic moments in comic book history. But that was in the main Marvel continuity, a.k.a. Earth-616, and just like DC Comics, Marvel has its own multiverse. In 2014, the Gwen Stacy of Earth-65 was introduced, and in this reality, she was the one who was bitten by the radioactive spider, not Peter Parker. (In fact, this reality's Peter became The Lizard to exact revenge on the classmates who relentlessly bullied him, but that's another story.) To the people in her world, Gwen's known as Spider-Woman when suited up, but to her fanbase in real life, she's affectionately called Spider-Gwen. Much like Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen has become remarkably popular in the few years she's been around, and now folks who aren't familiar with the comics get to meet her in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. As for Hailee Steinfeld, along with playing Charlie Watson in the upcoming Bumblebee, her credits include Ender's Game, The Edge of Seventeen and the latter two Pitch Perfect movies.
The new Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse trailer didn't reveal how Spider-Gwen fits into the story, but like the older Peter Parker, it's a good bet she hails from another reality. After all, let's not forget what this movie is called! From what little we know about Into the Spider-Verse's story, just like in the Ultimate Comics continuity, there was a Peter Parker fighting crime in Spider-Man, but he died in battle. Soon after, Miles Morales, having been bitten by a different enhanced spider, picked up the Spider-Man mantle, but unlike his comic book counterpart, Into the Spider-Verse's Miles (voiced by Shameik Moore) has the privilege of being mentored by an older, more experienced Peter (voiced by Jake Johnson). But two Spider-heroes aren't enough, and evidently whatever's going down in Into the Spider-Verse will see Spider-Gwen getting involved. And if this movie's anything like the Spider-Verse comic book event, there may be even more Spider-characters from other realities popping in.
Along with Hailee Steinfeld's Spider-Gwen, we received addition casting information concerning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse today. First off, it was revealed that Lily Tomlin, who can be seen nowadays on Netflix's Gracie and Frankie, will voice May Parker, Peter's aunt. We also learned that Liev Schreiber, who's been attached to Into the Spider-Verse since April of last year, will voice Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, crime lord extraordinaire and longtime foe of both Spider-Man and Daredevil. Kingpin is one of three villains who are causing trouble in Into the Spider-Verse, the other two being Miles Morales' uncle, Aaron David, a.k.a. The Prowler (voiced by Mahershala Ali) and an Ultimate-looking Green Goblin (no word yet on who's voicing him). The movie's cast also includes Bryan Tyree Henry as Miles' father, Jefferson, and Luna Lauren Velez as Miles' mother, Rio.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swings into theaters on December 14. If you're interested in learning what other movies are coming out this year, look through our 2018 release schedule.
