There is a Spider-Man movie that features Spider-Ham as a legitimate character. It exists. You can actually go watch it right now, if you wanted to. Not only that, this movie -- the animated masterpiece Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse -- won an Oscar for its brilliance. The Spider-Ham movie has an Oscar! OK, it’s about a lot more than Spider-Ham, and that’s why it won an Oscar. The point I’m making is that the inevitable sequel, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2, is going to have to swing for the fences if it wants to top the giddy madness that came with the original, and at least one fan-favorite Spider-Man actor is tossing his webshooters into the ring.
Spider-Man has a deep well of creative talents who have contributed to his success over the years, and part of the joy of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was the clever way the movie referenced the character’s history (it was an absolute rip for Spidey geeks). The opening sequence referenced the 1960s animated Spider-Man series that countless Spidey fans grew up on. And the movie ended with the tease of Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), interacting with that 1967 version in the popular Spider-Man pointing meme. It was hilarious.
Josh Keaton, meanwhile, lent his voice to an incredibly popular animated version of Peter Parker and Spider-Man when he starred in The Spectacular Spider-Man. The show was shared between Kids WB and Disney XD for two seasons before legal headaches over the rights to the Spider-Man character prevented a third season from being completed (though the storytellers behind the show had a season planned). This abrupt cancellation has inspired numerous Spider-Man fans to try a #SaveSpectacularSpiderMan campaigns on social media, and Keaton’s hoping that popularity can power him into Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2.
It wouldn’t be too far-fetched. The Spectacular Spider-Man was critically acclaimed as well as popular with the fans. Its inspiration dates back to old John Romita Sr. comic books, as well as the extremely stylish Ultimate Spider-Man comics created by Brian Michael Bendis. If Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 needs to increase its representation of webhead and pull Spideys from multiple sources. Using Josh Keaton would be a fitting nod to the fans who got their favorite animated Spider-Man cut short.
We still have a long way to go before the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 reaches theaters. Although it recently locked in its creative brain trust, the movie isn’t expected to reach theaters until October 7, 2022, while we are still holding out hope for a spinoff movie starring Hailee Steinfeld’s Gwen Stacey.
