The 5 best Easter eggs from Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Unexpected cameos, ridiculously obscure references, and the only good Morbius joke you'll hear all year: The best Easter eggs in Across The Spider-Verse
As the sequel to the greatest Spider-Man movie of all time—and it’s not just us saying that now, Tom Holland officially agrees—this week’s Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse has a lot to live up to. But while we can all spend the next four years arguing over whether the new movie’s more expansive take on Miles Morales’ trips across kaleidoscopic reality trumps the more focused original flick, it’s impossible to deny that there is a whole hell of a lot of stuff to look at in this movie. Gorgeous backgrounds, shifting art styles, and, of course, Easter eggs, which the film has in overwhelming abundance—especially once the dimension-hopping begins in earnest, and Miles begins interacting with literally hundreds of other Spider-folk.
We could never hope to catch every reference or in-joke in this jam-packed treasure trove of a movie—that’ll have to wait for a format with a handy pause button, and our Official Handbook Of The Marvel Universe cracked open on our laps—but we did want to highlight our favorites out of the ones we did notice. So buckle up, as we do this… one last time. (Until the next time, at least.)
1. Donald Glover!
Donald Glover! Photo Theo Wargo Getty Images
Donald Glover’s official relationship with Spider-Man, the brand, has been a long and complicated one. Way back when, the star became the subject of a social media campaign asserting (not inaccurately) that he would have made a great Spider-Man himself—something Glover clearly doesn’t mind, given all the spider-adjacent cameos he’s taken over the years. (Including voicing a version of Miles for DisneyXD’s cartoon.) His role in Across The Spider-Verse references a cameo of an altogether more villainous nature, though: His appearance in the MCU’s , where he played a live action version of Miles’ uncle, Aaron Davis. The version of Aaron who ran into Holland’s Peter Parker in the MCU was just a talented thief, but when Glover appears—in live-action—in Spider-Verse, he’s clearly upped his game: He’s now equipped with his own set of the Prowler armor that the animated version of Davis (Mahershala Ali) used in the first movie.
2. Video game Spider-Man gets his due
Spider-Man 2 Image Sony Interactive
There are a lot of Spider-Men, Women, Hams, and other Peoples in Across The Spider-Verse, some of whom get called out with their own identifying captions, while others exist merely as visually gorgeous background filler. But fans of the will immediately latch on to a single-second appearance by “Insomniac” Spider-Man that happens about halfway through the movie. (The name is a reference to the studio that creates the games, natch.) Rendered in video-game-style CG (possibly repaying the availability of Spider-Verse-style costumes in the games), this Spidey sports the unmistakable voice of Yuri Lowenthal’s Peter for fans of the (excellent) games to enjoy. Blatant cross-promotion for ? Probably, but Lowenthal’s version of Pete is so fun that it’s hard not to be happy to see him get his due.
Given that it not only radically shifts the movie’s art style into live-action, but also lasts for at least a minute, the encounter between Jason Schwartzman’s villainous Spot and Peggy Lu’s convenience store owner Mrs. Chen, best known for her interactions with Tom Hardy’s lethal protector Venom, isn’t necessarily subtle. But Spot’s brief sojourn to the reality of is still a fun reminder of how far afield Spider-Verse is willing to go, and how much Spidey-adjacent material Sony has these days when it wants to tap into its back catalogue.
4. The only good Morbius joke
Morbius, Morbius, and Morbius Photo Alberto E. Rodriguez Getty Images
Or, y’know, just use it for a quick, not entirely polite joke. Jared Leto’s does not appear in Across The Spider-Verse—not even in the montage of captured baddies that provides the aforementioned Donald Glover cameo, and a vocal line from Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus. The movie still gets a wink, though, when Miles is introduced to Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), the vampiric Spider-Man 2099. “A vampire good guy? I’d pay good money to see that,” Miles quips. It turns out you wouldn’t, buddy: (Not that the MCU doesn’t come in for a jab or two of its own; Miguel is also decidedly unimpressed with of Doctor Strange and “that little nerd back on Earth-199999.”)
