I can’t be the only person still reeling from that cliffhanger ending to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. With the sequel Beyond the Spider-Verse undated, but still counting as an upcoming Marvel movie, how Miles Morales is going to get himself out of his currently precarious situation still remains to be seen. But as it turns out, those final Across the Spider-Verse moments included a key detail that could spell good news for Miles in the the next installment.
Co-director Joaquim Dos Santos was on hand for a Collider screening of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse which was held to celebrate the movie’s place among the 2024 Oscar Nominees. As Dos Santos discussed along with co-directors Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thomson how that ending came to be, he gave the following clue as to what we should expect:
Well, it's little things, too, right? So, it's like the difference of Miles being in this really bad position, and it looks grim for him, versus a little character modulation, like him starting to touch the chain and the sparks coming through his hands, and that glint in his eye. It's really, really subtle, but you can see the Prowler's Gauntlet there, and it starts dimming a little bit because he's drawing power from the gauntlet. So those little things, it's almost subconscious, but it really does help you feel like Miles has some agency in the scene.
If the movie had ended with its original finale, we’d have seen Miles Morales merely confined to the punching bag, with even more of a mystery ahead. However, thanks to some last minute changes, Earth-42’s Miles became that universe’s Prowler, and a clue to his defeat was served up.
Those sparks on the chain indicate two things. First, Spider-Family Miles is draining power from the Prowler’s Gauntlet. Second, and more importantly, it looks like he’s going to use those special powers that helped him break out of Miguel O’Hara’s force field, which allowed him to accidentally “go home” to Earth-42 after a merry chase
Apparently the original ending also lacked the hopeful moment of Spider-Gwen putting together her “band," in addition to Miles charging up his special attack. At six weeks before Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was supposed to wrap, its directing trio sprinted to restructure the ending to add such delights. This was partially inspired by, as Justin K. Thompson revealed in this Q&A, one crucial moment in Star Wars history:
We went back and watched The Empire Strikes Back again, and said, 'How did Empire Strikes Back do it?” And we realized, “Oh, they gave you hope at the end.'
Once again, The Empire Strikes Back has proven itself to be the sequel that helps define trilogies in their middle act. Thanks to what Thompson called the “Save Han” moment, Miles is now set up for that next scene that only the directors of Beyond the Spider-Verse know about. That makes the uncertain wait ahead of us even more unbearable, hope and all.
At this point, I definitely need to rewatch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, as I want to put the pieces together a little finer and see what else is hiding within the movie. If you’re on the same multiverse of thought I am, then we’re all in luck, as that Spider-flick is currently streaming for those of us with a Netflix subscription.
