Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the next instalment of the award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is finally out and it was worth the 5-year wait. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, the animated film features the voices of Hailee Steinfeld, Shameik Moore, Daniel Kaluuya, Oscar Isaac and others. The film delves deep into the Spider-Man canon while unravelling a deeply emotional journey. The journey, however, isn’t complete. Across the Spider-Verse is part one of a two-part saga that leaves a lot of loose ends. Between all the Spider-People and Miles’ turbulent stint through multiple dimensions, there is a lot that demands explanation. And it all ends on a solid cliffhanger.
Here’s a full breakdown of the shocking ending of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
What happens in the ending of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
After grounding Miles Morales’ (Shameik Moor) story – a kid navigating his dual life between family and crime-fighting, a large portion of the film sees our protagonist web-slinging his way through the multiverse. This is where he meets several important Spider-People including Indian Spider-Man aka Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), Hobie aka Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), Miguel O’Hara aka Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) and others. They are part of a Spider Society tasked with stopping anomalies from popping up and threatening the flow of the multiverse. Miles’ friend Gwen Stacy (Hailee Stienfeld) is also a part of the collective.
Gwen catches up with Miles while on a mission to surveil The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), a supervillain and self-proclaimed nemesis of Miles Morales. Now Spot is a scientist called Dr Jonathan Ohnn who transports a radioactive spider to Miles’ timeline which is Earth-1610. The spider originally belongs to Earth-42. It is important to remember that in Into the Spider-Verse, Miles steps in as Spidey after the Peter Parker of his timeline dies. Miles stops the Kingpin by exploding his particle collider. The explosion turns Dr Jonathan into the Spot who gains the ability to open portals and travel through space and different dimensions. This is a major threat to Spider-People from all universes. These events make Miles the OG anomaly. Moreover, his turning into Spider-Man leaves Earth-42 without a Spider-Man to protect it. No wonder he isn’t welcome in the Spider Society.
SEE ALSO: Movie Review: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
The movie also established the Spider-Man canon. Every Spider-Person must go through key life events – getting bitten by a radioactive spider, losing a loved one and eventually becoming a hero. Another canon event is a police captain close to Spider-Man losing their life. Upon finding out the truth, Miles is torn because his own father Jefferson Davis-Morales (Bryan Tyree Henry) is set to become a police captain. Miles grows increasingly tired of everyone telling him how his story should go. So in an attempt to get to his father, he escapes Spider Society after a chase that involves hundreds of Spider-People trying to stop him. However, when he uses a technology that sends Spideys back to their timeline, he’s sent to Earth-42 where the original radioactive spider came from. And boy is the dimension bleak!
What does the shocking ending mean for the Spider-Verse?
Chaos thrives in this universe in the absence of Spider-Man. The streets are crime-ridden and the Sinister Six are controlling New York City. He finds out that Miles’ father has died in this dimension and his uncle Aaron is alive. In a shocking reveal, Miles of this universe has taken to a life of crime and dons the suit of the Prowler. Both Miles come face to face with Prowler Miles keeping Earth-1610’s Miles in captivity. And he has a lot of questions for him. Miles must get out of there because, in the meantime, the Spot is still after his father on Earth-1610. This time around, however, he isn’t alone as Gwen is still out there to save Miles. By the end of the movie, she is joined by a little task force comprising Peter B. Parker, Spider Noir, Spider-Ham, Spider-Punk, Pavitr Prabhakar, Peni Parker and Spyder-Byte. And they are prepared for an all-out fight.
The shocker twist sets up the events of the next instalment – Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. It looks like a Miles versus Miles showdown is coming up and the stakes are higher than ever. The film doesn’t have a post-credits scene and closes on a cliffhanger with “To be continued…” sprawled on the screen.
SEE ALSO: Indian Spider-Man, Pavitr Prabhakar From Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Explained