As the latest trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse provides more insight, fans have been stunned to see how Miles Morales' next adventure will unfold. It teases tremendous tragedy, with hints that Miles' dad, Jefferson, has to die. Not to mention, Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099, wants to let it happen, demanding the rest of the Spider-People at the "lobby" in space and time stop Miles from intervening.
Another bombshell is that Peter B. Parker, the hero who aided Miles in the first Multiversal story, is complicit, shaping a heartbreaking betrayal in Across the Spider-Verse. Notably, as fans digest these heavy threads, there's one more intriguing seed planted when Miguel mentions the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it subtly sets up a way that Miles can end up in this main reality that Marvel Studios operates in.
Across the Spider-Verse References No Way Home
In the Across the Spider-Verse trailer, Miguel cuts an angry figure. He's all about order, wanting to protect the fabric of space and time, nodding to Kang's He Who Remains variant from Loki. Miguel even chides the events that occurred due to "Doctor Strange and the little nerd back on Earth-199999," nodding to Strange and Tom Holland's Peter Parker from Spider-Man: No Way Home.
There, these Avengers fiddled with reality, hoping to undo Mysterio's outing of Peter's secret identity to the public, only to create rifts that allowed visitors from Sony's Spider-Verses to cross over. It adds uniformity to Sony's vision with the MCU. But it also lends credence to why Miguel would be so worried. As a watcher, he wouldn't want anything else to upset the fragile balance of the Multiverse. It's why he has the other Spideys go after Miles, not wanting anything to spill over into Miles' world or leak from there into somewhere else.
Across the Spider-Verse Could Make Miles a Refugee
Now, this makes Oscar Isaac's Spider-Man 2099 a sympathetic antagonist in Across the Spider-Verse, especially as he knows the chaos the MCU endured. Given that Sylvie killed He Who Remains and that the Council of Kangs is on the loose, though, Miguel's mission may not end up being successful. Thus, if the Multiverse truly frays beyond repair, this Earth-199999 tease could be more than just a nod to Marvel's movies -- it may well hint at Miles' future. In the comics, Miles became a refugee of sorts when the Ultimate Universe ended in 2015's Secret Wars.
Thanks to Molecule Man, it was reborn and integrated into the 616-main reality, with Miles and his loved ones getting a second chance. It stands to reason that if Sony and the MCU are aligning, a subversion can occur with Miles' tampering leading to his dad staying alive, but the consequence is he's banished from his home universe. Miles may be lopped to the MCU, nodding to how Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men came over. But this time, there may truly be no way home, nodding to the Marvel films and the concept of exiles in the comics.
It'd be an intriguing narrative, with another hero out of his environment, like how Captain America was a man out of time, but this time, it'd be a teen trying to find his way home. Such an approach would have Across the Spider-Verse's Miles in the MCU working with a Peter closer to his age, creating a more relatable, endearing brotherhood. Not to mention, it'd remix the Clone Saga if Miles seeks out his MCU counterpart while trying to find a way back to his family and, least of all, his crush, Hailee Steinfeld's Spider-Gwen. Ultimately, this direction is all about repercussions, how far one will go to bend the rules, power and responsibility while keeping the door open for Miles to return home, a changed person who finally understands more about tempting fate.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens in theaters on June 2, 2023.