The first Spider-Verse movie ended triumphantly, with Miles finally embracing his powers and becoming (his universe’s) one and only Spider-Man. Still, he wasn’t the only Spider-Person to get a happy ending.
Peter B. Parker reunited with Mary-Jane, Spider Noir brought a bit of colour to his corner of the multiverse, and Spider-Gwen managed to get over the guilt she felt over the death of her Peter Parker. Everything was wrapped up in a neat little spider’s web.
But now, as the Spider-Verse 2 release date approaches, we think it’s time to warn you not to expect this animated movie to end with a feel-good montage, a la Shrek. In fact, we believe by the time you’re leaving the theatre, you’ll feel like you’ve just watched Thanos snap away half the universe again.
So, what’s got us so concerned for Miles and his friends? Well, we’re not doom-mongers like J. Jonah Jameson, nor have we developed psychic powers like Madame Web; we’ve just seen a lot of movies and read even more Spider-Man comics.
And like the irradiated spider bite that gave the inhabitants of the Spider-Verse their superpowers, this incredibly specific Venn diagram of pop-culture knowledge has given us amazing abilities. Namely, we can make wild guesses about what will happen in upcoming Spider-Man movies. So, what surprises are we expecting?
Well, it’s pretty obvious to us that Spider-Verse 2 will end on a cliffhanger of some kind because, lest we forget, Across the Spider-Verse was originally one movie that writers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham decided to split in two. It was only in April 2022 that they changed the name from Across the Spider-Verse Part 2 to Beyond the Spider-Verse.
This fact alone should be a clue that the Spider-Verse sequel is building to an Empire Strikes Back-style cliffhanger, but what could top the reveal that Darth Vader is Luke’s dad? No, we don’t think Spider-Man 2099 will do a paternity test halfway through the film. Instead, we believe the writers have another trick up their sleeves.
Specifically, we’re unconvinced that The Spot and Miguel O’Hara are the film’s villains. We think the Spider-Verse 2 trailer hasn’t shown us the film’s big bad (or should that be baddies) and that they will be Morlun and his family, the Inheritors.
Who are Morlun and the Inheritors? They’re interdimensional hunters who eat the mystical energy that empowers Spider-People across the multiverse (Just go with it, comics are weird). Think of them as vampires with a particular craving for the souls of anyone who wears a spider on their chest.
In the comics, Morlun and his family have been an integral part of every Spider-Verse story, so tying them into a big-screen adaptation seems like an obvious move. Now there’s been no hint in the Spider-Verse 2 trailers that Morlun and his mates will appear, so what’s setting off our spider-sense?
Well, in the words of Ted Lasso, it pays to be curious, and we’ve been wondering why Miguel O’Hara has gathered an army of Spider-Men. It could be that Miguel and his amazing friends have banded together to protect themselves from the wrath of the Inheritors. This is precisely what Spider-Man (technically Doc Ock, but that’s a long story) did when Morlun and his greedy family were hunting him.
We don’t think that Spider-Verse 2 will end with the reveal of the Inheritors, though; oh no. We think it will end with at least one of these vile creatures devouring one of our Spider-Heroes. If we had to guess who’s on the chopping block, we’d say it’s between Peter B. Parker, Spider-Gwen, or Miguel O’Hara and of those three, it’s likely poor Spidey 2099 who’ll end up on the dinner plate.
After all, the trailers have made clear he’s a powerful Spider-Man variant and the leader of the super-secret Spidey club. How better to demonstrate the power of these new Spider-Man villains than having them gobble up the strongest of the Spider-Men? Perhaps the Inheritors will then go on a rampage eating all the gathered Spider-Men, forcing Miles and his friends to retreat and gather reinforcements in Beyond the Spider-Verse.
The only wrinkle in our Spider-Verse conspiracy is, well, we asked Dan Slott, the guy who created the Spider-Verse, about it on Twitter, and he said. “I think [The Inheritors would] be a bad fit for the mood/feel/storyline of the Spider-Verse movies.” Still, Slott’s not involved with writing, so who knows what Lord, Miller, and Callaham are cooking up? I tell you what, if the Inheritors turn up, you owe us a coke. How about that?
If you love all things Spider-Man, then check out our article examining where the 2002 Spider-Man cast is now. We’ve also got a list of the best superhero movies ever made, as well as a guide explaining how to watch every Marvel movie in order.
Finally, if you’re looking for other films to watch, then you have to give our list of all the new movies coming out in 2023 a read, as well as our breakdown of the best movies ever made.