Exclusive: Spider-Man 2 Easter Egg Revealed in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Fans with a keen eye have discovered an intriguing Insomniac Easter egg in the recently released animated movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. While it was anticipated that enthusiasts would be on the lookout for a nod from the developers of the Spider-Man video game franchise, the Easter egg in the film is much more than a simple reference.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEADIn both Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which is now showing in cinemas, and Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, which is set to be released this year, Miles Morales appears to be the character of the moment in 2023. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a sequel to the 2018 hit movie Spider-Man Into The Spider-Verse, which was praised by both audiences and critics alike for introducing Miles Morales to the non-comic book reading world. The original film was renowned for its rapid-fire Easter eggs, and its sequel is no exception, with a new Easter egg popping up every few minutes.

In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's opening, Miles encounters The Spot, a new supervillain who's easily subdued by Miles before he rushes to an important school meeting. Miles then entrusts his best friend Ganke Lee with watching over The Spot, the only person privy to Miles' secret identity. During the exchange, Ganke is seen playing Marvel's Spider-Man 2 on a PS5, a humorous nod to his role as Miles' "guy in the chair," a modern superhero reference to a sidekick. The irony of Ganke playing a game that features himself adds to the comedic effect of the scene.

Viewers of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were pleasantly surprised to witness actual gameplay being hinted at in the movie, with posters teasing Easter eggs from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. While there is some debate over the authenticity of the footage, one Reddit user claimed to have seen Spider-Man employ a finisher with his new iron spider suit, as well as use “web nunchucks”. Insomniac’s Spider-Man universe is further referenced in the movie with a fleeting appearance of the game’s Spider-Man, who is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal himself, as per IMDB. With the abundance of new suit options featured in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Insomniac is sure to have plenty of inspiration for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is in theaters now.