Although many of us know Spider-Man through the comics, many have had their first contact with the character through his movies. If you are one of them, and you have followed all the titles, surely you have thought "these of Marvel are not clear with the character and the actors." Well, there is a concept that you should know before watching the next movie of this superhero if you don't want your head to explode: the Spider-Verse. Today we explain what you should know about all the versions of Spider-Man that exist.
What is the Spider-Verse?
If you are a regular follower of Marvel films, the concept of parallel universes that was discussed in Avengers: Endgame. And, if not, let us tell you a little more about it.
According to the plot that Marvel marks in the stories of its characters, there is a large number of parallel or alternative universes that, together, make up that Marvel multiverse. As you can imagine, in many of them there are different versions of their characters, including Spider-Man himself.
In many of these universes Spider-Man is not much different than the story told in the movies. We can find a younger version of him, an older one or one in which he is not Peter Parker. A prime example of this is Spider-Man existing on Earth-65, where the person he was bitten by the radioactive spider was Gwen Stacy instead of Peter. In this case the character is known as Spider-Gwen.
This concept of the Spider-Verse is inherited, of course, from the Marvel comics where it is something quite ingrained. And, if you think about it, that's why this movie character had 3 different actors who, even telling a very similar story, had their little differences.
If even having read these lines it is not too clear to you, we recommend that you watch the trailer of the animated film Spider-Man: A New Universe which we leave you a little higher. Why is it interesting that you understand well what the Spider-Verse is? Well, because, if the rumors are true, in the next movie Spider-Man: No Way Home which will be released in December we will see the three versions of Spider-Man that we have known (in the cinema) until now together. And, speaking of movies…
What are the Spider-Verse movies?
Although we have already talked to you in a specific article about all the Spider-Man movies published to date, now we will do a quick review so that this whole story is clear to you.
As we told you, up to now we have been able to see three different Spider-Man on the big screen:
- Spider-Man played by Tobey Maguire.
- A Spider-Man brought to life by Andrew Garfield.
- And, the last youngest spider-man, carried out by Tom Holland.
Each of them represents a Spider-Man from a different Earth within the Spider-Verse. So, finally, we could say that the films are divided as follows:
- Spider-Man (2002)
- Spider Man 2 (2004)
- Spider Man 3 (2007)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro (2014)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
The true meaning of the Spider-Verse
Everything we have told you so far is very good. It is a way that, at the time, Marvel could have to produce a greater amount of content through its comics. But, really, the idea of the Spider-Verse does not remain in a simple "churrería" of content.
For years Marvel has dedicated itself to creating many versions of this character, ranging from the most classic to The Superior Spider-Man, Miles Morales or Spider-Gwen, all of them predestined to meet a common goal. In 2014 Marvel made the ultimate crossover among hundreds of versions of our spidery friend to face an evil power that, as you can imagine, was too much for one.
It was about the Heirs, some vampiric beings that fed on the spider power of the different versions of this character through the multiverse. Among them was one of the villains who was closest to ending Spider-Man: Seascape. So to try to protect the multiverse and the stability of history, to fight against them.
El Spider-Verse closed its final chapter, or at least for the moment, when all these versions of the spider superhero managed to imprison the Inheritors in a post-apocalyptic world. Although, yes, this terrible battle ended up reducing the number of versions of Spider-Man that remained alive.
How many types of Spider-Man are there in the Spider-Verse?
Now that you know a little more in depth what this Spider-Man multiverse consists of, you may be wondering, how many versions of this superhero are there? Talking to you about all of them in this article would be an endless process. So, to summarize a bit, here are the most important members of the entire Spider-Verse:
- The Superior Spider-Man: It is a hybrid between Doctor Octopus and Peter Parker that the villain himself generated by mistake in a temporary trip.
- Spider-Man 2099: in this case Spider-Man is called Miguel O'Hara, a version of a future universe in which Earth needs a new version of this superhero.
- spider-venom: In the MC2 universe, the symbiote that came from space managed to unite with Peter Parker, but here, it never got separated from him.
- spider-pig: a slightly strange version of our arachnid friend in which, although it seems crazy to you, he is a pig instead of a human being.
- Spider-punk: This spider-man belongs to Earth-138 and is also known as The Anarchic Spider-Man. He is about an African-American punk rocker.
- miles morales: In an alternative universe Peter Parker is murdered and the person in charge of collecting his witness is Miles Morales. A young man that the Spider-Man from another universe will have to teach.
- Spider-Gwen: one of the faces of this superhero in which, as we have already mentioned before, he is not Peter Parker, nor is he a boy. In this version of Earth-65, Gwen Stacy is the one who gets bitten by the radioactive spider, taking on the role of Spider Woman.
- Spider-Girl (Mayday Parker): a curious universe in which Peter Parker is a rather old man. Here he takes over the superhero role from him to his daughter May Parker, becoming Spider-Girl.