The Spider-Verse is about to get even bigger via the small screen. It is also about to get a lot darker, mysterious, and funny. And, let’s be honest, a lot weirder. Prime Video has officially done what Spidey fans have been waiting to hear. The studio has formally ordered a new live-action series starring Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir, the character he originally voiced in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Now joining Cage in the series, as per Deadline, is Fargo and New Girl star Lamorne Morris.

Amazon used its inaugural upfront presentation in New York City to announce it has finally ordered Noir to series. The Spider-Man Noir show will see Nicolas Cage playing the live-action version of his character from Sony’s animated 2018 Oscar winner. Morris has been cast as Robbie Robertson, the nice editor of The Daily Bugle who traditionally works under the surly publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Variety also reported The Banshees of Inisherin star Brendan Gleeson has been cast as well, though in an undisclosed role. The series, based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir, will air on Prime Video and MGM+.

Also announced to appear as a series regular is Wu Assassins star Li Jun Li. According to Deadline, Li will play a “singer at the premier nightclub in New York.”

Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag, Killing Eve) will direct and executive produce the Spider-Man Noir‘s first two episodes. Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street) and Steve Lightfoot (Marvel’s The Punisher, Shantaram) will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers. They developed the show with the Spider-Verse‘s Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal. All three are also on board as executive producers.

For those who have (for some absurd reason) not yet seen Into the Spider-Verse or are unfamiliar with the character’s comic history, Amazon also shared a brief synopsis for the Spider-Man Noir series.

Noir tells the story of an aging and down on his luck private investigator (Cage) in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero.

Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios, explained why the studio wants to make this series in a release. (As though we need an explanation.) “Expanding the Marvel universe with Noir is a uniquely special opportunity, and we are honored to bring this series to our global Prime Video customers,” he said. “The extremely talented Nicolas Cage is an ideal choice for our new superhero, and the accomplished producing team with Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, and the incredible team at Sony is dedicated to expanding this franchise in the most authentic way.” 

We’re ready to dedicate our time to watching when it debuts. The Spider-Verse is an infinite place of possibilities and heroes. But we very much want to spend more time with this version of the character. And obviously, more time with Nicolas Cage.

Originally Published May 14, 2024

The post New Cast Announced for Nicolas Cage’s Live-Action SPIDER-MAN NOIR Series appeared first on Nerdist.

Unlike many of her heroic Marvel counterparts, Jessica Drew, the original Spider-Woman, doesn’t have the kind of origin story one can summarize in just a few sentences. Her backstory is, to put it mildly, somewhat complicated. She plays a big part in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, so as we celebrate Jessica Drew’s animated cinematic debut, and wait for her to make her grand cinematic live-action entrance, let’s take a deep dive into her bizarre backstory. For Jessica, it began with 1977’s Marvel Spotlight #32, which gave us Spider-Woman’s complicated origin story. Or, at least, the first version of her origin story.

Contradicting Marvel Comics Origin Stories for Spider-Woman

Jessica Drew is actually way older than any Marvel hero not named Steve Rogers. She was born in 1924 to scientist Jonathan Drew and his wife Miriam. As a very young child, Jessica Drew traveled with her parents to Mount Wundagore, in the small Balkan nation of Transia. This locale was also central to the comic book origins of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Her father conducted genetics research at Mount Wundagore with Dr. Herbert Wyndham, who would later become the villainous High Evolutionary.

Marvel Comics

At the age of seven, Jessica contracted a deadly case of uranium poisoning after exposure to her father’s experiments. In an effort to save her life, her father and Dr. Wyndham injected her with an experimental spider-derived serum, one which would only work with years of hibernation in a genetic accelerator. After spending decades in a slow-growing form of hibernation, the soon-to-be Spider-Woman received subliminal education through specially designed recordings. She finally woke up decades later, fully cured, but now physically a teenager. She also had superpowers, thanks to the spider-serum and the effects of her stasis.

However, that might not be the origin of Spider-Woman’s powers. Later Marvel comics from the 2000s, like Brian Michael Bendis’ Spider-Woman: Origin reveal that Jessica received her powers differently. In the Bendis retcon, Jessica gained her powers when a laser beam hits her pregnant mother Miriam in the torso. This beam contained the DNA traits of several different species of spiders, thus altering the fetus’ DNA. It’s unclear which version of the origin of Spider-Woman’s powers is officially the current Marvel canon.

A Different Set of Powers than Peter Parker

Regardless of how she got her powers, Spider-Woman’s power set has remained consistent over the years. Jessica has super strength, superhuman speed, stamina, agility, and reflexes. She doesn’t have a healing factor like her good friend Wolverine per se, but she does heal more rapidly than a normal human. Spider-Woman also emits bio-electrical “venom blasts” and releases pheromones that can both attract and repel people. Like her male counterpart, Spider-Man, she can attach herself to surfaces and climb on walls. So they have that in common, at least.

Spider-Woman’s Life as a Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. Double Agent

With no family and now living in a strange time, Jessica Drew left Wundagore and tried to have a normal life. But after accidentally killing her boyfriend with her new powers, she fell under the sway of Count Otto Vermis, a high-ranking member of Hydra. Vermis brainwashed Jessica into believing she wasn’t human, but a spider evolved into a human form. He trained her to be Hydra’s most skilled assassin and gave her the name Arachne. Spider-Woman trained in hand-to-hand combat by none other than the Taskmaster.

One of her first missions was to kill S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury. While attempting to kill him, the super-spy informed Jessica Drew of the truth: Hydra was a terrorist organization, and they had brainwashed her in a vulnerable state to become their tool of destruction. They even lied to her about accidentally killing a man. Devastated upon learning the truth, Jessica Drew abandoned Hydra and joined Fury as an agent of S.H.I.E.LD. Eventually, Spider-Woman decided to leave the life of being a secret agent behind to become a full-time superhero.

Spider-Woman, Marvel’s Globetrotting Heroine 

Spider-Woman then moved around the globe for years. First, she worked out of London, where she partnered with a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and Scotland Yard detective named Jerry Hunt. When that romantic and working partnership dissolved, she moved to Los Angeles. There, Spider-Woman became a super-powered bounty hunter in the Marvel universe. Later, she moved to San Francisco, where she worked as a private investigator. After a battle with the ancient witch Morgan le Fay, Jessica Drew lost her Spider-Woman powers. She continued to lead the life of a P.I., only this time in the dangerous island nation of Madripoor.

Things start to somehow get more complicated for Jessica Drew at this point. She is approached by Hydra agents who offer her a chance to restore her powers. But only if she rejoins them and infiltrates S.H.I.E.L.D. as a double agent. She goes to Nick Fury, informing him that she is taking the offer but will secretly be loyal to him. Unbeknownst to either of them, these Hydra agents are actually Skrulls. The alien shapeshifters then place Spider-Woman in stasis, and the Skrull Queen Veranke replaces Jessica Drew to the world at large. She joins the Avengers and infiltrates the superhero community from within.

Juggling Avengering and Motherhood

After the events of Secret Invasion, the Skrulls are defeated, and the real Jessica Drew returns. Feeling she has nowhere left to go, Spider-Woman joins the Avengers for real. She has adventures with several different iterations of the Avengers, establishing herself as a stalwart member of the team. Spider-Woman also gets pulled into several Marvel adventures with Spider-Man and other arachnid-powered heroes, forging a bond with them as well. More recently, Jessica Drew became a single mom, giving birth to a son named Gerry. Little Gerry Drew inherited all of his mother’s powers, and now Spider-Woman has to contend with a toddler who can crawl on walls and has super strength.

Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

In Across the Spider-Verse, Jessica Drew (Issa Rae) goes by “Jess Drew.” She’s one of the many Spider-People who work out of the interdimensional hub known as the Spider-Society. Like her later incarnations in the comics, Spider-Woman still fights the good fight while pregnant in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. She mentions a dad, but we never learn who her partner is. Maybe in Beyond the Spider-Verse, we’ll find out more about Spider-Woman and her family.

Spider-Woman also rides a cool motorcycle to boot. Her costume is all-new for the Spider-Verse movie, but it has some recognizable elements to it from Marvel’s comics. Her powers seem more in line with Spider-Man’s than 616 Jessica Drew. But it’s possible Sony is waiting for the third film to unleash her venom blasts. In Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Woman is one of the Spider-folk who Miguel O’Hara sends after Miles Morales.

Meanwhile, if the Olivia Wilde-directed Spider-Woman film is set in the MCU, as rumors suggest, then maybe we will see the ties between Hydra and Nick Fury explored more. When it comes to Spider-Woman, her different connections to the Marvel Universe are all primed to provide cinematic fodder for years. And her animated incarnation hopefully has a bright future as well.

Originally published on June 9, 2021

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“Bad things are gonna happen. It makes us who we are.”

Peter B. Parker’s words of comfort to Miles Morales in Across the Spider-Verse turned out to be true in ways no one expected. The movie ended with a shocking revelation that showed how bad things led another Miles down a dark path. In the dimension where a radioactive spider never bit him, Miles became the Prowler. Now that alternate version wants to destroy the hero he never became.

What does that cliffhanger mean for both the film and its sequel, Beyond the Spider-Verse? The existence of Prowler Miles gets to the core of the franchise’s most important and meaningful idea about what really defines us.

Why Is Spider-Man Miles “The Anomaly?”

A radioactive spider bit (the film’s primary) Miles’ in his home dimension of Earth-1610. But that DNA-altering arachnid came from Earth-42 via Kingpin’s Super Collider. That spider—seen glitching prior to biting Miles in Into the Spider-Verse—wasn’t from his world.

That’s why Miguel O’Hara calls Miles “the” anomaly. Miles was never supposed to become Spider-Man. His world already had one, and suddenly getting a second instantly led to tragedy. His dimension’s original Spider-Man (Peter A. Parker) died saving Miles, who only needed rescuing because he’d been turned into a Spider-Man.

That bite had huge ramifications for another universe, too.

Why Did Earth-42’s Miles Morales Become the Prowler Instead of His Uncle?

Because Earth-42’s radioactive spider never bit anyone from its own dimension, that world didn’t get its very own web-slinging superhero. But it still got all of Spider-Man’s villains. A news report revealed the Sinister Six operate with near impunity in a burning city overrun with crime. There is simply no one to stand against them.

While that universe’s Miles didn’t became Spider-Man, he still suffered the way all Spider-Mans do. His dad, a police captain, died rather than his uncle Aaron. (Which indicates Miles-42 was supposed to become Spider-Man.) And without the great responsibility of becoming a superhero, Miles instead followed his uncle into a life of crime. Without his father as a guiding light Miles became the Prowler rather than Aaron.

The two Miles unknown connection ultimately led them to meet face-to-face.

How Did Spider-Man Miles End Up in the Wrong Dimension?

Spider-Man Miles desperately wanted to go back to his home world. Miguel told Miles his father needs to die to ensure the safety of hthat entire universe. Without that “cannon event” reality itself could fall apart, killing everyone. And since Miles is “the anomaly,” Miguel also fears interfering with fate could impact every world.

Miles refused to accept that his father must die. He believes he can “save everyone,” his dad included. (Gwen’s own final encounter with her father indicated he might be right.) To get home Miles jumped inside Miguel’s arachnid transport machine. It sends people back to their own dimension by reading their DNA. Except, Miles’ DNA no longer identifies him as being from Earth-1610. The spider that bit him rewrote his genetic code with its own. That caused the machine to think Miles comes from Earth-42, the spider’s dimension.

That’s how he ended up encountering his still-alive uncle and his evil alternate Prowler self who was never pushed towards greatness. And that difference gets to the most important theme of the film and the franchise, just not in the way it might seem.

What Does Prowler Miles Mean for Across the Spider-Verse?

Like Into the Spider-Verse before it Across the Spider-Verse is about what it means to be Spider-Man. As Peter B. Parker said, “Being Spider-Man is a sacrifice. That’s the job.” Part of that sacrifice, in every universe, involves dealing with the death of someone very close to them. No one becomes Spider-Man without Uncle Ben. Sometimes that role is filled by a different uncle, a best friend, a significant other, or a police captain. In Miles’ world that sacrifice appeared to be his Uncle Aaron, a cautionary tale about how easy it is for a good person to end up being bad. Aaron’s death was clearly important in Miles becoming Spider-Man. It helped unlock something inside of him. Without that loss he might never have taken his “leap of faith.”

A different bad thing that happened to Prowler Miles. Instead of his uncle he lost his dad, and without the great responsibility of being Spider-Man to anchor him, his grief consumed him. Because as much as Spider-Mans are defined by bad things, Peter B. Parker also pointed out they are also shaped by the good things that happen to them. That includes the best thing that happens to them: being burdened with responsibility. Without the good, Miles turned bad.

That’s the main idea of Across the Spider-Verse. The things that happen to us, no matter how painful they might be or how much we wish they didn’t happen, shape who we are. But whether good or bad, the events of our lives don’t define us, it’s how we respond to them. Our choices define who we are. We’re not passive actors in our own lives. We pick the path we’ll walk down. Miles recognized that before he met his evil self. He told Miguel, “Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go. Nah. I’m gonna do my own thing.”

He’s right. And that’s exactly why Prowler Miles isn’t a hopeless cause, either.

What Will Happen With the Two Mileses in Beyond the Spider-Verse?

Gwen Stacy is putting together a team of Spider-Mans to save Miles. She gathered together their old friends from Into the Spider-Verse along with their new friends. They don’t know they’ll be potentially rescuing Miles from his alternate self. But we don’t know if they’ll even need to.

Prowler Miles can do his own thing, same as Spider-Man Miles. Neither of them have to follow a story others or even fate itself have seemingly written for them. They can tell their own tales with their actions. And maybe getting a chance to see who he could have been will be good enough for Prowler Miles to realize he can be a better version of himself. Just because you’re not a superhero doesn’t mean you have to be a super villain. Like every Spider-Man who has something bad happen to them, he can still choose to be a better person.

Across the Spider-Verse‘s two very different Miles make clear how easy it is for us to go astray. But it also makes clear we decide who we are. Miguel, Jessica Drew, Gwen Stacy, and both Miles each decided who they wanted to be. Same as we all do in our lives, whether we’re a Spider-Man or not.

And that will be true no matter how Beyond the Spider-Verse resolves that cliffhanger.

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike. And also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

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How do you try and top one of cinema’s best superhero movies, an Oscar-winning film that changed animation forever? You don’t just go “into” the Spider-Verse. You go “across” it. That’s where you’ll find even more versions of everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood arachnid. But while the latest trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has us ready to jump back into the multiverse, not every Spider-Man will be happy to see Miles Morales show up. Fortunately for him, he still has friends to help him face the inescapable responsibility of being Spider-Man.

We thought it was impossible for anything to get us more hyped for this movie. We were wrong. This trailer just did it. Not only does it have a chance to be more exciting than the original, but it also looks like it might be more emotional, too. What exactly is going on? And why is a big scary version of Spider-Man out to get Miles? Here’s the Across the Spider-Verse‘s official synopsis from Sony:

Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

That’s the nice thing about going across the Spider-Verse and not just into it. Sure, you might find even more enemies, including some just like you. But you’ll also find plenty of friends, both old and new, to help you.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse comes from directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. It stars Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Rachel Dratch, Jason Schwartzman, Shea Whigham, Daniel Kaluuya, Jorma Taccone, and Karan Soni. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swings into theaters June 2, 2023.

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Consistent conversations about systemic racism, oppression, and bias against Black people are leading to a flood of content to highlight and support Black films and TV shows. Major streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO, along with endless lists of Black movies, shows, and documentaries (among other mediums) highlighting the reality of our experiences are all over the place—for now. Some of them are cringe-worthy suggestions, like The Help and Green Book, which prioritize pacifying White guilt, lean into White savior territory, examine Blackness through a White gaze, or sanitize the truth about privilege and oppressive standards in America.

Others are powerful, moving narratives that give people a window into the complexities of Black life. As a Black woman, it is disheartening to see that most of the suggested content centers on our pain. Authentic Black joy that isn’t seeped in stereotypes or associated with proximity to Whiteness is a vital part of our experiences. To engage with or only promote narratives about Black despair is to not see us complete human beings and, in the case of Hollywood, to continue the vicious cycle of profiting off of our pain.

Cultivating joy and humor is a part of our self-care, our culture, and our resistance—a revolutionary act in a world that is inherently anti-Black. Joy interweaves in the midst of our pain, rage, fear, and hope. It stands on its own in moments where we come together to sing, dance, celebrate, relax, and disconnect from a constant fight for rights that should be inherent. Black joy is a slice of heaven in a world that gives us hell.

These Black films and TV shows bring our joy to the forefront in stories filled with humor, life lessons, good times, and friendship.

The Wiz

This 1978 musical reimagines the Wizard of Oz with an all-star Black cast. Watching shy schoolteacher Dorothy (Diana Ross) explore a magical land with new friends, including Scarecrow (Michael Jackson) is pure joy. The original songs are funky and fun and the energy is jubilant while managing to touch on social issues that are relevant to Black history and culture.

B.A.P.S. (Black American Princesses)

B.A.P.S. is fun “fish out of water” comedy about Georgia waitresses and best friends Nisi (Halle Berry) and Mickey (Natalie Desselle), who dream of opening a hair salon and restaurant. They travel to Los Angeles for a music video and end up caring for a millionaire in Beverly Hills. Nisi and Mickey are vibrant, funny, caring, and extremely talented.

Predictably, the movie was slammed by White critics who called the leads “garish homegirls.” However, this film shows that there’s more than meets the eye. Nisi and Mickey get to have the “rags to riches” arc that’s usually reserved for their White counterparts. The ladies have fun, build unexpected bonds, set firm boundaries with their lovers, and have a lasting impact on those around them before getting the life of their dreams.

Girls Trip

There are plenty of movies about a group of White friends getting together for outlandish adventures (example: The Hangover). But, it’s not as common to see four Black girlfriends coming together to party, explore, and celebrate for an unforgettably wild vacation.

The Flossy Posse—Sasha (Queen Latifah), Ryan (Regina Hall), Dina (Tiffany Haddish), and Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith)—turn New Orleans upside down as they drink, club, and fight their way through the city. Some unresolved issues and drama ensue but the ultimate message is about dynamic power of friendship and love between Black women.

Beyoncé’s Homecoming

Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella performance was not only groundbreaking as she was the first Black woman to headline; it also celebrated Black college life and culture. Beyoncé gave nods to Black fraternities, sororities, and bands through alternate versions of her songs. She gave us Nefertiti aesthetics, step shows, Black power messages, and Black feminist knowledge with a sample of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk. Homecoming dives deeper into how she crafted this masterpiece of a set.

The Photograph

There are quite a few Black “struggle love” movies that include an inordinate amount of pain, infidelity, and drama. The Photograph isn’t one of them. It’s a brilliant love story about Michael (Lakeith Stanfield), a journalist who falls in love with Mae (Issa Rae), a museum curator. The film tells two love stories at once and is a dreamy and passionate exploration of the joy and elation of falling in love.

Waiting to Exhale

Black friendship is a healing balm. This classic film, which follows four Black women’s tight-knit friendship through personal and professional ups and downs, will always reign supreme. Savannah (Whitney Houston), Bernie (Angela Bassett), Robin (Lela Rochon), and Glo’s (Loretta Devine) a quest for healthy love, which, along with the film’s music and all the little nuggets of joy they experience together, make for Black joy personified.

Living Single 

A lot of people love Friends, but Living Single is the originator. The show follows Khadijah (Queen Latifah), Synclaire (Kim Coles), Max (Erika Alexander), and Regina’s (Kim Fields) friendship as they live in close proximity to each other.

Like most ’90s Black sitcoms, Living Single features a lot of laughter, love, famous appearances, a great theme song, and a few iconic moments of this quartet loving life and having fun. There are some deeper issues explored throughout the series but there’s a lot of happiness and humor, too.

The Wood

There are a lot of Black coming-of-age stories, but The Wood is special. It taps into what it’s like to grow up in a disenfranchised California city, but the story primarily centers on a few guys’ nostalgic look back at childhood. Roland (Trent Cameron), Slim (Duane Finley), and Mike (Sean Nelson) get into a few misadventures: Mike standing up to a gang member, going to a school dance, teenage obsession with sex, and falling in love. There are a lot of sweet, funny moments in this comedy celebrating the Black joy of boyhood.

Chewing Gum

The world can never make enough movies or shows about Black girls. Our experiences, beliefs, and personalities are as wide ranging as any of our female counterparts from other races. Chewing Gum follows Tracey, a 24-year-old who grew up in a strict religious environment. She wants to explore the world, have sex, and enjoy adult life. Sadly, there are only two seasons of this show, but they are both great.

Coming to America

Eddie Murphy is known for hilarious movies featuring a lot of Black star power. Coming to America is all that and more with adult fairy tale-like story featuring a kind and idealistic African prince who comes to Queens, NY to find his queen. Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and Semi (Arsenio Hall) may be over the top, but supporting characters like Lisa, Cleo, and a group of trash-talking barbershop employees feel quite grounded. There are quotable lines, unforgettable moments, and a lot of raunchy humor.

Last Holiday

Last Holiday is another movie about a Black woman realizing her dreams. A health diagnosis encourages Georgia (Queen Latifah) to quit her job, take all of her money, and go on a dream vacation. She takes fun risks, indulges in self-care, and charms an entire resort full of people along the way. The film combines holiday delight with the musings we all have about what we would do if we threw caution to the wind.

Miss Juneteenth

Miss Juneteenth is a heartfelt story about Black motherhood and the impact of Juneteenth on Black Texans. Former Miss Juneteenth Turquoise is relatable to many young moms with dreams deferred and plans derailed.

She bonds with her daughter Kai after she enters in the same scholarship pageant years later. The film doesn’t aim to teach viewers some grandiose lesson. It’s simply one woman’s journey into reflection as she lives her normal life. Miss Juneteeth is beautiful and features some truly lovely mom-daughter moments.

Akeelah and the Bee

There’s nothing that sparks joy quite like an underdog story. Akeelah is an avid speller from Los Angeles who stands up against preconceived notions and odds to make her way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The film deals with a lot of issues including race, educational systems, self-esteem, friendship, and social stigmas, among others, while sparking a lot of joy every time Akeelah advances forward.

Black Panther

Black Panther brought people around the world a lot of joy. It was empowering and affirming to see Black people leading the most socially and technologically advanced nation in the world, for women to be effective leaders, and to see the film’s overall celebration of different cultures in Africa. It’s rare to see a superhero movie or series that centers on Black characters, and Black Panther proved that our stories can score big with audiences and box offices alike.

Christmas Everlasting

Yes, this is a Hallmark holiday movie. But, honestly, is there anything more joyful than a Christmas flick? The plots are mostly predictable, the romance is super sweet, and there’s always a lovely ending. A lot of network Christmas movies don’t have Black women protagonists, but Christmas Everlasting stars Tatyana Ali as Lucy, a woman who reconnects with her past. She returns home to claim property in her sister’s will and learns a lot more about her family history (and love) along the way.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 

Speaking of Tatyana Ali, most people were first introduced to her in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. There’s probably not too many ’90s kids who don’t know all about how Will’s life got flipped and turned upside down. In The French Prince, Will’s antics are just as colorful as his clothes as he pulls the Banks family into a ton of schemes. The Fresh Prince also shows that Black people face some of the same issues despite their socioeconomic status.

Motown Magic

This one is for the kids (and kids at heart). Netflix’s Motown Magic follows eight-year-old Ben who uses a magic paintbrush to bring the street around him to life. The show features songs from iconic Black artists like The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson, thereby bridging the gap between generations. There aren’t nearly enough magical/fantasy shows with Black protagonists so this is a true treasure.

Juju: The Web Series 

More Black witches is never a bad thing, especially when they are the focus of the story. The Juju webseries follows three millennial besties who discover that they are witches. There’s a lot of great humor, self-discovery, real talk, and fun friendship moments in this narrative on top of some magickal moments.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales is the definition of joy. This Afro-Latino kid’s journey towards becoming a hero in his own way is heartfelt, striking, and inspiring for so many fans. Miles’ heart, laughter, self-doubt, and triumph is reflective of how the world should want to see Black boys not only survive but thrive while being their authentic selves.

As usual, this list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s a start. There’s a lot of layers to the Black experience. We want to see more of our joy, wonder, fantasy, and magic being pushed to the forefront, because they matter just as much as our pain. Black joy is powerful and worthy of being seen.

Abbott Elementary

This TV show is not only sweeping awards shows, it is also capturing the hearts of people all over America. Abbott Elementary follows a group of educators and their experiences at a Philadelphia school. Funny, heartwarming, and real, there’s a lot of laughter and joy to be found here.

Originally published July 1, 2020.

The post These Black Movies and Shows Highlight Our Joy appeared first on Nerdist.

It’s been over four years since Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) entered the mainstream consciousness as the 21st-century friendly neighborhood wall-crawler in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The 2018 animated film broke new ground in several ways. And it even won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. Now, the long-awaited sequel is finally near, and at last, we have the first full trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in our hands. You can watch the trailer, which also showcases Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy, and Oscar Isaac as Spider-Man 2099, right here:

As we can see from the trailer, Across the Spider-Verse is taking the innovative animation style from the first film and cranking up the dial several notches. Instead of just one style of animation, we see several, presumably one for every different world of the Spider-Verse.

In this first Across the Spider-Verse trailer, we don’t yet get a good look at the film’s bad guy, the Spot. But he’s voiced by none other than Jason Schwartzman. Co-director Kemp Powers has confirmed that the Spot is also the villain for film three, Beyond the Spider-Verse. The former “joke villain” from the comics isn’t going to be that much of a joke after these two movies. And we can’t wait to see him in action.

In addition to all the trippy visuals, the film is looking to maintain the emotional focus on Miles Morales. Judging from the recent trailer, it will especially put the spotlight on his relationship with his family, and, of course, with himself and the kind of person he wants to be in the world. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s synopsis shares more about what we can expect from the movie.

Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

Across the Spider-Verse will see many returning cast members from the first film, aside from those previously mentioned. These include Jake Johnson (Peter B. Parker), Brian Tyree Henry (Jefferson Davis), Luna Lauren Vélez (Rio Morales), Issa Rae (Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman), and Daniel Kaluuya (Spider-Punk). Shea Whigham is also part of the cast as police captain George Stacy, Gwen’s father. And we’re sure we’re in for some other surprise multiversal cameos.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters everywhere on June 2, 2023.

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These days every season is Spidey Season. Not only did we recently see Spider-Man: No Way Home launch into theaters with multiversal shenanigans … But now another Spider-Man gem is taking center stage. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse‘s sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and its second part Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse are heading our way. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse may feel like a bit of a mouthful to say at first. But it’s one long title we could not feel more excited to see. Into the Spider-Verse‘s sequel has so far released its first trailer and shared some aspects of its plot. Now, we even know who the villain will be in this upcoming movie.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s Villain

In a tweet thread from The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Sony, we got to hear who the next Spider-Verse villain will be. In Across the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales will face down The Spot.

Meet The Spot, Miles Morales’s most formidable foe yet, as debuted at #AnnecyFestival. He is voiced by Jason Schwartzman. 🕳 See him in action in Spider-Man: Across the #SpiderVerse, in theaters June 2, 2023. pic.twitter.com/9V1fzvlR6A

— Sony Pictures Animation (@SonyAnimation) June 13, 2022

Jason Schwartzman will be voicing the spot in the upcoming Spider-Verse movie. And The Spot will be
“Miles Morales’s most formidable foe yet.” He certainly looks intimidating. And like he may be able to travel through multiverses, which is never a good thing.

Sony Pictures Animation revealed more about the Spot’s powers:

Spot’s whole body is covered in interdimensional portals (made to feel like “living ink”) that can send him anywhere he wants to go. He can also make these portals appear out of thin air to transport objects and people at will. This spells trouble for Miles.

We love this great use of animation and how The Spot’s design is fluid, much like his ability to dance between dimensions. We don’t see him in action yet in Across the Spider-Verse‘s first trailer. But we do see plenty to get us excited for the movie.

Sony Pictures Animation also shared that we’ll see “an anachronistic version of the Vulture voiced by Jorma Taccone.”

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s First Trailer

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s trailer doesn’t swing deep into the action right away. Instead, it kicks off by reminding us what we loved so much about Into the Spider-Verse. Namely, the incredible animation on our screens and our favorite, endearing protagonists. Spider-Gwen is back, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld. Gwen dons her undercut, green vans, and snarky affection. She’s come ready to give our hero, Miles Morales, a gentle, hard time. Miles, voiced by Shameik Moore, is, of course, nothing but smooth. It’s clear they’ve missed each other.

We find out that Miles is grounded, but happily, for us, Spider-Man is anything but. The second half of the trailer swings into high gear as Miles Morales’ Spider-Man makes his way through a couple of superbly animated worlds. The multiverse has not become any less beautiful since the first movie. He’s tussling with Spider-Man 2099 as he goes, but it’s unclear whether the latter comes as a friend or foe. We last saw Spider-Man 2099 in Into the Spider-Verse‘s after the credits scene.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s trailer description further shares:

Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s Plot

At CinemaCon 2022, Phil Lord and Chris Miller unveiled the first 15 minutes from Across the Spider-Verse and shared some sweet tidbits about the upcoming film. (We saw this at Gizmodo.) Among the exciting bits is the fact that there are a whopping 240 characters in the film. And yep, it certainly sounds like a whole lot of our favorites from the first film are back—along with a few hundred more friends and foes this time around.

Miles Morales and Gwen Stacey will meet even more Spider-Pals, including Miguel O’Hara and Jessica Drew.

Additionally, according to Sony Pictures Animation, “our old friend Spider-Man 2099 (voiced by Oscar Isaac)” will return. As well as “the incomparable (and pregnant!) Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman (voiced by Issa Rae).”

So, grab your spidey suits; it’s going to be a wild ride when Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse releases on June 2, 2023. Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, bows on March 29, 2024.

Originally published on December 6, 2021.

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the Into the Spider-Verse sequel, will hit theaters on June 2, 2023. And it will double down on the many multiversal variants of Spider-Man we already saw in Into the Spider-Verse. We already know some of the Spider-Man variants we’ll see in the upcoming animated movie. We have Spider-Woman, a.k.a. Jessica Drew, Spider-Man 2099, and even Spider-Punk, a.k.a. Hobart “Hobie” Brown. Then we have the rumors, like the ones that say the live-action movie Spideys like Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire could also appear. Even the PS4 Spider-Man is rumored to show up in Across the Spider-Verse. So which Spider-Man variants might we see in Across the Spider-Verse? Let’s break it down. 

The TV Animated Spider-Man Variants That Could Show Up

If the live-action Spider-Mans pop up in Across the Spider-Verse, then the animated forerunners of Peter B. Parker deserve a chance to appear. Here are the ones we think deserve to swing in for at least a cameo appearance.

1960s Saturday Morning Spider-Man

The original 1967-1970 animated Spider-Man series made Peter Parker a household name to non-comics fans. The show made his theme song an iconic tune that everyone still knows today. He deserves recognition in the Spider-Verse. His voice actor, Paul Soles, sadly died in 2021. But a sound-alike could do the honors. We can call this guy “Boomer Spidey” and he sure would be a fun Spider-Man variant to see in Across the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends

In the early ’80s, Spider-Man returned to Saturday morning cartoon dominance with a new show featuring the mutants Iceman and Firestar. Together with their Lhasa Apso dog, Ms. Lion (yes, really), they teamed up with other Marvel heroes and saved New York City from their high-tech HQ in Aunt May’s house. This is “Gen X Spidey,” and Peter and his pals need to represent in the Spider-Verse. This show’s Peter Parker, voice actor Dan Gilvezan, is still working, so he should definitely reprise the role.

Spider-Man: The Animated Series‘ Peter Parker

At the same time Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men: The Animated Series blew up on Fox Kids, Spider-Man became a weekday afternoon hit. More than any other cartoon before it, the ’90s Spidey was pretty faithful to the comics. Christopher Daniel Barnes was the Spider-Man for Millennial kids, and we feel he’s definitely going to have to show up. Maybe this Spider-Man variant could spin his webs on some obviously early-CGI skyscrapers in Across the Spider-Verse. 

The Spectacular Spider-Man

One of the more recent animated Spideys to win the hearts of kids (and more than a few adults) was The Spectacular Spider-Man. This wallcrawler for the Gen Z-ers aired from 2008-2009, only for a brief two seasons. But it still has quite a following to this day, and fans would lose it seeing this version of Peter meet his Spider-Man variants on screen. 

Japanese Spider-Man, Earth-51778 (Confirmed)

Marvel Comics

Until a recent episode of Marvel’s 616 on Disney+, many fans had no idea about the existence of the Japanese Spider-Man. This version starred in his own TV series in Japan from 1978-79. Although Japanese Spidey might look totally familiar, he is a completely different character from Peter Parker. Because his show premiered on May 17, 1978, his Earth is designated as “Earth-51778.”

In the series, Spider-Man was Takuya Yamashiro, a young motocross racer who gains powers from an alien ship from Planet Spider. Not only does he gain the traditional Spider-Man powers, but he also can transform his spaceship into a giant robot. All of these things are cooler than Aunt May already. Yamashiro appeared in the Spider-Verse comics event, so we say put him in an animated film next. And it seems Across the Spider-Verse producer Phil Lord has already confirmed he’s in it.

The Marvel Comics Spider-Man Variants That Could Show Up

“The Spider” (Earth-311)

Marvel Comics

DC Comics works like Sandman helped make fantasy author Neil Gaiman famous in comics. But for Marvel, he wrote two prominent series: The Eternals and Marvel: 1602. As the title suggests, this took place on an alternate Earth where Marvel’s heroes lived in the Elizabethan era. One of those heroes was Peter Parquagh, the apprentice and assistant of one Sir Nicholas Fury. He eventually gets powers and becomes “the Spider.” The Spider-Verse sequel could have a blast with a Spider-Man in an Elizabethan ruff speaking in Shakespearean soliloquies. Someone call Sir Patrick Stewart to play this Spider-Man variant.

The Superior Spider-Man (Earth-616)

Marvel Comics

A few years ago, Peter Parker seemingly died. But one of his great foes, Dr. Otto Octavius, took over his body. The arrogant scientist decided to become a hero after experiencing the dying Peter’s memories, but he was still an insufferable jerk. To the world at large, he was still Peter Parker, now the CEO of Parker Industries. Otto just couldn’t understand why, with his genius, Peter Parker wasn’t rich. So, he very quickly made him rich. This arrogant jerk of a “superior” Spider-Man would certainly be a scene-stealer on screen.

Spider-Clan Spider-Man/”Manga Spider-Man” (Earth-2301)

Marvel Comics

In the early 2000s, Marvel experimented with manga versions of their iconic heroes. One of these was naturally a “manga Spider-Man.” This version of Peter Parker, hailing from Earth-2301, was a member of the ninja warriors known as the Spider Clan. He was trained in their ways by his Sensei, Ben Parker. He became the last member of the Spider Clan after Venom kills Ben under orders from the Kingpin. A Spider-Man variant with all the powers of regular Spidey and with ninja training? Sign us up.

Cosmic Spider-Man (Earth-91110)

Marvel Comics

Everyone always talks about how the X-Men’s Jean Grey got a huge cosmic power upgrade and became Phoenix. But did you know something similar happened to Peter Parker once too? Yes, in the late ’80s, Peter Parker bonded with a potent mystical cosmic force known as the Uni-power, or the Enigma Force.  The “Captain Universe” power gave Peter immeasurable strength, energy manipulation abilities, transmutation, and molecular control. He even had near-omniscience. Cosmic Spidey was short-lived, but a version of a Cosmic Spider-Man who never lost these powers still resides on Earth-91110. We’d love to see this all-powerful Spider-Man variant in Across the Spider-Verse.

Six-Armed Spider-Man (Earth-92100)

Marvel Comics

Okay, so this wasn’t originally an alternate Earth Spider-Man. This actually happened to our Peter Parker in the ’70s comics. Back in the day, Peter Parker grew an additional four arms, after injecting a chemical he hoped would take away his powers. In the regular 616 universe, his six-armed Spider-Man status is reversed, thanks to Dr. Curt Connors and the DNA of Morbius the Living Vampire. On Earth-92100 however, this reversal never happens. And Spider-Man retains eight limbs. We’d love to see this ridiculous-looking Spidey pop up at least once in Across the Spider-Verse.

The Scarlet Spider, Earth 616 (Confirmed)

Marvel Comics

A toy release confirmed this Spider-Man variant for Across the Spider-Verse. Ben Reilly is as evocative of a certain period of ’90s comics as electric Superman and armored Batman. The highly controversial (but highly selling) “Clone Saga,” introduces Ben as the long-lost clone of Peter Parker. He had all of Peter’s memories, but forged a new life for himself under a new identity. Ben (naming himself after his beloved uncle) eventually became a superhero himself, known as the Scarlet Spider.

He even took over as Spider-Man for a while, letting Peter and Mary Jane lead a civilian life. Once the Clone Saga ran its course, Ben died. But of course, he eventually returned. He’s since become beloved by those who grew up with ’90s comics. The blond Peter Parker from Into the Spider-Verse was a nod to Ben Reilly. But we think Spider-Verse 2 may give us the proper Ben Reilly at last on screen. And recent early action figures released seem to confirm this Spider-Man variant will indeed appear in Across the Spider-Verse.

Originally published on June 10, 2021.

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Stop reading now if you haven’t watched Spider-Man: No Way Home yet!

Spider-Man: No Way Home is a great Peter Parker story. In fact, it offers up more than one Peter, something many fans have been dreaming of for years. That collision of Spider-Mans is great, but there’s also another big question: Where’s Miles Morales? The Ultimate Spider-Man has been a fan favorite since his debut in 2011. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse made him nothing short of a global phenomenon. So how does he fit into No Way Home? We’re here to answer your burning questions and bring you a little hope this holiday cinema season.

Is Miles Morales in Spider-Man: No Way Home?

Sadly, no. While many fans thought this seemed like a smart way to introduce Miles Morales, the film stuck to the core Peter Parker Spider-Mans. It does seem like a slightly questionable choice. But it did allow Sony to wrap up their stories and connect the Peters together in a way that Spider-fans have always wanted. We did get a small nod when Electro (Jamie Foxx) revealed he always thought his universe’s Spider-Man was Black. He’s sad it’s not the case but as he suggests, “There’s gotta be a Black Spider-Man out there somewhere.” And we agree. The good news is that if we look at the comics, the end of No Way Home actually sets up the arrival of Miles Morales nicely.

How Does No Way Home‘s Ending Hint That Miles Could Be Coming?

Aside from that Electro nod to Miles—which is the second time he’s been referenced, the other was in Homecoming—Peter’s fate actually hints at the arrival of Miles. The movie ends with the world forgetting Peter Parker completely. While that’s happened in the comics during One More Day, Brand New Day, and One Moment in Time, we think the MCU will use it differently. Now that Peter Parker essentially doesn’t exist, it would be easy to replicate the story that introduced Miles Morales into the Marvel Universe: Death of Spider-Man, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, and the eventual return of Peter Parker.

What Happened in the Death of Spider-Man?

Spoiler alert: Peter Parker dies. In the huge crossover event from Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, Leinil Francis Yu, Mark Bagley, David Lafuente, Sara Pichelli, and Chris Samnee, fans lived through a true tragedy. Peter died while fighting the Green Goblin and the Sinister Six. After being shot with a bullet meant for Cap, Spidey violently attacks Green Goblin with a truck and it explodes. It kills Peter alongside Norman Osborn. In an interesting inversion of No Way Home, Peter saves Aunt May, who asks him “What have you done?” The new Spider-Man movie reverses both of these actions, giving Peter a more tragic and redemptive arc. And, of course, in the film he survives. But we’ll get to that later. The brutal reality of Peter’s death was explored in the Ultimate Fallout comics which also introduced Miles Morales in issue #4.

So What Happened to Miles After Peter Died?

In Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, Miles gets his powers after his uncle Aaron—who we’ve already met in the MCU, played by Donald Glover in Spider-Man: Homecoming—broke into Oscorp and a spider snuck into his bag that later bit Miles. While the Oscorp part is unlikely after No Way Home, we’re sure it will be Donald Glover’s Aaron who ends up having a hand in Miles getting his super powers. We also learn Miles actually saw Peter die in the fight with the Green Goblin in the comics. It gives him the tragic push he needs to embrace his superpowers and take on the mantle of Spider-Man. With the help of Aunt May and many figures from Peter’s life, Miles becomes the hero the Marvel Universe always needed. But what does any of this have to do with No Way Home? Well, that all comes down to what happened next…

So If MCU Peter’s Not Dead, How Does No Way Home Tie In?

Us comics fans have a saying: “no one really dies in comics.” Death of Spider-Man was no different. In fact, we learned Peter Parker was actually alive. His Spider-serum saved him and gave him a certain amount of immortality. The huge reveal led to Miles being the first person to realize Peter was still alive. This discovery led to a deep connection and mentorship between the two. It would later see Miles fight alongside the mainline Peter Parker in Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli’s Spider-Men series. With Peter now erased from existence, the MCU has set up a brilliant way to introduce Miles and have Peter mentor him without ever having to kill the latter and bring him back to life.

While Spider-Man still exists in the MCU, Peter Parker is a non-entity. This means that Spider-Man can be a figurehead and inspiration, but no one can truly know him. And it also means that we won’t see him palling around with the Avengers anytime soon. This leaves a space for a new neighborhood Spider-Man, one who looks up to the mysterious webslinger. And if that kid, Miles, happens to have been bitten by a radioactive spider, we could see him go on a journey of discovery more traditional to the street level Spider-Man we know and love. But the big reason we think this really heralds Miles is because Peter still exists. He can reappear at an impactful time without having to be resurrected.

How Could Peter Meet Miles?

If Miles does get an MCU origin story, we see plenty of ways he could meet Peter, including simple comic book options. Peter could become a teacher and one of his students could be Miles. Their Spider-senses could lead them to each other in that scenario. There’s also the really cool route where Miles tracks down Spider-Man once he gets his powers. Or they could connect through Aunt May. While she may have died in this movie, Miles could have known her through F.E.A.S.T. Having him and Peter meet at her grave could be really fitting. But if any of these do happen, it’ll likely be a while after we meet Miles because it needs to have that massive impact that Peter’s return to the comics—and life—had on readers.

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Fans everywhere are gearing up for Spider-Man: No Way Home, which releases in theaters on December 17. For some, this means participating in the spoiler fray. Will Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire appear in No Way Home? Will Venom and Eddie (played by Tom Hardy) appear in the MCU’s Spider-Man movies? What about Morbius, the Living Vampire? Will we see any other characters from Marvel ‘verses we’ve already visited? Some Human Torches, perhaps?

These are all excellent questions, but if you spend too much time worrying about them, you will probably end up with a headache big enough to fill the MCU multiverse up five times over. So instead, we suggest you build your excitement up the good old-fashioned way. By watching all of the movies and TV shows that might impact Spider-Man: No Way Home. Emphasis on might. But this way, if some of these movies and their characters do end up affecting the MCU, you’ll be ready. And even if not, a great, headache-less time will be had by all.

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Movies (a.k.a. Spider-Man 1, 2, and 3)

Let’s face it, one of the Spider-Men people want to see back in the MCU the most is Tobey Maguire’s version of the web-slinger. Will Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man actually appear in the MCU? Well, Marvel would certainly like you to think that’s a possibility… while telling you absolutely not. But admit it, even though you’ve been following the rumors with bated breath, you haven’t actually watched the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies in a decade.

These movies are now bona fide classics. And they include Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, and James Franco as Harry Osborn. Additionally, they introduce two villains joining the MCU in Spider-Man: No Way Home: Doc Ock, played by Alfred Molina, and the Green Goblin, played by Willem Dafoe. Plus, we’ll be seeing Spider-Man 3‘s Sandman, played by Thomas Haden Church, on our screens again very soon. Though we don’t yet know if Marvel really plans to introduce an MCU version of the Sinister Six.

We also can’t forget Topher Grace’s iconic appearance as Eddie Brock. (Nor can we forget how this incarnation of Venom made Peter Parker shimmy down the streets of New York.) Though we love Tom Hardy’s Venom, we always say two Venoms are better than one.

So go ahead, blast Dashboard Confessional to get yourself in the mood. Then press play on your DVD menu to reacquaint yourself with these epic Spider-Man movies. These films currently stream on Hulu with a premium subscription.

The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2

After Tobey Maguire, the next most-rumored person to appear in No Way Home is Andrew Garfield. Andrew Garfield, of course, played Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. These Spider-Man movies also starred Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. These movies also featured an origin story for Spider-Man. And though they eventually gave way to the MCU’s version of the web-slinger, they are well worth a watch.

In these films, we see Peter Parker battling two other members of the Sinister Six who may come into play in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In fact, it has already been confirmed that Jamie Foxx will reprise his role as Electro in the MCU film. What remains to be seen is whether Rhys Ifans will return as the Lizard from The Amazing Spider-Man. We know Lizard is in No Way Home though. It certainly seems like an option, which means fans will want brush up on this set of films. The trailer for No Way Home even references an iconic moment from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Fans will miss Easter eggs like that without a rewatch. You can rent The Amazing Spider-Man films on Amazon Prime.

Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Given that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man literally appears in the end credits of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, we absolutely suggest you catch up with Eddie Brock and his symbiote partner (lover?) while you wait for No Way Home. After Venom 2‘s shocking reveal, we feel reasonably confident we will see more of this duo soon. Although in what capacity is hard to determine. Venom seemed like he wanted to take a chunk out of Peter when we last saw him. But Venom and Eddie are also more bonded than ever at present.

Would Venom betray his host in No Way Home? Maybe a Venom rewatch will hold the clues. Venom currently streams on Hulu with a premium subscription. Venom: Let There Be Carnage will be available on video-on-demand starting November 23.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

While we haven’t been given any sign that Miles Morales will appear in the MCU’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, watching Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a sure-fire way to get you in the Spider-Man mood. Especially when it comes to the Spider-Verse. Honestly, though we love the idea of a live-action Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has already done the concept to perfection.

This film perfectly captures how different ‘verses can come together to tell a meaningful story that tugs on the heartstrings. All the different Spideys we meet bring something unique to the table, and yet they all still feel very Spider-Man-y. Not to mention, the animation is top-notch, and the soundtrack is perfection. We hope the MCU takes all the right lessons away from this fantastic movie and applies them to its Spider-Man movies and beyond. We also hope that you have a great time watching it again. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse currently streams on Hulu with a premium subscription.

Daredevil

There has been a lot of chatter around Daredevil now that Netflix’s hold on its rights has officially expired. With the rights back in Marvel’s hands, the hero could join the ranks of the MCU. Fans have pointed out that Peter Parker could need an attorney after being branded a murderer at the end of Spider-Man: Homecoming. Some even pointed to a hairy arm in the No Way Home trailer, citing it as belonging to Matt Murdock (it wasn’t him though). Charlie Cox, who plays Matt Murdock in Daredevil, has also expressed interest in returning to the role.

While all of this remains only speculation, the Netflix Marvel show Daredevil is absolutely worth a watch or rewatch. If Daredevil does come into the MCU fold, we don’t know how much of the series will become canon. However, it does serve as a great introduction to the character. The Netflix Marvel shows are known for being darker and more violent than the MCU’s more family-friendly offerings. And this certainly gives a different edge to the characters portrayed in them. It would definitely shock and delight fans if Matt Murdock found his way into the MCU’s Spider-Man movies. Daredevil streams on Netflix.

Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four (2015)

Listen. These movies aren’t great. You know it. I know it. We all know it. But what they do contain are two prominent MCU actors, Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan. Evans, of course, played Steve Rogers’ Captain America across many MCU movies. And Jordan stunned as Erik Killmonger in Black Panther. Interestingly enough, both these actors also played the Human Torch. And if we’re interested, you can bet Kevin Feige has thought about the possibilities.

No Way Home is all about the MCU multiverse. Worlds are cracking. Villains are emerging from all kinds of verses and timelines. If you can potentially have three Spider-Men and two Green Goblins in No Way Home… Why not two Human Torches? Both Killmonger and Steve Rogers are ostensibly gone from the MCU. But fans would love to see them again. There probably isn’t a day that passes where someone doesn’t search Google asking, “Will Chris Evans return to the MCU.” And, on top of that, there has been a real excitement for an MCU Fantastic Four, so why not introduce the concept here.

With all the hype around Spider-Man: No Way Home, maybe we will see Chris Evans and Michael B. Jordan return to the MCU. Just not in the ways we expect. It could even merit a watch of these two movies. Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four (2015)stream on Disney+.

A Multiverse of Movies

As real-life machinations continue to make more and more MCU multiverse crossovers possible, the amount of movies on our to-watch pile grows. But if waiting until December feels like a chore, diving deep into the world of Spider-Man movies and beyond could feel like just the right move. And, hey, don’t forget the Tom Holland-version while you’re at it.

The post Which Non-MCU Movies and Shows Affect SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME? appeared first on Nerdist.

Last year, we were introduced to the amazing 3D sculptures of Turkish artist Hossein Diba. His realistic renderings of the characters from The Simpsons were both fascinating and creepy as all get out. Now, via Bored Panda, we’ve learned that Diba is turning this same skill to other animated favorites from across pop culture. You can check out some of our favorites down below:

We’re still waiting for a live-action version of Spider-Man Miles Morales in the MCU. Until that time comes, there’s Diba’s realistic looking Miles, as seen in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Another Spider-Verse character getting a realistic 3D interpretation is Miles’ mentor, Peter B. Parker. He oddly looks like a weird cross between Tobey Maguire and Tom Holland, which is only fitting.

The Amazing Spider-Gwen is next, and the webslinger looks a wee bit Saoirse Ronan if you ask us.

Hossein Diba

Disney’s Aladdin had a live-action adaptation recently. But these 3D sculpts of the original animated characters in a realistic fashion just feel right. Maybe in 25 years, technology will have advanced to remaking these Disney classics a third time, with 3D versions who look like their original animated counterparts.

It is Rick and Morty’s Pickle Rick, or is it Slimer from Ghostbusters? In any case, we’re pretty sure this is going to cause some nightmares.

From the world of Pixar, Diba has brought to life a realistic version of Woody from Toy Story. Luckily, he resisted making him look like Tom Hanks.

A much newer Pixar character is jazz musician Joe Gardner from Soul. Is it just us, or does he look like one of Eddie Murphy’s secondary characters he plays in makeup from Coming to America or The Nutty Professor?

Another classic ‘toon character who just looks downright weird in a realistic manner is the musclebound Popeye the Sailor Man. We think the live-action version played by Robin Williams in the movies is a lot less terrifying looking.

Finally, back to where it all started — The Simpsons. Only not the main Springfield characters, but realist versions of the real life celebrities who have appeared on the show. This is the pop culture snake eating its own tail, folks. Down below are Lady Gaga and Ricky Gervais in their Simpson-ized iterations.

For more of Hossein Diba’s amazing work, be sure to head on over to his Instagram, ArtStation, and YouTube channel.

Featured Image: Hossein Diba

The post Realistic 3D Sculpts of Cartoon Icons are Cool and Creepy appeared first on Nerdist.

There’s never a bad time to have a cheeseburger. But there are certain moments when that classic American meal really hits the spot. For instance, after watching a character onscreen devour one. Whether it’s the burger itself or the circumstances surrounding how they got it, seeing someone in a movie or TV show eat a cheeseburger always makes us crave one ourselves.

And in honor of National Hamburger Day, here are ten moments in pop culture that make us desperate to bite into one of our own.

Peter Parker Visits His Favorite Hamburger Joint

Sony

What would you do in an alternate dimension? Whatever your answer, it’s not as good as what Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse‘s Peter (B.) Parker did. He enjoyed his favorite burger from a place that closed years earlier in his own dimension. His reunion with a lost love (which he knows a lot about) makes us desperate to go to our own favorite burger spot immediately for fear that it too might close someday.

Tony Stark’s First Order of Business

Marvel

A harrowing experience can make us appreciate the small pleasures in life, things we took for granted because we always assumed they’d be there for us. For Tony Stark in Iron Man, that was an American cheeseburger. That was his first order of business after three months in captivity in Afghanistan. Even if we don’t get to see a lot of his burger, we can empathize with that longing for one after a difficult day or week. Burgers are perfect comfort food, and it’s the ideal way to wash a terrible taste out of your mouth.

How I Met Your Mother Searches for NYC’s Best Burger

CBS

Marshall’s quest to rediscover “the best burger in New York” led to one of the most relatable episodes of How I Met Your Mother. He spent years eating burgers trying to find the mysterious joint he stumbled upon after first moving to the city. But when the gang (and Regis Philbin) joined the hunt, they were continuously thwarted. With nearly all hope gone, they finally located the spot, and it was everything Marshall remembered. Watching the group bite into those mythic burgers makes us want to sit down with our friends to have one. We’d also like Regis Philbin to be there too.

The Double Burger on Layaway in Good Will Hunting

Miramax

This classic scene from Good Will Hunting is less about seeing someone eating a burger and more about relating to their desire to finally get one. Chuckie won’t give a frustrated, moneyless Morgan his “dooouble buuurger.” Instead, Chuckie puts it on his car’s dashboard while offering a layaway system. That only makes Morgan angrier, and we can relate. When you’re hungry, you’re hungry, and the closer you are to eating, the more anxious you get. What really makes us sympathize with Morgan is when his delayed meal is interrupted by Will starting a fight. Kid just wanted his double burger, and so do we after seeing him constantly denied that.

Jules Enjoys a Big Kahuna Burger in Pulp Fiction

Pulp Fiction has arguably the most famous hamburger-eating scene in history. (And also the most famous burger discussion in movie history, culminating with the naming of the “Royale with Cheese.”). Samuel L. Jackson’s up-close encounter with a tasty Big Kahuna Burger makes that cheeseburger seem like the best fast food item ever made. It looks good enough to die for. Or even to murder for. Are we sure Marsellus Wallace’s briefcase wasn’t just filled with more burgers?

Vicktor Destroys a Whopper in The Terminal

A burger is best when we’re absolutely starving. That combination of meat, cheese, and bread is everything we want when we’re ravished. Especially because they aren’t that expensive. That’s why Tom Hanks’ stranded airport prisoner Viktor Navorski started devouring them in The Terminal as soon as he got a couple quarters in his pocket. The way he enjoys each of his Burger King items reminds us of every desperate fast food meal we’ve ever had when we were broke or desperate to eat. This movie is basically the best commercial for a Whopper ever.

Parks and Rec‘s Burger Contest

NBC

Ron Swanson and Chris Traeger’s Burger Cook-Off on Parks and Recreation pitted a classic American-style beef burger with… whatever it was that Chris made. It’s hard to call this a contest; it was more of a pummeling. Everyone—Chris included—acknowledged that Ron’s no-frills entrant was vastly superior. Seeing everyone’s joy at eating Ron’s burger makes us want to host our own cook-off. All non-beef entries will be forbidden.

Harold and Kumar Finally Reach White Castle

There’s one thing every burger lover knows: Harold and Kumar’s dangerous journey to White Castle was all worth it. Their pyramid of sliders remains the envy of stoners and non-stoners alike, especially because we get to see them eat it during one of the greatest burger montages in movie history. Those guys really earned it, and a burger earned tastes extra sweet. But so does a free one. And since a repentant Neil Patrick Harris paid for theirs, they got the best of both worlds.

This Is the End Does a Carl’s Jr. Cleanse

Sony

This Is the End has the saddest burger-related moment in all of pop culture. James Franco announces the In-N-Out truck is on its way right before the Rapture takes place. All those lives lost…before they could have a double-double animal style. So sad. Fortunately, the movie also contains one of the best burger scenes ever. Seth Rogen breaks his gluten-free cleanse and demolishes a delicious-looking Carl’s Jr. burger with Jay Baruchel. They didn’t get into Heaven initially, but they got a taste of it here. And every time we watch them eat, we’re ready for a burger cleanse too.

Homer Simpson Orders 700 Krusty Burgers

Disney

There are lots of great burger moments from The Simpsons, but Homer’s massive Krusty Burger order after being stranded at sea following a disastrous Boy Scout trip is the one that really makes us hungry. He’s tired, desperate, and absolutely starving. No one has ever wanted a burger more, and that makes us want one too. Plus, we’ve always dreamed of running into our favorite joint and screaming an order of 700 burgers.

And after thinking about all these moments, we might actually have to do that. We’re really craving a burger right now.

Featured Image: Sony/Miramax/NBC

Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.

The post 10 Pop Culture Hamburger Moments That Give Us the Craving appeared first on Nerdist.

Although Marvel Comics fans had known about the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man for years, it was only due to the huge Oscar-winning success of the animated hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse last year that he was truly transformed into a character who was a household name. But one might say that you’re only bonafide iconic superhero once you get your own deluxe Hot Toys 1/6th scale action figure. And now, the 21st century’s newest webslinger has such a figure of his own, and it’s a true thing of beauty.

You can see several images of this new 1/6th scale Miles Morales Spidey Hot Toys figure down below:

Hot Toys / Marvel Comics

This newest Hot Toys deluxe figure features two newly developed face sculpts capturing Miles Morales’ iconic expressions from his first big screen adventure. Along with a finely crafted hair sculpture, a partially masked accessory attachable to the face sculpts, you get a masked head sculpt with multiple pairs of interchangeable eye pieces. His costume is a beautifully tailored red and black Spider-Man suit with web pattern, and there will be highly detailed outfits recreating Miles’ casual style and the graffiti painting style. He comes with 30 points of articulation, making him perfect for all of those acrobatic Spidey poses straight from the comics.

Hot Toys / Marvel Comics

This Spider-Man figure also comes with matching interchangeable hands, and an extremely wide variety of accessories. These include a spray can, a Spider-Man costume pack, assorted web accessories, a comic art inspired character backdrop with decorative stickers, and also a dynamic figure stand for aerial poses. So you can turn your living area into Miles Morales’ version of New York City, as he swings from building to building and puts a beat down on the bad guys.

Hot Toys / Marvel Comics

This deluxe figure would look amazing standing on any Spider-fan’s shelf, right next to his cohorts Peter B. Parker and the Amazing Spider-Gwen. Not sure if there is a Hot Toy for Peter Porker the Amazing Spider-Ham just yet, but there totally should be! Hopefully, fans will be able to display all the spider-folks from the film in time. Where do we sign for a Spider-Man Noir or Penny Parker figure?? Heck, we even want one of Lily Tomlin’s Aunt May!

Hot Toys / Marvel Comics

The Hot Toys official description of calls “Miles Morales the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man of his reality.” With both a Spider-Verse sequel and a spin-off coming in the next couple of years, this figure is the best way to show off your love for one of the best Marvel character creations of the past several decades.

Hot Toys / Marvel Comics

Ji Ho Lee and So Young Jang provided the Head Sculpt, and JC Hong painted and art directed this figure. The Miles Morales figure will soon be available for pre-order from Hot Toys, and should be arriving sometime in the second or third quarter of 2021. For more images of this amazing figure, be sure to head on over to this link.

Featured Image: Hot Toys / Marvel Comics

The post Hoy Toys’ SPIDER-VERSE Miles Morales Figure is Perfect appeared first on Nerdist.

How do you perfectly encapsulate an entire decade of cinema? The short answer: we don’t know. But we tried anyway. We varied members of Team Nerdist pooled our favorite films to hit theaters between the beginning of 2010 and the end of 2019, amounting in the below list of 66 memorable features. The collection ranges from blockbuster to indie, from hilarious to devastating, from gruesome horror to Paddington 2. The one commonality: we’re still thinking about (and rewatching) all of them. Peruse below, and let us know some of our your own faves from the past ten years!

Black Swan

Kendall Ashley on Black Swan: “Black Swan was such a brilliant blend of cerebral horror and a poignant look at the dark pit perfectionism can thrust you into. Seriously, the final moments of the movie where Natalie Portman talks about being perfect still give me chills. And nothing is creepier and more iconic than her transformation into the “Black Swan” at the end of the film.”

Drive

Kevin Kelly on Drive: “I had (unfortunately) dismissed Ryan Gosling as an actor who would make a series of movies like The Notebook before being relegated to Lifetime and Hallmark movies… until I saw Blue Valentine. That movie ripped me up in the wake of a bad breakup. When Drive was announced, I eagerly sought it out because: Cars! Los Angeles! Crime! But this movie is so much more. It’s both a love and a hate letter to the city it takes place in, a perfect crime drama with a mafia knife twist, and an absolutely killer soundtrack. Just go listen to ‘A Real Hero’ by College and Electric Youth and bear witness.”

MacGruber

Dan Casey on MacGruber: “MacGruber transcends its Saturday Night Live source material to show us who Will Forte’s mulleted, vest-clad, multi-hyphenate badass with a penchant for jury-rigging household objects really is. MacGruber isn’t a badass; he’s a complete dirtbag who is wildly out of his element, which puts himself and his team in constant jeopardy. From using his teammate as a human shield to putting celery in his butt to distract armed guards, MacGruber is anything but conventional, and his willingness to debase himself to get the job done will have you laughing so hard it hurts. The only movie with two sex scenes as genuinely bonkers as The Room, MacGruber is an absolute must-see.”

Warner Bros.

Cloud Atlas

Mica Arbeiter on Cloud Atlas: “In both the spiritual and literal definitions of the word, Cloud Atlas is transcendent. It bounds across time, space, and genre in the most wonderfully convoluted of fashions to deliver the most beautifully simple of messages: we are all in this together, for better or worse. Exploits in unchecked bombast add up to something imperfect, but truly spectacular, and perhaps the purest distillation of Wachowskism yet to be set to the big screen.”

Moonlight

Gretchen Smail on Moonlight: “A tender portrait of masculinity and family, Moonlight is a challenging and devastating film. It’s also a perfectly crafted one. From the gorgeous lighting, to the acting, to the film being split into three complementary acts, everything breaks apart and comes together in such a satisfying, moving way.”

The Conjuring

Eric Diaz on The Conjuring: “Early 2000s horror delivered tons of ‘torture porn’ and remakes, making me wonder if horror’s best days were over. Then in 2013, James Wan delivered one of the best haunted house movies ever with The Conjuring. Whenever this exquisitely crafted ghost story plays on TV while I’m flipping through channels, I always get sucked in and must watch ’til the harrowing end.”

Inside Out

Lauren Cupp on Inside Out: “Emotions are not just black and white, but a complicated ordeal for any person. Pixar teaches us that in Inside Out. It’s okay to be sad, angry, or happy. Inside Out validates that experience in a beautiful way. I won’t forget the moments between Joy and Sadness, and of course Bing Bong. Never forget Bing Bong.”

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Kyle Anderson on The Grand Budapest Hotel: “Wes Anderson’s movies have always felt like profanity-filled picture books; with The Grand Budapest Hotel, he reached his pinnacle. It feels like a Tintin adventure with its intrigue and daring escapes, but with Anderson’s trademark awkward humor along for the ride. It’s a gorgeous looking movie, but the real hero might be Alexandre Desplat’s jaunty score which perfectly encapsulates the fake-European flavor of the caper at hand. How Ralph Fiennes didn’t win an Oscar for Gustave H. is the real mystery.”

A24

Ex Machina

Matthew Hart on Ex Machina: “Ex Machina is one of the best science fiction films of the decade thanks to its portrayal of how artificial intelligence could manipulate people to do its bidding. The movie also features masterful performances from Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, and Domhnall Gleeson, as well as an unforgettable robot dance scene.”

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Andrea Towers on The Winter Soldier: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier didn’t feel like a typical superhero movie as much as it felt like a perfect action spy thriller. And a focus on the unlikely partnership between Cap and Black Widow (thanks for ten plus years of real friendship, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson) helped elevate the story for both characters. Pacing-wise, the movie does a perfect job of balancing espionage, action, and iconic superhero moments and emotionally, it’s the Marvel film that does the best job of making you care about its characters by putting their relationships front and center.”

Hidden Figures

Tai Gooden on Hidden Figures: “I knew that Hidden Figures would resonate deeply with me when I saw it with my then seven-year-old daughter. This powerful film about brilliant and innovative Black women NASA mathematicians was another powerful thread in the fabric of our history and undeniable impact on society. What I didn’t expect was the impact on my daughter, who wants to follow in her hero Katherine Johnson’s footsteps and become an aerospace engineer. We celebrated her legacy in our city of Hampton for NASA’s hundredth anniversary, bought her Barbie doll, and attended a special robotics camp. Hidden Figures gave her a snapshot of the trials we have overcome as a people, the many powerful names we may never know, and how we make seemingly impossible dreams tangible.”

Blockers

Riley Silverman on Blockers: “If every decade has a definitive teen sex comedy, this Kay Cannon film is the one for the 2010s. Combining an incredibly insightful message with a highly charismatic cast and smart, tightly written jokes, Blockers manages to be crude and woke at the same time, without wearing either on its sleeve. But it’s the perfectly executed handling of its unexpected lesbian subplot that really made this into a classic for me. Teenage me would’ve felt very seen by it in her day.”

A24

Green Room

Rosie Knight on Green Room: “Green Room is an unending anxiety attack of a movie and I mean that in the best possible way. When a young punk band ends up playing in a Nazi bar, the group quickly decides the best thing to do is let the patrons know exactly how they feel with a quick performance of ‘Nazi Punks F*** Off.’ Things quickly escalate from there, and when the crew sees something they shouldn’t, it becomes a fight for survival as they face off against Patrick Stewart’s Machiavellian fascist maniac. Directed by Jeremy Saulnier, Green Room is masterclass, terror, and killing Nazis.”

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Kelly Knox on The Force Awakens: “The movie that many Star Wars fans thought we would never see, Episode VII: The Force Awakens reunited audiences with Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Luke Skywalker, while simultaneously giving us new heroes (and perhaps a villain) to root for in a galaxy in turmoil. A new generation was introduced to Star Wars, who now had the chance to see a new entry in the franchise in the movie theater for the first time in their lives. And for many veteran fans like myself, The Force Awakens was the opportunity to share a new Star Wars movie in the theater with my own kid, a memory I will always hold dear.”

Margaret

Todd Gilchrist on Margaret: “Ostensibly the story of a young woman navigating her first steps into adulthood, Kenneth Longeran’s second film as a director offers an appropriately sprawling (not to mention devastating) response to dealing with incomprehensible trauma while continuing to live a semblance of a normal life—the jarring contrast Americans faced in the days, weeks, and years following 9/11. Mundane, melancholy and yet darkly funny, Margaret overcame a six-year delay to sort out legal issues related to its length to deliver a story that captures the feeling of a specific moment in time in an absolutely timeless way.”

Inception

Lee Travis on Inception: “Dreams hold endless opportunities. To think of the unexpected, unknown, to be free. Inception provides that freedom to director Christopher Nolan in creating a puzzling film that rewards rewatches and makes the viewer question their own reality. You’ve got to dream big to see what happens next.”

It Follows

Christy Admiraal on It Follows: “It’s difficult to describe It Follows—in which the monster is a figure or multiple figures dressed in white who shuffle behind you, stalking you until you’ve either passed them on to someone else through sex, STD-like, or get killed—without making it sound ludicrous. But it’s not. Instead, it’s harrowing, building a sense of creeping dread like no other horror film I’ve seen in the past ten years. Plus, it solidifies Maika Monroe’s scream queen status, and the Disasterpiece soundtrack is a perfect complement to David Robert Mitchell’s direction.

StudioCanal

Paddington 2

Meaghan Kirby on Paddington 2: “It was a great decade for one Peruvian-British bear. Paddington is great, but Paddington 2 is a masterpiece. While the entire star-studded cast is, as expected, fantastic, the true victor of the film is Hugh Grant, whose campy turn as the villainous Phoenix Buchanan belongs up there among his best roles. There’s a certain brightness to the film, in that even when the beloved bear is at his lowest, it still radiates positivity and light. Simply put, it’s difficult to watch Paddington 2 and not feel an inescapable joy. One can only hope, as we usher in the next decade, that we haven’t seen the last of the whimsical, magical world of Paddington Bear.”

First Reformed

Lindsey Romain on First Reformed: “I’ve thought about First Reformed every single day since I saw it last year. It’s almost impossible to shake. The film is centered on a priest played by Ethan Hawke, whose faith wavers as the threat of global warming and human extinction overwhelm his ideologies. Writer/director Paul Schrader offers both nihilism and glimmers of hope; the film forces us to reconcile our own loose grasp on the future of this planet. It’s not an easy or joyous watch, but it’s a riveting and deeply important one.”

Spotlight

Michael Walsh on Spotlight: “How do you tell a story about people who told one of the most important story? With quiet grace and deference. Spotlight’s deft handling of the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal and the people who reported it resulted in a beautiful and heartbreaking film about power and those who stand up to it.”

Booksmart

Erin Vail on Booksmart: “If I could go back in time and tell 14-year-old Erin, who was obsessed with Superbad at the time, that in 2019, a high school friendship/night-out comedy that centered on two badass, funny, awkward teen girls was coming out, 14-year-old Erin’s head would explode. Booksmart is the ultimate smart teen girl movie of my dreams, lovingly directed by Olivia Wilde and filled with hilarious performances by Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Billie Lourd, and Noah Galvin. From the moment Dever and Feldstein danced their way onto the screen, I immediately felt the urge to text my best friend of life about how perfectly the film captures this very specific type of female friendship that totally felt like ours. Booksmart is feminist, raunchy, sex positive, electric, poignant, wordy, and very, very much fun.”

Warner Bros

Mad Max: Fury Road

Rachel Heine on Fury Road: “Mad Max: Fury Road is an exhilarating, nonstop chase sequence that never takes its foot off the gas. It’s a vehicle for Furiosa, an unlikely leader and warrior that Max willingly hands the reigns to. It’s a technological marvel, with stunts and pyrotechnics that defy gravity and nature. It’s the story of a cog in the machine learning to go his own way. It’s still painfully relevant to see a few weak, cowardly men draining the life out of everything and everyone around them.”

T2 Trainspotting

Kevin Kelly on T2 Trainspotting: “Ironically, the success of Danny Boyle directing films like Shallow Grave and Trainspotting led to a rift between him and Ewan McGregor over The Beach, of all things, making a sequel to Trainspotting look like an impossibility. But fences were mended, wounds were healed, and T2 Trainspotting came to us in 2017 as an inexplicably fantastic followup. Loosely based on Irvine Welsh’s sequel novel Porno, T2 hands the storytelling baton from Mark Renton to Spud, with all of the major characters returning in a powerful look at what happens when you go back home. Let’s just pray that next they make another sequel focusing on Begbie, based on Welsh’s The Blade Artist.”

Lady Bird

Meaghan Kirby on Lady Bird: “There’s a reason Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, a coming-of-age film following a spirited teen during her final year of high school, is so beloved. Anchored by a spectacular Saoirse Ronan in “the titular role!” and Laurie Metcalf, who shines as her weary mom, the film is a remarkable tour de force of stand-out performances. Gerwig (who also wrote the film) beautifully captures the tornado of complicated emotions Lady Bird cycles through as she dreams big and stumbles to find herself. But best of all, the film has so much heart—a moving love letter to both Sacramento and the end of youth.”

Toy Story 3

Lee Travis on Toy Story 3: “Looking back, becoming an adult comes out of nowhere. The moment when the innocence of childhood evaporates is like a haze in one’s mind. By the end of Toy Story 3, Andy has chosen to part with his boyhood but keeps the love for his toys alive when he passes them to Bonnie. This one moment of unbound joy between these two characters lingers in my mind the most and leaves me wanting to run back to my parents’ attic and say hi to my friends once more.”

Marvel/Disney

Black Panther

Tai Gooden on Black Panther: “An overwhelming joy and awe came over me when I saw Wakanda for the first time. What a beautiful paradise to imagine in a world filled with strife! It was mind-blowing to see a movie with dark-skinned Black women who were all things—leaders, scientists, warriors, agents of change, counselors, and dreamers—in a life-affirming way. Black Panther is hella Black, action-packed, visually stunning, and challenges the notion that a Black-led film wouldn’t be appreciated around the world. Black Panther shifted the culture in a major way and I’m so thankful that this film exists.”

Never Let Me Go

Riley Silverman on Never Let Me Go: “‘Science Fiction’ and ‘tear-jerker’ don’t often go hand in hand the way they do in this 2010 adaptation. Perhaps it’s because the genre elements remain sparse, tucked into the shadows of the story, a haunting, quiet tale of a life spent awaiting inevitable loss and grief. As a result, Never Let Me Go is a slow burn that has lingered in the back of mind for the entirety of the decade, like a record left on that makes its presence known only with the occasional skip or fuzzy pop of static.”

The Invitation

Rachel Heine on The Invitation: “Nearly five years later and I’m still thinking about The Invitation. A masterclass in suspense, Karyn Kusama’s thriller explores grief, trauma, and recovery through the lens of a seemingly harmless dinner party in the hills of Los Angeles. Is “the invitation” just another scam praying on those who’ve lost their loved ones, or is something more sinister at play? Kusama keeps the story simmering, slowly, until you’re hoping for some cult-like catharsis of your own.”

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Lindsey Romain on Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again: “I had no expectations for this musical sequel when I stuck it on for a long plane ride. What a pleasant surprise. Pure, unadulterated joy from top to bottom. It’s one of those movies that picks you up and transports you to another world. A world of tanned legs and ABBA songs and crystal blue water. It’s a fairy tale, and a perfect respite from the horrible things we’ve collectively endured this decade.”

The Master

Todd Gilchrist on The Master: “As much a story of American self-determinism as the febrile, possibly futile clash between id and superego, The Master elicits mesmerizing, transformative performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix alike as (respectively) Dodd, a control-seeking, ‘hopelessly inquisitive man,’ and Freddie Quell, the unpredictable disciple whose desperate impulse to yield to his leader and friend is repeatedly—and fatally—undermined by animalistic impulse.”

Universal Pictures

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Kendall Ashley on Scott Pilgrim: “Scott Pilgrim was unlike anything I had ever seen before. From the visual gags to the brilliant ways video game and comic book style is brought seamlessly into the movie, this flick felt like something truly special and it will always be wonderfully weird (with a KILLER cast). Though I have to say it: Knives deserved better.”

Cinderella

Andrea Towers on Cinderella: “Fairy dust aside, is there any reason NOT to love Disney’s live action remake? With Lily James as the kindness filled Cinderella, Cate Blanchett as her vicious stepmother, and Richard Madden as the down-to-earth prince who just wants to find true love, the movie feels like a blanket that you can curl up with on the coldest days. The magic is really in Lily James, though. Her perfectly nuanced embodiment of Ella is the glue that holds the film together and what makes you believe fairy tales can be real.”

Midsommar

Christy Admiraal on Midsommar: “Midsommar was the first film that truly resonated with me this year, and after seeing it twice (first the theatrical cut, then the director’s), it became not just a decade favorite, but an all-time favorite. It’s best to go into Midsommar knowing nothing, except maybe that you’re about to dive into the world of folk horror, grad students are uniformly awful, and it’s probably best to ignore the bear.”

Skyfall

Meaghan Kirby on Skyfall: “While Casino Royale was certainly an exciting debut, Daniel Craig’s third outing as James Bond is his best (thus far). Featuring a compelling villain in Javier Bardem, Roger Deakins’ stunning cinematography, Adele’s titular track, and a stacked supporting cast, it captures the classic Bond aesthetic while planting the franchise firmly in the 21st century. But most of all, it’s a Bond film that is, in my opinion, truly about M. While not without its shortcomings, the film is a brilliant swan-song for Judi Dench, whose presence as M has loomed large for two eras—especially during the Craig era.”

Her

Andrea Towers on Her: “Spike Jonze’s love story between a lonely man and his automated Siri-like device pulls at every single emotion and leaves you breathless. From the muted color palette to the simple storyline, Jonze helps us observe the quiet, haunting relationship between Theodore and “Samantha”; Scarlett Johansson voicing the technological companion helps us understand how a movie about artificial intelligence can feel personal and real.”

Paramount Pictures

True Grit

Kevin Kelly on True Grit: “Charles Portis’ excellent novel True Grit was originally published in 1968, and just a year later it was adapted for the big screen and won John Wayne his only Oscar. So, it seemed like, ‘If it ain’t broke…’ However, the Coen Brothers thought it was broke, and they wanted to do a version that was more faithful to the novel. Thus, more than 40 years later, True Grit graced the screen again, with Jeff Bridges in the Rooster Cogburn role and a career-making performance from Hailee Steinfeld. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards, but won none. However, it’s a near perfect film and the gold standard for adaptations.”

Nightcrawler

Matthew Hart on Nightcrawler: “Nightcrawler is a twisted net-noir thriller that stands out from all the other ones produced during the decade because it pulls off a feat of storytelling magic that’s beyond rare: It makes us sympathize with a sociopath who has no regard for human life. That feat is possible thanks to writer-director Dan Gilroy’s masterful script, as well as Jake Gyllenhaal’s frighteningly believable performance.”

The Social Network

Christy Admiraal on The Social Network: “David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin took plenty of liberties in their spin on the birth of Facebook, but that’s all for the better. The combination of Fincher’s obsessively precise direction and Sorkin’s rapid-fire dialogue pouring out of Jesse Eisenberg’s and Andrew Garfield’s mouths is so seamless and satisfying, every bit as fun and absorbing to watch as any action movie.”

Annihilation

Lee Travis on Annihilation: “Nature can be cruel, horrifying, and incomprehensible at times, holding a sense of dread with creatures lurking in the unknown. Annihilation captures the cosmic horror of facing the physical embodiment of the unknown, as well as the unknown within ourselves. Who are we, really?”

What We Do in the Shadows

Michael Walsh on What We Do in the Shadows: “There aren’t many perfect movies in history. Even some of the unquestioned greatest films of all time have one performance, scene, or moment that doesn’t quite measure up to the rest. What We Do in the Shadows is a perfect movie. The premise, cast, jokes, direction—all of it is perfect. It isn’t just one of the best comedies of the 2010s, it’s one of the best comedies ever made.”

Summit Entertainment

John Wick

Kelly Knox on John Wick: “Gun-fu was back with a bang when John Wick took theaters by storm. The blood-splattering violence is both brutal and mesmerizing, with Wick moving with the confident grace of a dancer. While it’s certainly a flashy tale of satisfying vengeance, John Wick is also a story of love and grief with compelling world-building that creates an underworld with rules and its own warped sense of honor.”

Bridesmaids

Kendall Ashley on Bridesmaids: “The first time I saw Bridesmaids, my best friend and I spent the entire movie making comments about how similar our friendship was to Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph’s characters in the movie. It was the first time I really remember watching a movie and feeling like I saw myself on the big screen. Bridesmaids largely got female friendships right and highlighted women in a male-dominated genre while being a genuinely hilarious movie. Plus, it brought Wilson Phillips back to the mainstream, which is nothing short of a public service.”

Guardians of the Galaxy

Lauren Cupp on Guardians of the Galaxy: “Guardians of the Galaxy fully changed the definition of a superhero movie. Upbeat smartass Peter Quill and his team felt more familiar to me than any other hero I’d seen before. The idea that five ‘losers’ can band together, overcome cosmically impossible circumstances, and become a found family affected me in a way that few other films have. When a film ends in a dance-off to distract the destruction of an entire planet, it jump starts a whole new way of thinking about what a superhero movie should be.”

Personal Shopper

Mica Arbeiter on Personal Shopper: “Kristen Stewart anxiously texts a ghost, and along the way we’re invited into the most empathetic portrait of the loss of one’s self—to mourning, to age, to technology, to a world designed to suffocating queerness—that I’ve ever seen. Maybe my favorite movie of all time, Personal Shopper offers one of cinema’s all-time great lead performances and strikes more than a few resonant chords.”

Disney

Frozen

Riley Silverman on Frozen: “I never had my own Disney Princess growing up, and I was probably much too old for one when I finally found mine (technically my Disney Queen) while watching Frozen on an airplane months after it had become a worldwide phenomenon. It’s hard to find much to say about the movie that has become an institution of its own within Disney’s roster, but I keep coming back to it over and over due to the utter relatability of Elsa, and the way it jettisons Disney’s historical emphasis on romantic love in favor of the familial love between two sisters who desperately need each other.”

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Gretchen Smail on Beasts of the Southern Wild: “Beasts of the Southern Wild is a film no one really talks about now, but it’s a fantastically relevant film for the decade. It tells the story of a young plucky female protagonist (Quvenzhané Wallis) learning how to be king of a land devastated by environmental collapse. It weaves magical realism in with very real concerns about the climate crisis, and the result is a visually interesting and timely film. Also the music is just whimsical fun.”

Halloween

Lauren Cupp on Halloween: “In 2018, Jamie Lee Curtis kicked ass again as Laurie Strode in Halloween. The franchise is revived in this iteration, now with three generations fighting Michael Myers. My favorite scenes are with the whole family fighting back together; mom, daughter, granddaughter. Their relationship is complicated, messy, and wholly relatable (sans the whole Michael thing), but it’s what makes this such a great new horror classic.”

Inside Llewyn Davis

Kyle Anderson on Inside Llewyn Davis: “The first time I saw Inside Llewyn Davis, I really disliked it. It’s such a downer, and despite a breakout performance from Oscar Isaac and a soundtrack full of gorgeous old folk songs, it didn’t win me over. But then I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. Its cyclical tale of a man constantly shooting himself in the foot because his partner, his artistic foil, is gone. He’s half the man he used to be and constantly gets in his own way. The Coen Brothers once again have given us a tale of consistent woe and suffering, but it might be their most achingly moving, too.”

Attack the Block

Rosie Knight on Attack the Block: “Joe Cornish’s searingly good sci-fi comedy about an alien attack that hits a London council estate is nothing short of brilliant. Not only did it introduce the world to John Boyega but it crafted a truly exciting new take on the sub genre that manages to be thoughtful, sweet, scary, funny, as well as one of the most authentic “London” movies ever made.

20th Century Fox

Gone Girl

Erin Vail on Gone Girl: “Gone Girl is a cynical, thrilling portrayal of marriage, depression, suburban America, true crime, and family: a new American classic if I’ve ever seen one. Gone Girl encapsulates the desolation of the post-recession United States and the dissolution of a seemingly perfect marriage. I would argue Ben Affleck has never better as the skeezy, oblivious, frustrated, wrongfully accused husband Nick Dunne, a perfect target for Rosamund Pike’s sadistic Amazing Amy. With director David Fincher’s ice-cool color palette, the dark emptiness of a once great, but now down-on-its-luck small town in Missouri, the expert use of voiceover for Amy’s diary entries, Gone Girl is a borderline perfect movie.”

Under the Skin

Dan Casey on Under the Skin: “If the simple act of being alive in 2019 isn’t stressful enough, then may I recommend Jonathan Glazer’s supremely unsettling Under the Skin? Just watching this movie will make you feel at least 50% better about any real-world thing that’s stressing you out. Under the Skin recasts sexuality as something intimate and passionate and turns it into a weapon like we have rarely seen—something cold, contemplative, and eldritch—and does so without turning its main character (Scarlett Johansson) into a villain. Every quavering strain of composer Mica Levi’s score fills the viewer with existential dread as the being wanders through the surreal Scottish landscape, looking for its next partner. Under the Skin is a creepy, unnerving masterpiece of spartan sci-fi storytelling, and I can’t stop thinking about it—especially its haunting shot of a baby crying alone on a beach at night—six years later.”

Jackie

Erin Vail on Jackie: “Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in the days following JFK’s assassination not only demands audience attention and sympathy, it also does what many other biopic performances fail to do: to say something about their subjects and the time in which they lived. Jackie deals with themes of grief and loss, but gives us a better picture of the concept of public vs. private life, how Jackie was forced to adapt to life in the spotlight, and how she was also able to manipulate public image to her advantage to secure the legacy of JFK’s presidency. Jackie is heartbreaking, funny, emotional, warm, and distant all at the same time, with every changing emotion scored perfectly by Mica Levi. As with most things in life, Jackie deserves more: more horses, more soldiers, more crying, more cameras.”

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Matthew Hart on Birdman: “Birdman is one of those dark comedies that inspires every feeling from horror to hope as it glimpses the mind of a good man going mad. The film’s single-shot style also stands as a stroke of genius by director Alejandro Iñárritu, which helps to give the story an unprecedented sense of urgency and dizzying excitement.”

A24

Hereditary

Gretchen Smail on Hereditary: “The genius of Hereditary is how the claustrophobic cinematography reflects the storytelling. I’ve seen arguments that Hereditary is boring, and I think that really misses the point of the film’s slowly building dread. As Toni Collette’s Annie builds dioramas to distract her from her grief, unseen forces work to manipulate her family. Much of the movie is purposely filmed so it’s like the viewer is looking into a dollhouse, which further reinforces how Annie and her family are just puppets in someone else’s game. It’s all very intelligent and unsettling, and Toni Collette is of course fantastic in it.

The Avengers

Kelly Knox on The Avengers: “If I had to pick a single film that shaped a decade for moviegoers, The Avengers would be at the top of the list. Movies that were considered blockbusters before were nothing compared to the sheer spectacle of bringing together Marvel’s biggest superheroes for one unprecedented team-up. In fact, The Avengers would go on to set the precedent for event Marvel movies, in which the stakes were high and the superhero rosters got bigger and brighter with even more star power. The Avengers also showed that audiences loved humor and heart with their heroics, setting the stage for actual character development for our beloved superheroes as the decade went on.”

The Handmaiden

Mica Arbeiter on The Handmaiden: “Has there been a more thrilling execution of twists and turns in any other movie this decade? I wouldn’t bet on it. But it’s not just The Handmaiden‘s gasp-inducing reveals that make it worth the watch; it’s the powerful love story, the immaculate design, and the bottomless treasure trove of weird-as-hell set pieces.”

Beginners

Rachel Heine on Beginners: “Why are we the way that we are? Why do we love the way that we love? Told through dreamy flashbacks and vignettes, Mike Mills’ Beginners is about everything important: relationships, trauma, memory. Reconciling your perception of a person with their own reality. Christopher Plummer is heartbreakingly tender as Hal, a 75-year-old man who comes out to his son Oliver (Ewan McGregor) after his wife dies. This revelation inspires Oliver across time and space, delving into his childhood with his mother (Mary Page Keller ), the time he has left with his father, and how to fall and stay in love with Anna (Mélanie Laurent). Beginners is messy, and melancholy, and joyful. So honest that it feels like you too can do anything. It’s never to late to start.”

Lucasfilm/Disney

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Michael Walsh on The Last Jedi: “I became a Star Wars Fan with a capital F during the prequels era, but I think those movies are bad. I didn’t like The Force Awakens or Rogue One either. Somehow, I loved a franchise whose films I never liked. Then The Last Jedi knocked me on my ass. It was moving and beautiful. But most importantly it was original, in a way I didn’t think Star Wars even wanted to be anymore.”

Only Lovers Left Alive

Eric Diaz on Only Lovers Left Alive: “Jim Jarmusch”s 2014 vampire film Only Lovers Left Alive is one of the most rewatchable ‘hangout movies’ ever made. And it just happens to be about hanging out with pair of ancient vampire lovers played by Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton. They might be undead, but this movie’s immortal protagonists discuss all the things that make life worth living in its two-hour run time. You’ll never experience a more thoughtful and insightful movie about vampires living in Detroit.”

Parasite

Dan Casey on Parasite: “South Korean auteur Bong Joon Ho has created what may be has masterwork in Parasite, a pitch-black comedy about class struggle, wealth inequality, and single-minded ambition that morphs and contorts itself into something far more terrifying by the film’s end. Seeing the smoothness with which the impoverished Kim family hustles, scams, and ingratiates themselves into the lives of the wealthy Parks feels like watching a heist movie. But that roiling tension beneath the surface continues to bubble and fulminate until it explodes our preconceived notions of what is going to happen next. To spoil the big twists of Parasite should be a violation of the Geneva Convention because seeing this exquisitely crafted movie for yourself should be a human right.”

Phantom Thread

Rosie Knight on Phantom Thread: “Phantom Thread isn’t the movie you think it is, but to reveal its true surprise is to ruin its magic. Paul Thomas Anderson paints a sumptuous picture of an arrogant and insular man, Reynolds Woodcock, who controls every segment of his life, from the dresses he painstakingly crafts to the women he allows in. When he meets a young working class waitress, Alma, his life is turned upside down in every sense. With stunning performances from Daniel Day-Lewis as Woodcock, Lesley Manville as his long suffering sister, and Vicky Krieps as Alma, Phantom Thread is a truly beautiful and subversive period piece about love in all its forms.”

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Todd Gilchrist on Into the Spider-Verse: “Using wonderfully vivid, inventive techniques that pile style like an anarchic collage of comics luminaries, directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, along with producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, follow young Miles Morales, a hero whose story is simultaneously nothing and exactly like every Spider-Man origin you’ve ever seen, while a running voiceover joke—“Alright, let’s do this one last time”—commemorates the irreverent beginning of a bold vision not just for the future of heroes but for animation itself.”

Universal Pictures

Get Out

Tai Gooden on Get Out: “Get Out addresses real-life issues like the lack of concern for missing Black people, slavery, systemic racism, organ trafficking, and the general envy of Black culture, and wrapped it up in a truly unique premise. There are so many great tidbits that play into the story: Missy using a silver spoon that’s essentially a representation of the Armitage family’s privilege to literally control minds; the microaggressive comments that Chris feels forced to brush off to avoid conflict; the use of colors to represent division; and the missing colloquialisms between Black people that alert Chris to impending danger. The film subverts harmful tropes like the ‘White savior’ and opts for nods to horror classics like Rosemary’s Baby. Get Out balances humor and horror in a way that makes the viewer feel unsettled, anxious, and completely immersed in the story up until the very last second.”

Call Me by Your Name

Lindsey Romain on Call Me by Your Name: “‘Is it better to speak or die?’ That’s the central question at the heart of Luca Guadagnino’s sensual coming-of-age masterpiece Call Me By Your Name. It’s a film about first love and bisexuality and the sickening pains of curiosity. It’s also so lush you can practically step into it and live out your own memories of summer. Timothée Chalamet gives a stunning breakthrough performance as Elio Perlman, a 17-year-old boy infatuated with his father’s visiting American student Oliver (Armie Hammer). It sucks you in, enchants you, and stays with you forever.”

The Babadook

Kyle Anderson on The Babadook: “Horror shifts and metamorphoses all the time, bringing with it new things to fear and new archetypes to exploit. While the ’80s had slashers and their Final Girl foils, horror in the 2010s has been about mature women and their fears of motherhood. To wit, the best of the bunch, Jennifer Kent’s The Babadook, maybe the scariest movie of the past 20 years. It’s at once a simple tale of a single mom who resents her child and an examination of the dark heart inside each of us. Forever. You can’t get rid of the Babadook.”

Wonder Woman

Eric Diaz on Wonder Woman: “Wonder Woman waited a long time to finally receive her own film, but what Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot delivered in 2017 was well worth the wait. Wonder Woman is the perfect superhero origin movie, that honors the original comics at every turn, and is still a compelling action movie on its own terms. From the Amazons defending their home from invaders, to the wonderful chemistry of Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, to the truly stellar No Man’s Land sequence, Wonder Woman is insanely rewatchable. And it’s become my go-to ‘lazy Sunday movie’ of choice.”

The post Nerdist’s 66 Favorite Movies of the Decade appeared first on Nerdist.

Alright, let’s do this one last time. For the fifth straight year, Conan O’Brien is bringing his late night show to the pop culture event of the year, San Diego Comic-Con. That’s not the kind of thing just any old talk host can handle. Between the adoring fans, chaotic schedule, and the many celebrities in attendance, you need a super human effort to keep things running smoothly, all while being (somewhat) entertaining. Now we know how Conan manages to do it every year: he really is super human. Kinda.

He was bitten by a radioactive party clown at age 15, and while he could have used his superpowers to fight evil and protect the innocent, instead he decided to chitchat with actors for cheap laughs. His less-than-impressive origin story kicked off the start of this year’s “Conan Con,” when he he got his very own Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse-style animated intro. It proves that while anyone can wear the mask, it’s probably better if Conan is the only one with his hair.

Andy Richter as Kingpin is what the Italian chef kiss was invented for, but this entire short video is superb. While we are here, now and forever, for a self-deprecating Conan bit, we will also accept any and all Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse parody videos for the rest of eternity. We’re probably going to get them, too. The movie’s look and style stands out from anything else we’ve ever seen from both animated and superhero films, making it a perfect format for tributes and spoofs.

Though we’re sure not all of them will be as legitimately funny as this one. Sure, anyone can wear the mask, but unlike Conan Denise O’Brien, not everyone was bitten by a radioactive party clown and then chose to use his powers for dumb.

Featured Image: TBS

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After producing and co-writing last year’s incredible Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony is bringing back Phil Lord and Chris Miller to play in their own Marvel Comics sandbox in a much larger way. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the duo are leaving their longtime home of 20th Century Fox TV behind for a five year deal with Sony Pictures Television.

As part of this deal, they will oversee a slate of possible television series featuring characters from the Spider-Man side of the Marvel Universe, to which Sony controls the rights. These include Spidey himself, plus Venom, Morbius, Black Cat, and Silver Sable. Most excitingly, though, it also includes all the many characters that introduced to audiences in Spider-Verse.

The pair have a long history already with Sony; they produced several successful movies for the studio including Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, 21 and 22 Jump Street. These were all big hits both financially and critically, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won them their first Academy Award. This only shows how their removal from directing Solo did nothing to ding their armor. It maybe only served to show that they would rather walk away than compromise their vision for a project.

Having Lord and Miller involved with future Spidey-verse projects is the smartest move that Sony could make. The possibilities of characters getting the spotlight in their own Marvel Universe series, like Spider-Gwen and Peter Porker, is genius. And there are other Spider-Man villains and supporting characters that would be perfect for Lord & Miller’s style and sense of humor, like the Rhino and Hydro-Man. They could probably even make a series work for the Scarlet Spider, one of the more maligned Spider-Man characters. Although this deal extends beyond the world of Spider-Man, the idea of these two getting free reign in the world of Spidey should have everyone excited.

Images: Sony Animation

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In March, illustrator and comic book artist Jen Bartel helped commemorate the release of Captain Marvel, Marvel’s first female-driven solo superhero movie, by designing a version of Adidas’ AM4 sneaker in a colorway inspired by Carol Danvers’ red, gold and blue suit. For the release of Avengers: Endgame, Bartel announced plans Tuesday for a restock of the Captain Marvel shoe, but she also created another design, this time for the Avengers’ adversary Thanos. But this time her designs won’t be flying (okay, running) solo: Adidas is releasing six additional designs inspired by the heroes of the MCU for release on the film’s opening day.

Black Panther, Captain America, Iron Man, Nick Fury, Thor, and a different Captain Marvel design not by Bartel are part of Adidas’ “Heroes Among Us” collection. Though all of the shoes in the collection are designed for basketball, each character gets a different sneaker style first created for a different athlete: Black Panther’s beautiful black and purple adorns Damian Lillard’s Dame 5; the red, white, and blue of Captain America wraps snugly around your foot in John Wall’s N3XT L3V3L; the Captain Marvel colorway appears on Candace Parker’s Pro Vision shoe; Iron Man’s red and gold pairs vibrantly with James Harden’s Harden Vol. 3; a slick black and white colorway signifies Nick Fury on Tracy McGrady’s T-Mac 1; and a “cloud”-colored sole combines with red, gold and slate grey for Thor’s Marquee Boost.

Sneaker collecting has often run parallel with the curation of action figures, posters, and collectibles, but the popularity of partnerships like last December’s Into the Spider-Verse-Jordan I “Origin Story” colorway shows that there’s more overlap than either footwear designers or owners of the original IP might have previously known. That Jordan sold out in minutes, and subsequently, Bartel’s design for Captain Marvel similarly flew off shelves.

Bartel’s shoe for Thanos is not directly a part of that “Heroes Among Us” collection, and unlike the other designs, it was created for a running shoe, not basketball. But even if Thanos isn’t fit to be in the same multiverse as the word “hero,” Bartel’s shoe is truly something special; with the possible exception of the Thor Marquee Boost, it’s by far the most beautifully and subtly designed, featuring an ombre purple and orange upper and a heel accent featuring—you guessed it—the Infinity Stones.

The “Heroes Among Us” collection are now available on Adidas’ website. Bartel’s Thanos sneaker, as well as a restock of her Captain Marvel design, are available on Footlocker.com and in flagship stores in New York and Los Angeles.

Images: Adidas

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One of 2018’s best movie moments inspired an incredible fan-made cut of the new Star Wars trailer. The Rise of Skywalker teaser takes a leap of faith with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse‘s “What’s Up Danger.”

We would never suggest any movie would be better off without a John Williams’ score. We wish he would make a soundtrack for our every day lives. That doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate a Star Wars trailer set to a pop song though, like when someone edited a Solo trailer with the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” Now the newest film in the galaxy far, far away, which features Rey making an already iconic leap over a speeding ship, has been given an incredible special edit. Set to Blackway and Black Caviar’s “What’s up Danger,” this trailer for The Rise of Skywalker pays homage to another memorable jump. When Miles Morales finally took his leap of faith in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it was superhero magic.

We feel like we could fight a rancor after watching that.

This video comes from YouTube user Star Warship. We’re not exaggerating when we say it’s one of our favorite fan-cut trailers ever. Not only was Spider-Verse one of our favorite movies of 2018, it’s one of our favorite movies ever. No scene better captures why like Miles mustering up all of his courage and embracing his great power and great responsibility. Between his personal journey, the visuals, and the music, it’s an absolutely perfect movie moment.

Seeing Rey make a leap that requires courage, skill, and an acceptance of her powers made us think of Miles too, tough we never could have guessed how perfectly “What’s Up Danger” would also fit into the galaxy far, far away.

That’s no knock on John Williams, obviously. Now we want someone to edit a Spider-Verse trailer with the Star Wars theme.

Featured Image: Walt Disney/20th Century Fox

The post THE RISE OF SKYWALKER Teaser Set to SPIDER-VERSE’s ‘What’s Up Danger’ is Perfection appeared first on Nerdist.

Upon its initial release in December 2018, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was immediately hailed for its groundbreaking artistry and innovation, revolutionizing not just comic book characters but the way that they and their fantastical worlds are rendered on screen. But comics fans know that in terms of both style and storytelling, its filmmakers were standing on the shoulders of giants—in particular, Marvel luminaries Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, who in 1962 quite literally changed the landscape of superheroes forever with the creation of Spider-Man.

Among the expansive collection of bonus materials and special features created for Into the Spider-Verse is a tender and timely tribute to Ditko and Lee, clips from which were shown at a recent press day for the film’s release on digital and home video platforms. Both Lee and Ditko passed away last year, but during an introduction, director Peter Ramsey spoke briefly about the time they spent with Lee during the making of Spider-Verse. “It was just a very short time that we got to work with Stan,” Ramsey said. “He wonderful and he was everything you would want him to be – sweet, he was enthusiastic, genuine. He was in failing health, but he still had that Stan Lee ‘Excelsior’ sparkle.”

The footage includes an interview with Lee himself, who left it to the filmmakers to analyze and deconstruct their impact, instead offering his appreciation for the years of love he’s received from fans. “I think the thing I’m proudest of is the fact that people of all ages seem to love Spider-Man,” Lee says. “People come over to me and they’re so warm and friendly and all they want to do is talk about Spider-Man. If you spent your life working on something and you find out that the fans love what you have done and can’t wait to tell you how pleased they are and to thank you for what you’ve written and done for them, it’s an experience—I can’t even describe how wonderful that feels.”

But it feels crucial that the bonus materials emphasized the contributions of Steve Ditko, who is perhaps less well known to the public but who was directly responsible for the look and silhouette of the character who has become a pop culture icon. Executive producer Chris Miller explained what he loved about Ditko’s work, and how it influenced the filmmakers on Into the Spider-Verse. “It’s very graphic and the silhouettes are really strong and it’s very simple, clean storytelling,” Miller said.

“That was a real inspiration for this movie as far as anytime you have a complicated action sequence with a lot of characters that you want to make sure that the audience can follow what the goal is and the audience is supposed to care about, what the emotion is, we would sort of think, well, what would, Steve Ditko do?”

Added storyboard artist Denise Koyama, “Steve Ditko is an amazing artist. I admired his comic books when I was a kid and his knowledge of anatomy and just the beauty with which he put down the lines, I mean, as an artist, if I could possibly be able to bring even like a tiny bit of that into my storyboards, I would just be like on air.”

The featurette of course focuses on Ditko and Lee, but it also attempts to capture precisely what it is about their creation that continues to resonate not just as a character or mythology, but as a cultural force for inspiration and empowerment. Said producer and former Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairperson Amy Pascal, “The reason that Spider-Man matters to kids all over the world is that he’s not a rich guy. He’s not a god. He doesn’t have those kinds of powers. He just grew up in Queens, lives with his aunt, has a normal life and has all your problems.”

Phil Lord, who produced Into the Spider-Verse and co-wrote the script with Rodney Rothman, agreed. He said, “I mean, it was radical when the thing that’s out there in the world is this more standard superhero, that this is a guy who’s picked at random.”

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is available now on digital platforms and 4K and Blu-ray.

Images: Sony

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Spider-Man had a pivotal year in 2018. Miles Morales had his big screen debut as the  wallcrawler in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which took home the Oscar for best animated feature. Though focused on Miles, the movie was also a tribute and heartfelt love letter to Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man. Of course, this fact is bittersweet because 2018 saw the passing of both of Spider-Man’s creators, Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, neither of whom got to see this animated masterpiece up on the big screen.

In the below exclusive clip from the special features for the upcoming home release of Into the Spider-Verse called “New Generation,” you can see some of the folks behind the film talk about the importance that both men’s ultimate creation, the Amazing Spider-Man, had on them, the creation of Miles Morales, and the final film itself.

Of the creators featured in the clip, Brian Michael Bendis is maybe the most prolific writer attached to Spider-Man. He began writing Peter Parker’s adventures in 2000’s Ultimate Spider-Man comic, a series he wrote for nine years, and then he co-created and wrote Miles Morales, the second Spider-Man, for another eight years. In short, he knows a thing or two about both characters. So when Bendis talks about the profound influence Lee and Ditko’s original work had on his writing, you can see the direct line from high school student Peter Parker in 1962 to awkward fifteen-year-old Miles Morales in the modern day.

The new home video release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, out on March 19 (though it’s available digitally now), comes with this and other special features. This animated film has quickly become a modern classic. We think it’s safe to say both Stan and Steve would have been thrilled that Spidey took home the gold on Oscar night.

Images: Marvel / Sony Animation 

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse required hundreds of hours of work from thousands of artists and technicians—not just to tell the story of Miles Morales and his fellow Spider-People, but to translate the imagery and energy of comic book panels into fluid, dynamic animation.

Story artist Denise Koyama, a longtime fan of the character since the days of Steve Ditko, created tens of thousands of storyboards borrowing from classic comic framing, action and storytelling in order to create sequences that thrilled audiences and brilliantly brought the characters to life.

At a recent press day for the Feb. 26 digital and March 19 home video release of the Oscars’ Best Animated Feature winner, Nerdist sat down with Koyama for an honest, energetic conversation about the tremendous volume of work that she did in order to help Spider-Man look truly spectacular.

In addition to deconstructing the pipeline for creating (and recreating) shots for some of the film’s most exciting sequences, she talked about her own past and present influences as an artist, and reflected on the opportunity to turn her lifelong passion for comic books into one piece of this film’s revolutionary moviemaking process.

You mentioned that there were 1,750 versions of one sequence you worked on for the film. Is that the most versions of any scene?

Denise Koyama: I don’t know—probably not! There were so many different versions because this was different from our normal process. They could literally change the idea [on a whim]. And so you might be launched on something and you’re like, okay, I’m doing this. And then they’d send a note to change that, or start over and do this thing. So there was a lot of that kind of stuff going on, and lots of different versions.

I’m sure that there’s a certain acclimation process, but is there a point where you’re like, I’ve done this 1,744 times, I don’t want to do it one more!

DK: Well, they rotate us out just so that we don’t get tired and put us on different things. But as your job, I like to come up with different options. So for me, it was like, okay, we’ll try a different option, and it was a lot of fun. I mean, sometimes it’s really hard because you love something and it’s hard to see some of your babies die, but it’s all for the greater good.

Talk about your relationship with the other departments and how you work together.

DK: This is hilarious. I work from home, on a farm, so it’s completely opposite—I feel like somehow I live in two different universes. One is the goat lady of Riverside, and the other one is a story artist in Culver City working with the most amazing artists in the world. And there was a lot of collaboration between Justin [Thompson], who is a production designer, and the division where they’re modeling the buildings and stuff. So most of the time I could figure stuff out in 3D, but for Spider-Man, you have to be very, very accurate in some things.

So they’ll do a whole thing and I’ll say, “I want the camera to do this,” and they could actually go into my program and set up the camera, lens, etcetera, and then they’ll shoot the thing without characters—just the environment. And then I’ll take a couple of still frames from there and then put that into my storyboard to give it a little bit more flavor of 3D. Because sometimes with all this stuff going on, it’s very hard to see how the camera will move when people are fighting upside down and sideways and stuff is moving around.

Which department produced the most revisions for you? In the production pipeline, is it the story that’s constantly changing, or the animation style or technique, or the directing, for example?

DK: It’s always the story idea. The experimentation on this was insane, and so it was constantly changing. So you could be working on something and then we’re starting on something else. Usually you have this timeframe, present [your work], and go to editorial. Here, you have two days to do hundreds of drawings, and I don’t know if you saw the outline, but a lot of it is just, “He goes in and saves the Spideys.” That’s it. There’s only a general location, but sometimes we don’t even have visuals for the places that we’re supposed to do. And so you have to make that up and have like an hour to figure this out before I actually have to actually draw this. So it was a little bit of a challenge. But it was fun.

How much did referencing the visual language of comic books affect what angles and framing to use, in the storyboard stage?

DK: What we would do is several different passes: a straight pass where we do traditional storyboarding and then go, where can we make this more like a cartoon? We’d [put] the paneling in or the action words and stuff and then I would try different things and say, does this work? Does the timing of this work? Is the impact of this better or worse? So we’d go through an experiment and do stuff and then the directors might go, well, that works for the scene, but maybe change it up here or do this here, or maybe it doesn’t work. So there’s a lot of collaboration going on.

As a big fan of Spider-Man comics, was there a certain action or silhouette or framing that you hoped to sneak into the film?

DK: I just wanted Spider-Man to be fluid throughout the whole thing. The way that Steve Ditko drew him is very fluid. He did a very classical style of Spider-Man, but there’s some beautiful movement throughout the whole form, and Cheyenne contemporized that and made it very fluid and simplified. And so trying to keep that feeling of it, the spirit of it and keep true to that, that was my goal.

Was Ditko the artist that was most inspiring to you during this process?

DK: Because I grew up looking at his work, for me that’s Spider-Man. That’s my childhood, my heart. This is my love for Spider-Man. It’s such a crazy thing to be in your room reading a comic book, and then fast forward to be working on a Spider-Man movie. Like, brain broken—it’s a dream come true!

What was one choice, be it an angle or movement, that made it into the movie that you’re especially proud of, even if nobody else will notice it?

DK: Just being a part of it for me was everything. As a storyboard artist, after you finish it, it’s kind of like you don’t care how the outcome is and how they decide to change it around. But just being part of that whole collider thing with Doc Ock and Spider-Man fighting, that for me was like, yes, I can die happy now!

Images: Sony

The post INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Story Artist on Creating Thousands of Versions of a Single Scene appeared first on Nerdist.

A thrilling kaleidoscope of unique images and groundbreaking techniques, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is unlike virtually any animated movie ever made, and certainly unlike ones based on comic book characters. Part of the reason for that was the filmmakers’ unflagging devotion to making a film that paid real tribute to the comics and artists that inspired their story of Miles Morales and his alternate-universe Spider-friends. But from an animation standpoint, what drove their collective vision was a deceptively simple ethos that elevated and transformed their work into a true game-changer for the entire medium: “If it ain’t broke, then break it.”

The success of the end result is evident, even without listing the dozens of awards that the film won–including Best Animated Feature at the 91^st Academy Awards. But at a recent press day for the release of Into the Spider-Verse onto digital platforms (available now) and home video (March 19), animation supervisor Josh Beveridge and VFX supervisor Danny Dimian offered Nerdist a closer look at the process of creating this triumphantly transgressive animated work.

How challenging was it to design characters that would be graphic and formidable on screen but also be dynamic in terms of their movement?

Josh Beveridge: Animation alone gives you the freedom to do that more, but to animate on twos [to hold a drawing for two frames] was another weapon to make that possible because it just freed us up from having to make it more realistic. I think that’s one of the things they always wrestled with in the live action films is how can we get as iconic as possible but still physically real. We abandoned wanting to do that. But we cinematically tried to make it look like panels of comic books as much as possible, and the movie takes a lot of tone shifts and you’re dialing up that from time to time so we put frames in frames and had them move like comic books.

How much direct inspiration did you derive from specific comic books on an individual level and as a production to look like or evoke artists like Bill Sienkiewicz or Steve Ditko?

Beveridge: It was definitely the zeitgeist of just the comic book itself. That Bill Sienkiewicz influence was a little bit more obvious with Kingpin, but we would look at the details of comic books moreso than specific artists. But we did love the shape language and drawing styles of certain ones, and in animation that’s more important because we’re shaping the character or posing them, so we need to come up with rules for that. But every time there was a question and we didn’t know what to do, the comic book is where you would look; that was the throughline for everything.

You described this process as “if it’s not broken, then break it.” But how do you figure out a manageable way through that that feels cohesive and also transgressive?

Danny Dimian: It’s an interesting question because some of the things that we adjusted were actually based on feedback from screenings. But originally we were not encumbered by that. We don’t want to second guess ourselves. We work with a lot of talented artists, all of us know animation. We live and breathe it so we have a sense of what is special. That’s not necessarily the same as what people are going to appreciate or get. And I talked a little bit about making sure we don’t overstep that and have design take over so that you’re no longer engaged with the characters. So some of it is just trying it and seeing if there’s an emotional resonance to it. But you try, you watch, you react, and then repeat.

“Cheating” solutions was also a big part of the process. Are those techniques you learned from other films? Or was this all new “cheating?”

Dimian: The cheating and the breaking was definitely new, and it was a cultural shift. That’s why we had to keep saying to artists, if it ain’t broke, break it, to just give them that freedom and to make them feel supported in that. But having done so many CG features here, we have a really robust pipeline. We have great tools, we have an incredible backbone, and we don’t really have even a house style. We’ve done so many different looking movies. All of that was the scaffolding. All of that was the support for where we were going to launch from. And I don’t think we could have pulled this off without all of that experience, all those tools, all that support as a place to start from.

Was there a moment when you had to maintain rules just for the sake of cohesion, or an emotional throughline?

Dimian: We never knew where that was until we went too far. Facial animation and how much we stylized characters and their facial performance–if we added too much line hatching, the dots were too big, or the lines were too bold, it started competing with the emotional content of that animation. So that’s an interesting sweet spot that is difficult to actually pipeline. But we were able to make a lot of this movie way more efficient at the end than the beginning–facial performance, facial animation, emotional content, that’s the hand of an artist. It’s really hard to automate that when it’s the artist themselves who is actually doing that. It’s the actor.

Beveridge: I deliberately didn’t want that. I think it’s part of the amazing charm of the movie; every artist has their own style, and this world is so accepting of all of those. So long as it’s not distracting and it’s in the wheelhouse of the rest of them, then that’s good. And once we had too many rules, it would end up looking like Miles had a new superpower where every time his arm moved, little trails came off of it, so we never did the same types of trails. We’d always change it. And that’s actually what makes it more invisible, to never do the same thing two times in a row. There were boundaries where we’re seeing it too much or we’re missing something and it needs something special there to solve that. But every single animator got to choose when, where, and how much to do it. And I would just help with the boundaries of that.

Whether you have any idea what a sequel to this could be, do you have a foundation to build upon, or would this process start all over again from scratch?

Beveridge: I haven’t been involved in these kinds of questions yet, but no matter what, it’s going to be a different problem to solve. Because we had a blank canvas that we didn’t know the personalities of these characters and we didn’t know our tastes and style, and now the team’s solidified. Now the world knows those two things, and we have to be true to that.

Dimian: We definitely have a better, newer foundation to start from. But I don’t think Chris and Phil like repeating themselves. But this is the first movie that we tried to tell a story with all the things that we’ve come up with, and I think we really only understood that at the end of the movie. So that’s a starting point. But I think there’s so much more you can do with this. Every world of the other characters is also very different. What I personally hope, and this is maybe the fan in me of animation, is that this blows the doors open to much more. And by that I don’t just mean the look, I mean content. This is just an incredibly free creative technique. It’s not a genre. So pick any type of story and there’s a way you can tell it with animation.

Do you feel emboldened to be able to take more chances to be more abstract, or do you feel like you’ve found the right balance between pushing those boundaries and still being able to tell a story that people can really invest in?

Dimian: Absolutely. I think we have learned so much, and again, in the spirit of the multiverse and in the spirit of the comics world that we’re trying to create a visual language for. But I just want that to be the beginning. I don’t want that to be the end. I want this to be one world. And hopefully we and other people make other completely different worlds.

Beveridge: I think the insatiability has been obvious. People want more of this. And time is a funny thing in animation. We’re working at a different speed than the rest of the world operates. So it’s easy for that logic hammer to come in and ask if people are going to understand how the dimensions work and the universes, and it turns out, yes, everyone’s seen stories about dimensions and the global consciousness of that is a non-thing. Every year, people get smarter. So we have to raise our bar for them.

Images: Sony

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There are plenty of reasons to watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse more than once: wall-to-wall Spider-action, its sweetly affecting story, that groundbreaking animation. But one of the bonus materials on the film’s digital and home video release offers an especially fun reason to take a closer look—likely multiple times—at its amazing artistry. There are hundreds of Easter eggs built into the narrative and visual fabric of Spider-Verse, and the filmmakers offer clues to fans on how to find them all.

At a recent press day for the film’s upcoming release on home video (March 19; it’s already available digitally), producer Chris Miller screened a clip from “The Spider-Verse Super-Fan Easter Egg Challenge,” where the filmmakers showcase some of the Easter eggs in a scene from their Oscar-winning masterpiece.

“We get a lot of people pointing out little Easter eggs they’ve seen and asking us how many are in the movie,” Miller said. “This is not going to show you all of the Easter eggs in the movie, because it would be like a three hour piece—there’s nested things deep inside things. But this is just a breakdown of what’s in one scene alone.”

via GIPHY

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the scene in question was one that takes place in the film’s version of Times Square, where there are dozens of billboards and background displays for the filmmakers to sneak in their jokes and references. “The idea that there’s only one universe seems pretty silly,” observed one of the film’s animators. “I think this movie is going to have to be revisited so many times. It’s so much to digest. There’s just subtle little changes in that universe, subtleties that we wanted to feather in.

“Here in Times Square, we had all kinds of opportunities to play with alt-world signage,” he continued. “If you look closely, you might even see a few references to some famous actors. Miles doesn’t live in the same universe we do. It’s like ours, but it’s different, so we had fun playing around with [questions like]: What would their version of Coca-Cola be?”

In the clip, Miller and his co-producer and the film’s co-screenwriter, Phil Lord, talked about some of the material from their own career that they snuck into the film. “Chris and I made a TV show when we were young whippersnappers called Clone High USA,” Lord said. “It started as an idea that Chris had called Clone College, and I guess this is a universe where [Chris] never met me and [he] went on to do this all by yourself.”

“Phil had the idea to set it in high school,” Miller explained, “because it would be more angsty and it was sort of like a teen drama.” (Lord admitted, “I ruined it.”) But thanks to some subtle signage in the background, their failure became Miles’ universe’s biggest hit. “In this alternate universe, Clone College is the biggest hit show of all time,” Miller said. “It got a billboard in Times Square!”

One of the film’s co-directors, Peter Ramsey, highlighted a few of the other understand changes that they implemented in Miles’ reality to differentiate it from our own. “Throughout the movie, all of the advertisements are a little bit off of what we know,” he said. “Google is in our movie, but it’s not called Google. It’s called BackRub, which was their original name. And you think, okay, this is New York City, but if you look at the letters really carefully instead of NYPD, they’re a little scrambled around [to say “PDNY”], that’s because it’s an alternate universe.”

Ramsey continued, “Some of the differences are big, and some are very small. The only real difference between a Chance the Rapper poster in our world is the number [on his hat]. In Miles’ universe, it seems like they have all the same celebrities but they do different things. Maybe Blake Griffin is actually a baseball player.”

Lord further indicated some of the sneaky and perhaps controversial changes they made to the identities, occupations and career choices of celebrities, and in some cases collaborators. “Blake Griffin plays for the Brooklyn Red Sox,” Lord revealed. “Steph Curry is a famous golfer. There’s lots of Easter eggs featuring people that we know and like and hope to know eventually.”

He continued, “Rodney pitched an idea to Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg for what their alternative universe poster would be, and they all signed off on it. And then he got an email the next day saying that they were getting cold feet about this idea and said, hold your horses, Rodney. And then he wrote back, ‘That’s exactly what it’s going to be.’”

No matter what dimension you’re in, I’ll be there making movies. Go check out Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was made by some of my wildly talented friends who I’m jealous of. pic.twitter.com/R6H837fCee

— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) December 12, 2018

“Seth Rogen as a jockey is a film that I would watch,” Miller added enthusiastically. “And I think people appreciate a movie that feels like a lot of effort was put in and it wasn’t just phoned in. And so when you can add these little tiny details that reward people for closer investigation, I think that the fans and audience is really respond well to that.”

That said, during a question-and-answer session afterward, Chris Miller said there was one series of Easter eggs that even the filmmakers may not be able to find in the film. “Obviously Stan Lee is in Stan’s Merch Shop, but he was the model that every animator wanted to use in any New York scene. So he often appears briefly in a number of shots throughout the movie,” he said.

“Almost anytime there’s a train going by, Stan’s in it. In the scene when Miles and Peter land on the sidewalk and he says, ‘Thanks, New York,’ the person walking over him is Stan on the phone, not noticing. And there were many, many others because every animator wanted so desperately to be the one to animate Stan.”

Even the film’s head of story admitted that he didn’t know exactly how many versions of Stan Lee appear in the finished film. But Into the Spider-Verse fans can start searching for them—and thousands of other Easter eggs—right now on digital platforms. The 4K Blu-ray is available on March 19.

Images: Sony, Kristi Rushiti

The post Even INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE’s Filmmakers Can’t Find All Its Easter Eggs appeared first on Nerdist.

Just two days after completing its triumphant awards-season run with a Best Animated Feature win at the 91^st Academy Awards, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse arrived on digital platforms with a couple of universes’ worth of bonus materials showcasing its many technical and artistic achievements.

But those who simply cannot get enough of its web-headed heroes have a brand new short film to look forward to: “Spider-Ham: Caught In A Ham,” which details the events leading up to Peter Porker’s involvement in Miles Morales’ superhero origin story.

Unlike the feature film directed by Bob Perschetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman, which not only breaks down the history and mythology of Spider-Man but the literal design of comic book characters who are translated from page to screen, “Caught In A Ham” is a marginally more straightforward affair, at least stylistically. Taking inspiration from classic Looney Tunes cartoons like “Duck Amuck,” director Miguel Jiron shuffles the animated hero through a thoroughly 2D adventure where he faces off against Dr. Crawdaddy before encountering a persistent and mischievous portal that sucks him into Miles Morales’ universe.

At a press day last week for the home video release of Spider-Verse, Jiron explained the positively, deliberately ridiculous origins of the character. “Many people who saw Spider-Verse thought we took this character from a great ‘Simpsons’ joke, Spider-Pig, which, fair enough,” he said. “But the truth is actually far weirder. Spider-Ham is 36 years old, he was created quite literally as a joke by writer Tom DeFalco, which was then born into reality with artist Mark Armstrong in 1983. Marvel tried something new in launching a talking funny animal comics line with Marvel Tails #1. To everyone’s surprise, he became popular enough to warrant his own comic book – Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham.”

“These comics are weird, and great,” Jiron continued. “Peter was actually a spider who got bit by a radioactive pig who then retained his own spider powers to fight crime. That’s all to say, it is totally okay for him to be eating hot dogs.”

In the short film, Peter is kept from his lunch by Crawdaddy, a crustacean adversary whose clutches he escapes, but not before helping him brainstorm a better name. But their battle proves to be a prelude to greater dangers after Spider-Ham first discovers the literal edges of his universe–a computer’s browser window where an unseen animator diligently pushes him around with the cursor–and then unwittingly gets nabbed by a handsy portal that pulls him into the world of Spider-Verse.

“We really wanted our short to connect to the main movie and sneakily make a backdoor prequel of sorts showing Ham’s last days before we see him in the movie,” Jiron said. “The plan was for our short to play in front of the movie in ‘Alternate Universe’ mode, which is a feature on the Blu-ray that features deleted scenes cut into the movie.”

The short offered Jiron, producer David Schulenburg and their filmmaking team multiple opportunities to further deconstruct not just the comic book origins of the character but the shifting narratives, mythologies and even realities of this character’s cartoon existence. “We thought it would be so much fun to see his last moments,” said Jiron. “So when he says, ‘I hope I haven’t missed the first 62 minutes [of another movie],’ he truly does arrive 62 minutes into Spider-Verse–trust me, we counted.” But in spite of its nonstop puns and barrage of metatextual jokes, Jiron indicated that they snuck in a few little details that underline character traits and actually give Spider-Ham’s superhero travails some emotional resonance, for Miles and for himself.

“It was an opportunity to show Ham’s hammer in action, and then show how important it is for him to make his eventual gifting of the hammer to Miles even more meaningful,” Jiron said. “We took great pains to make sure the portal looked as close as it does to [the] film as possible so there’s this wonderful kind of symmetry to all our Spider-Heroes. And of course, if he’s eating a hot dog at the end of Spider-Verse, it makes sense for us to establish this want in our short–creating a strong closure arc for Ham, especially when you see it in Alt-Universe mode.”

Into the Spider-Verse is available now on digital platforms in both its original theatrical and Alternate Universe modes. If you don’t have time to watch them together, “Caught In a Ham” is available as a bonus feature. The film will be released on Blu-ray March 19 and is coming back to theaters for a limited time this weekend.

The post “Caught In A Ham” Is The SPIDER-VERSE Prequel You Never Knew You Needed appeared first on Nerdist.

After what seems like more than a year’s worth of buildup—what with hosting shakeups, the implementation of new categories, the abandonment of those same categories, and countless attempts at making the broadcast more “watchable”—the 91st Academy Awards has come and gone.

We’ll leave you to decide for yourselves how the show turned out, and whether or not the right movies got their due (though you can probably guess which wins we’re happiest about). But for your convenience, here’s a quick list of the 2019 Oscar winners, presented in the order in which they were announced.

Regina King wins Best Supporting Actress for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk

We may enjoy the adorability of Captain America escorting an ecstatic Regina King to the mic, so long as we don’t let it overshadow the powerhouse performance she gave in one of the year’s very best films.

Vice wins Best Makeup and Hairstyling

This seemed like a good bet from minute one, since the movie’s campaign on the whole was founded on the physical transformation of star Christian Bale.

Free Solo wins Best Documentary Feature

Insert “Climb Every Mountain” joke here.

Black Panther wins Best Costume Design

Yes, it had some pretty steep competition here in the form of The Favourite, but of course Black won for costumes—one of its best lines was about sneakers!

Bohemian Rhapsody wins Best Film Editing

This would be one of a handful of Oscars Bohemian Rhapsody would go on to win this year.

Black Panther wins Best Production Design

The fact that we keep forgetting Wakanda isn’t a real place is a testament to how deserved this award is!

Roma wins Best Cinematography

Roma looks that great on Netflix, and even better on the big screen.

Bohemian Rhapsody wins both Best Sound Editing and Sound Mixing

Even most people who weren’t too keen on Bohemian Rhapsody give it credit for the sonic experience of transmitting Queen’s dynamite catalogue to cinema.

Roma wins Best Foreign Language Film

Truth be told, this may have been the strongest category of the evening, what with near-masterpieces like Shoplifters and Cold War represented. It’s not easy to choose a “best” among the bunch, but Roma is indeed a terrific picture on its own accord.

Mahershala Ali wins Best Supporting Actor for his role in Green Book

An Oscar and a great finale to his triumphant True Detective season all in one night? February 24 shall forever be known as Mahershala Day.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wins Best Animated Feature Film

The true best picture of the year? We’re not saying it isn’t…

Bao wins Best Animated Short

Well, yeah, it’s freakin’ adorable.

Skin wins Best Live Action Short

If Skin‘s Oscar victory is remembered for anything most of all, it might be its team’s emphatic acceptance speech.

Period. End of Sentence. wins Best Documentary Short

We, like many, have some docs to catch up on, and Period. End of Sentence. was just moved to the top of our list.

First Man wins Best Visual Effects

Damien Chazelle’s underseen Neil Armstrong non-biopic had a lot of strengths, and we’re glad it was recognized for its stunning portrait of life on the face of the Moon.

Green Book wins Best Original Screenplay

This seemed to be the moment when predictions of Green Book‘s Best Picture win multiplied dramatically.

BlacKkKlansman wins Best Adapted Screenplay

This ended up being the only award BlacKkKlansman took home last night,

Black Panther wins Best Original Score

Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s musical scores haven’t all been especially captivating, Black Panther‘s distinguished itself with more personality and creativity. But then again, you can say that for most any aspect of Black Panther.

“Shallow” from A Star Is Born wins Best Original Song

May the phrase “Ahhh-aaahhahaaaaaa-Ahhh-ahh-AH-AHHHHHHHH!” go down forever in movie history.

Rami Malek wins Best Actor for his role in Bohemian Rhapsody

Rami Malek has been a favorite for this win since the beginning of awards season, so not much of a surprise! On the other hand…

Olivia Coman wins Best Actress for her role in The Favourite

…this one was a bona fide surprise, given almost everyone’s anticipation of a Glenn Close win. Olivia Colman has been doing nonstop phenomenal comic work since the world first discovered her by way of Peep Show, and her Oscar for the dazzling and hilarious The Favourite is one we can’t help but applaud.

Alfonso Cuarón wins Best Director for Roma

Another for Roma! The top tier awards are always sure to incite arguments about should-have-wons, and Spike Lee’s name is bound to come up in a few of those conversations for this category. No matter what side of that line we land on, we do hope this victory inspires more people will check out Roma, on Netflix or (if you can!) on the big screen.

Green Book wins Best Picture

And that’s the big one for you—a win that’ll surely have ardent detractors and staunch defenders entrenched in conversation for some time now… or maybe we’ll all just agree to focus on the one win everyone’s happy about: Into the Spider-Verse. Again, we’re not saying it’s not the real best movie of the year…

Images: Sony, Disney, 20th Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros

The post And the 2019 Oscar Winners Are… appeared first on Nerdist.

We swear this is true: the Academy Awards are this Sunday night, February 24. No, seriously, the show is this weekend. How that’s possible, we have no idea. We aren’t sure who will win, and in many cases we can’t agree on who should win. What we do know is who we’re rooting for personally. In honor of some of our favorite films, performances, and achievements from the 2018 year in movies, here are the nominees the Nerdist staff hopes to see take home an Oscar.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for Best Animated Feature

“Anyone can wear the mask.” Those five simple words spoken by Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse have echoed in my head ever since the credits rolled. To say nothing of its breathtaking animation, pitch-perfect casting (John Mulaney as Spider-Ham is an all-timer), and its deep-cut Clone High Easter egg that makes me wish the multiverse were real, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse deserves to win an Oscar because of what it means to so many people, myself included.

Spider-Man has been my favorite superhero ever since I first cracked open my father’s old copy of Spectacular Spider-Man #1 in my childhood basement, because he has been so eminently relatable. Peter Parker made me feel like I could be a superhero. And now as Miles Morales—as well as a slew of other delightful Spider-People—have shown us, it doesn’t matter who wears the mask, as long as someone steps up to do what’s right when the going gets tough. Anyone can be your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if they put their mind to it, and that is more powerful than any radioactive arachnid.

-Dan Casey

Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) for Best Director

I know Alfonso Cuarón is considered a lock in this category, but I can’t silence that voice in the back of my head that wants this to be Spike’s year. After decades of snubs, now feels like the perfect moment for a director who’s used his career to shed light on and deconstruct the establishment of racism in this country. In a lot of ways, BlacKkKlansman is the anti-Green Book, a movie that’s drawn criticism for its rosy depiction of racial disparity.

BlacKkKlansman has its own controversies—mostly centered on its pro-police plot—but it also confronts the fallacy that we live in a post-racism society. Lee’s trademark humor and style are in every frame of the film, and rewarding him would send a message that the Academy is expanding its worldview. It would also be a nice way of course-correcting one of the most famous snubs of all time, when Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing was denied Best Picture and Director nominations.

-Lindsey Romain

“Shallow” from A Star Is Born for Best Original Song

I’ll be thrilled if Lady Gaga wins for Best Actress, but I won’t be disappointed if Glenn Close wins her first Oscar. I will also be happy if A Star Is Born wins Best Picture, but I think Roma deserves it more. But what will upset me is if Lady Gaga’s amazing, nuanced, powerful performance of “Shallow” doesn’t earn her the title of “Oscar-winner.” She was a revelation in the movie that owned 2018 more than any other film, and giving the gorgeous “Shallow” the Oscar for Best Song would be a way to honor both her and the movie.

Ally’s out-of-body experience on the side of the stage hearing her song being performed (a mini acting class unto itself), followed by her finding the courage to walk out on stage to perform it with Jackson in an intimate moment happening in front of tens of thousands of people, was a perfect moment. It’s everything I love about the movies, and it’s a scene that will always stay with me. A win in this category would celebrate all of that.

-Michael Walsh

Cold War for Best Foreign Language Film

Though the 2019 Oscar nominees are a super mixed bag, some of this year’s unifying threads are the pyrrhic battles you wage with those you love or pretend to. No nominated film from 2018 so starkly or tragically paints this emotional erosion as Paweł Pawlikowski’s Cold War. The black-and-white story follows two Polish musicians in post-war Europe whose romance begins with a betrayal and ends with a promise.

Despite spending years and countries apart, they never stop suffering the other’s gravitational pull until they finally decide to collapse into each other. With Pawlikowski’s patient, sometimes doleful eye, Cold War tallies the damages of its two lovers and tells an honest story about the brokenness that can stow away when you love someone.

-Matthew Grosinger

The Favourite for Best Picture

It might not be getting as much as attention as some of the flashier Best Picture frontrunners, but Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite is the kind of delicious black comedy that will wind up being super rewatchable in years to come. Yes, it is only very loosely based on historical events, but historical accuracy aside, this tale of devious palace schemers playing dirty tricks to get ahead had me snickering with delight at all the underhanded bitchery and shade-throwing. Olivia Coleman is flat out amazing as Queen Anne, but Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz also bring their conniving best. Nothing would make me happier than to see The Favourite become just that at the Oscars.

-Eric Diaz

Shoplifters for Best Foreign Language Film

With a story about the assembly and inevitable deterioration of an intergenerational found family of outcasts in the slums of Tokyo, it’s fairly amazing Shoplifters doesn’t leave you gutted and hopeless at the end of its two-hour run. Run through the ringer, sure, but not without a spirited appreciation for the people who come into, and sometimes out of, our lives. But Shoplifters is indeed something to be amazed by, not only for its surprisingly heartening emotional wallop, but also the cleverness, humor, and empathy with which its striking characters, and the strange little world they inhabit, are drawn.

-Mica Arbeiter

Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born) for Best Actress in a Leading Role

Lady Gaga’s performance is what makes A Star Is Born work, plain and simple. Her passion, her fierceness, and her ability to both shed her superstar persona to play the down-to-earth Ally, while also gently referencing her own personal journey to musical success, is the key to Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut. That’s not to mention her humor and chemistry with nearly every actor with whom she shares a scene. Gaga is equally deft at playing Ally’s strength and vulnerability, and A Star Is Born highlights the fact that Lady Gaga is a truly beautiful crier. It’s hard to call the performance a “star-making turn” when Lady Gaga already is a star, but her cinematic acting debut should be recognized for how electric and engaging Gaga can be when playing someone other than herself.

-Erin Vail

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs for Best Adapted Screenplay

Joel and Ethan Coen have made movies in all sorts of genres, and have set them in many different time periods, but they seem to be returning to the Western more and more frequently, and I love it. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is an atypical film from two of Hollywood’s most atypical writers, exploring existential themes of death, loneliness, betrayal, and triumph in vignettes that go from the wholly absurd to the brutally serious. Each gives us a glimpse at the Coens’ version of How the West Was Won, where anything can kill anyone, fortunes turn (usually for the worse) on a dime, and no one is safe. But, like, in a funny way.

-Kyle Anderson

Okay, NOW we’re ready for the Oscars.

Featured Image: Warner Bros., Sony, Fox, Netflixl

The post 8 Oscar Wins the Nerdist Staff Hopes to See appeared first on Nerdist.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was basically flawless: original, visually stunning, innovative, action-packed, touching, and funny. Plus it had an incredible score, which you will soon be able to bring home on vinyl, adorned with gorgeous artwork from the film. And we have your exclusive first look at it.

Composer Daniel Pemberton’s score for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was originally released on CD when the movie hit theaters last December, but will now be released by Sony on a special 2LP vinyl picture disc. The two records, which will feature almost 80 minutes of original music from over 40 tracks, will also come covered with beautiful art from the movie. That includes the already iconic shot of Miles upside down over the city.

On the second disc, we see a struggling Miles practicing his swinging during his first days as Spider-Man, right beside hus reluctant mentor Peter Parker.

There’s also a much more confident Miles making a massive leap on this next disc, from a scene in the final act of the film.

And finally, the entire gang of Spidey superheroes—Miles Morales, Peter Parker, Gwen Stacey a.k.a. Spider-Girl, Peni Parker, Spidey Noir, and Peter Porker, a.k.a Spider-Ham—trying to hide on the ceiling from Miles’ schoolmate.

Set for a March 29 release day, you can pre-order the two-disc set now for $18.98. If you’re a vinyl fan, or are looking for an interesting way to display some of the film’s beautiful artwork, it would be the perfect way to celebrate a perfect movie.

Images: Sony

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was basically flawless: original, visually stunning, innovative, action-packed, touching, and funny. Plus it had an incredible score, which you will soon be able to bring home on vinyl, adorned with gorgeous artwork from the film. And we have your exclusive first look at it.Composer Daniel Pemberton’s score for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was originally released on CD when the movie hit theaters last December, but will now be released by Sony on a special 2LP vinyl picture disc. The two records, which will feature almost 80 minutes of original music from over 40 tracks, will also come covered with beautiful art from the movie. That includes the already iconic shot of Miles upside down over the city.On the second disc, we see a struggling Miles practicing his swinging during his first days as Spider-Man, right beside hus reluctant mentor Peter Parker.There’s also a much more confident Miles making a massive leap on this next disc, from a scene in the final act of the film.And finally, the entire gang of Spidey superheroes—Miles Morales, Peter Parker, Gwen Stacey a.k.a. Spider-Girl, Peni Parker, Spidey Noir, and Peter Porker, a.k.a Spider-Ham—trying to hide on the ceiling from Miles’ schoolmate.Set for a March 29 release day, you can pre-order the two-disc set now for $18.98. If you’re a vinyl fan, or are looking for an interesting way to display some of the film’s beautiful artwork, it would be the perfect way to celebrate a perfect movie.

Images: Sony

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Surprising just about everyone, Sony’s animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse proved itself one of the very best comic book movies of 2018, if not the best. And that’s saying quite a lot in a year that gave us both Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War!

And now, with a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature under its belt, the folks at Bottleneck Gallery and Grey Matter Art are teaming up with artists Matt Ferguson and Florey to celebrate Miles Morales, Peter B. Parker, Gwen Stacy, and the rest of the multiverse’s finest Spider-people in a fabulous new poster, which has an incredible “second dimension” to it (so to speak.)

The Spider-Verse poster will remain on sale through Sunday, January 27 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Bottleneck Gallery will print as many of these posters as are sold, whereas a variant edition limited to 25o sold out quickly after hitting the market on Wednesday. Both posters are 24 x 36 inches, and you can check out the variant edition down below.

Making the posters extra special is the fact that they have a hidden layer—a parallel dimension if you will—as they glow in the dark. So when you shut off the lights, you’ll be able to see the moon hovering over New York City suddenly carrying Miles Morales’ signature spider symbol tag art.

Posters can now be purchased by heading over to Bottleneck Gallery and Grey Matter Art through January 27.

Images: Sony Animation / Bottleneck Gallery / Grey Matter Art

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It’s been a busy 24 hours for Ghostbusters news. We discovered that Ivan Reitman’s son Jason Reitman will be helming a new live action sequel to the original two, but that’s not all. The Entertainment Weekly article announcing that sequel also included a reveal that’s not being talked about as much, but is very interesting: “Sony is also developing an animated Ghostbusters film, but that will come out after this new live-action project, and a different team will be involved in creating it.”This got us thinking–after the massive success of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which just crossed the $300 million mark and was loved by both critics and fans, could the team they’re talking about for the Ghostbusters animated film be the same team who brought Miles Morales’ brilliant world to life? We know Sony was so happy with Into the Spider-Verse‘s reception that they’re attempting to patent the animated techniques that made the movie stand apart.The Ghostbusters franchise already has a history of classic animated adaptations, but a new story could be a chance to introduce a new generation of kids to the quirky adventures of the team. The exciting and original animation style of Into the Spider-Verse could be the perfect way to bring an array of amazing ghosts to life (they would look so cool) and possibly introduce a more diverse line-up of Ghostbusters. We’d love to see a Ghostbusters team headed by Janine and Slimer–it’s unlikely, but we can dream, right?

Images: Sony, ABC, Columbia

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Hopefully by now, you’ve seen Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (and if you haven’t, seriously, what are you waiting for?? It’s amazing!) I have personally seen it three times, and another theatrical viewing is not out of the question because it really is that good. Now, thanks to the folks at Collider (via CBR), we’ve learned that Spider-Verse fans can all rejoice, as there may be a bit more footage from the film coming to us soon.On of the film’s three directors, Bob Persichetti, revealed that about ten minutes of fully animated film wound up on the cutting room floor, which is doesn’t happen often for animated films, where rendering takes a lot of time and money. Persichetti said, “a rare thing for an animated film is that there’s animation on the cutting room floor. There’s about ten minutes of that from this movie, which is a really high number.” While he didn’t actually say those ten minutes will be on the actual forthcoming Blu-ray, given that time and money was spent on them, it would only make sense Sony would try to makes some money back on that investment.Of course, it’s also possible those scenes could be incorporated into a potential Spider-Verse sequel, several of which have already been announced, including one featuring Spider-Gwen and the Spider-Women. This could be similar to how unused footage of Carrie Fisher from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi is being repurposed for Episode IX. But we are pretty sure we are going to be seeing new and probably hilarious scenes of Miles Morales and his fellow Spider-people one way or another here pretty soon.

Images: Sony Animation

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Despite how expensive moviegoing can be these days, most of us can get together the cash to see the films we’re interested in at least once, and possibly even shell out the extra for IMAX or 3D. repeat viewings, however, like our parents used to do, aren’t quite as in-budget for everyone until the Blu-ray or VOD drops, which could take months. But if you want to revisit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse without all the extra expense, you can read the entire screenplay, any time, at your leisure, because it is all online. And this is no North Korean hack: Sony itself has done this, presumably in search of an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.[Pro-tip: if winning awards is the goal, the script will probably be taken offline some time in February. So don’t put it off if you’re wanting to take a peek.]Cowriter/director Rodney Rothman was the one who tipped us off:

Sony was kind enough to make our #Spiderverse script available online. Here it is if you’re interested. https://t.co/CO2EQCKdD3

— rodneyrothman (@rodneyrothman) December 29, 2018

The responses to his Tweet suggest that fans are going to start Sweding their own recreations of movie scenes, because that is what the Internet does. But that’s in keeping with the movie’s message, too: if anyone can be a Spider-Man-style hero and wear the mask, even a pig…then surely a literal sock puppet or puppy can as well. You just need that leap of faith.By the way, we already looked, and the post credits joke is in there, described by the action as: “And we go out in pure chaos, the most expensive dumb joke of all time…” Until they top it for the sequel, which we wouldn’t bet against.

Image: Sony

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More than any other American comic book character is Spider-Man a paragon of the idea that anyone can be a hero. And more than any other Spider-Man movie yet to hit theaters is Into the Spider-Verse an expression of that message. The film shows us Spideys of all shape and size, from the young and spirited Miles Morales to two divergent takes on Peter Parker to the take-no-prisoners Gwen Stacy, and so forth. And now, as if Peni Parker, Spidey Noir, and Spider-Ham hadn’t offered a wide enough variety of webslinger, we’ve got a revolution of Spideys from the ‘net, each representing the artists who created them.Spidersonas are taking over the web 🕷️ In keeping with the spirit of Into the Spider-Verse, dozens of viewers have created their own Spidersonas, showing off their fandom, personalities, and artistic talents all in one. Since the story of Spider-Man is all about finding oneself anew—or perhaps for the first time—in the wake of a newly discovered set of powers and super identity, it’s proved the perfect avenue for illustrators to channel their own personalities, working their own traits into their custom designs of the classic Spidey costume.The great variety of personal touches embedded into these designs is indication of just how powerful the “Anyone can be Spider-Man” message is. We implore you to channel your inner Spidey and hit the web with a costume of your own making—the world needs all of us to get to slingin’.

Images: Sony

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If you’ve seen Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse already (and if you haven’t, what are you waiting for, an interview with Chris Miller and Phil Lord?), then you know that the Peter Parker on Miles Morales’ Earth, voiced by none other than Chris Pine, has a much cushier life than most Spider-Mans. In fact, he’s a beloved celebrity with his own merch, including a Christmas album. Because much like our own real world, everyone on Miles Morales’ Earth gets to have a Christmas album too, apparently. You even get to hear Pine’s Spidey sing a jaunty Christmas tune called “Spidey Bells” during a few parts of the movie, but you never hear the whole thing in its entirety, and it sure left us wanting more.

Well folks, Santa Claus listened, and your Christmas wishes have been granted. Sony Pictures Animation has released the full version of “Spidey-Bells,” and it’s as hilarious and perfect as you would expect. Of course, those of us who have seen Chris Pine in Into the Woods already knew he could sing and be funny at the same time, but this is further confirmation of how amazing he really is. And they recorded more than one Christmas song for Into the Spider-Verse, so they released an entire EP of five songs. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – A Very Spidey Christmas includes:

• Joy to the World – Shameik Moore
• Spidey-Bells (A Hero’s Lament) – Chris Pine
• Deck the Halls – Jake Johnson
• Up on the House Top – Chris Pine
• The Night Before Christmas 1967 (Spoken Word) – Jorma Taccone

The classic holiday songs have a Spider-Man twist. You can buy the album through iTunes or wherever you stream music.

Images: Sony Music Masterworks

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If you brush aside Tom Holland turning into a pile of dust on Titan, Spider-Man is having a pretty amazing year. His new PS4 game was a huge hit, and this past week the innovative, game-changing Into the Spider-Verse swung into theaters.The film’s opening box office success might not even be as impressive as the acclaim that is being heaped upon it from both critics and audience-goers alike, and with good reason. The movie combine some of our favorite Spider-Mans and Spider-Womans in a touching, action-packed story that is entirely unique while also paying tribute to 50 years of the character, in all of his and hers many forms. To celebrate maybe the best Spider-Man movie ever, here are some of our favorite Easter eggs we caught in Into the Spider-Verse.[brightcove video_id=”5980672203001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=”rJs2ZD8x”]On today’s (spoiler-filled) Nerdist News, host Jessica Chobot weaves a web of the best nods, homages, cameos, and references scattered throughout the film. From surprise appearances voiced by some pretty big stars, to tributes to other Spider-Mans and even other TV shows, and remembrances of Spider-Man’s many creators over the years, the movie was jam-packed with wonderful references, some obvious and some very, very deep.Give us all the Spider-suits. Also, give us all the sequels. Immediately. In the meantime we’re gonna see Into the Spider-Verse again, and not just because we might have missed some Easter eggs. And also because we don’t want to keep thinking about poor tom Holland’s Peter being nothing but dust.What was your favorite Easter egg in the movie? Which ones did you originally miss? Tell us in the comments below which references you were most excited to see.

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In 1962, Marvel introduced a character who would define their catalog and mission statement for decades, Peter Parker. The nerdy teen who gets bitten by a radioactive spider was widely relatable and stood out from the super strong alpha males of the time, and it also helped that he had an instantly iconic suit. But over the years there’s been much made of the fact that there was another Spider Man (note that missing hyphen) almost a decade before the one Marvel introduced, which could’ve either intentionally or subconsciously been utilized in creating Peter Parker’s beloved super-suit.

Ben Cooper

Ben Cooper Costumes is well known for making many of the classic kids’ Halloween outfits that children in North America grow up with, and in 1954 they released a costume called Spider Man. It was a yellow jumpsuit with black legs and arms, and a similarly colored mask covered with thick black spiderwebs. When you see it, it’s clear how similar the two versions of Spider(-)Man are. The mystery deepens after Marvel trademarked Spider-Man in 1962 and Ben Cooper stopped making their version of the costume. Though they quickly began to make an official Marvel red and blue Spidey-costume based on, at the time, a virtually unknown character, it would soon become their biggest selling costume ever.

The history of Spider-Man’s creation is muddy as it is, since the comic book production process at the time was rushed and rarely documented. We know that Jack Kirby designed a version of the costume that bears some similarities to the finished suit, though all we definitively have is the finished costume by Steve Ditko, which appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15. Even Stan Lee’s version of the creation of Spider-Man changed over the years, with his original account including the inspiration he took from a pulp character known as The Spider.

Marvel Comics

The filmmakers behind Into the Spider-Verse would seem to know their comic book history, as Lee’s cameo also nods to his reputation as a man who sometimes struggled to show generosity to his collaborators and co-creators, with the icon pointing at sign which states “No Refunds or Returns” when Miles buys his suit. This is also likely a reference to the fact that comic books are notoriously non-refundable for comic shop owners who must purchase them directly from the distributor, which has long played a part in the instability of the market.

As Ben Cooper went bankrupt in 1991 and was bought out, and the creators of Spider-Man are now both dead, the true origin of Spider-Man’s costume shall remain another bit of comic book mythology which will have to live on through fan speculation and will likely never be solved one way or another. But it’s easy to see the massive similarities between the two costumes, and the fact that the Into the Spider-Verse decided to place Stan Lee in a costume shop will surely spark another round of conversation amongst those who’ve heard about the Ben Cooper duds.

Header Image: Sony 

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It’s been a funny ol’ year, 2018. Full of ups and downs in the world of reality, but also in the microcosm of entertainment, this year saw some truly excellent movies get released that ran the gamut in our range of emotions. We love movies, and had a hard time deciding on which were truly the best, but we managed to make a top 10, with five honorable mentions. We probably could have added several more to a list, because if you’re a fan of genre movies, 2018 was pretty boss.

Honorable Mentions

Game NightIt seems like the popularity of game nights, gatherings where you and your dear friends gather for an evening of board games, merriment, and doing your best to mercilessly defeat one another, have skyrocketed in popularly in recent years. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s Game Night is inspired by the social event, but the dark comedy takes the jovial occasion and fills it with twists, bloody turns, and betrayal. The humorous script about what happens when one game night goes seriously awry with a real-life mystery is lifted by sharp performances from the ensemble cast for a laugh out loud film that will keep you guessing. And second guessing. (Full review!)

-Amy Ratcliffe, Nerdist’s managing editor

OverlordThere aren’t many films like Overlord. An exploitation movie that isn’t exploitative, a horror thriller which equally terrifies and thrills, a war film which includes zombie Nazis but never loses sight of the real horror: war. Julius Avery’s weird and wonderful movie might not have landed the way the studio wanted, but it’s honestly one of the most exciting, strange, and technically impressive movies of the year. Jovan Adepo leads a stellar cast through a blistering action adventure that’s unlike any other, and without giving too much away it also has one of the most incredible openings of any film this year. You might not have checked out Overlord yet, but that should change…now. (Full review!)

-Rosie Knight, Nerdist staff writer

A Star is BornHollywood loves stories about itself. And what could be more Hollywood in 2018 than the story of a rising female star overtaking her mentor/romantic partner in terms of stardom and success? Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut is warm, atmospheric, and energetic, and Lady Gaga is, simply put, a supernova in this adaptation. Injecting freshness in the fourth version of the tale we’ve seen onscreen, the soundtrack is also exceptional, full of emotional ballads, catchy pop songs, and Bradley Cooper crooning country-pop. Co-written by both Gaga and Cooper, “Shallow” should all but ensure A Star is Born Oscar gold come February.

-Erin Vail, Nerdist producer

SuspiriaThere was a lot riding on Luca Guadagnino’s remake of the 1977 Dario Argento horror film, Suspiria. That technicolor nightmare is iconic in every sense, a true horror classic revered by genre fans and considered, by many, just about perfect. But Guadagnino took the wise approach, using Argento’s film as a basic blueprint for a ballsier story about rebellion, history, and the sins of the past. Set in German Autumn, the film tracks talented dancer Susie Bannion as she’s accepted into the prestigious Markos Dance Studio, which is run, we quickly learn, by a coven of witches who feed their young to a dark, underground institution. It’s an imperfect film, hindered at times by its male lead (played by Tilda Swinton), but one that lingers in your mind like a wicked desire long after the credits roll. (Full review!)

-Lindsey Romain, Nerdist staff writer

BlackKklansmanBlacKkKlansman, Spike Lee’s film about an African-American policeman who infiltrates the KKK in the 1970’s, is funny, poignant, and at times, gut wrenching. Addressing race, politics, gender, and class with a myriad of insightful and timely critiques, Lee weaves a cast of compelling characters through the monotony of daily policework, innuendo-laden phone calls, and an especially tense screening of Birth of a Nation. John David Washington and Adam Driver have wonderful chemistry, but Topher Grace is the ultimate scene stealer as KKK Grand Wizard David Duke, portraying a truly vile, evil person as curious and mild mannered. An utterly important film with a devastating (and controversial) end sequence, BlackKklansman will stay with you for good.

-Erin Vail, Nerdist producer

10. Eighth Grade

There’s nothing showy about Eighth Grade, Bo Burnham’s directorial debut about a 13-year-old girl growing up in the social media generation. Between this and American Vandal, I’ve never been more happy that Instagram and YouTube didn’t exist when I was coming of age. Elsie Fisher is stellar as Kayla, our protagonist, who fumbles through her middle school halls while living a performative and confident secret life on the internet. Burnham, who made his career on YouTube as a teen, is the perfect person to tell this story. Watching Kayla blossom is pointed, painful, but ultimately, transcendent. (Full review!)

-Lindsey Romain, Nerdist staff writer

9. A Quiet Place

These days, it’s hard to sit through a theatrical presentation without people talking or pulling out their phones. But with A Quiet Place, you could hear a pin drop in the theater, because every single person in the audience was so invested. The way John Krasinski’s silent horror film played out was a master class in building tension, with incredible performances not only from Emily Blunt, but also the largely unknown actors who played their kids, specifically deaf actress Millicent Simmonds. We’re in a strong era for horror, but in 2018, A Quiet Place stood head and silent shoulders above the rest. (Full Review!)

-Eric Diaz, Nerdist staff writer

8. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

It’s become increasingly hard to believe that good exists in the world. The oppressive cloud of strategic non-truths and hatred masquerading as political ideology has made each day a struggle for grownups. I can only imagine what it’s like for children, who shouldn’t have to deal with such things so early in life. It makes me wish more than ever we had someone like Fred Rogers to talk to the younger generation and make them understand that there’s always someone trying to help. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is a beautiful documentary about a man who seemed anathema to the idea of television entertainment at the time, and I can only imagine how he’d be viewed today. Anyone under the age of 17 was born into a world without Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and that’s a truth I certainly wish were make believe. (Full review!)

-Kyle Anderson, Nerdist associate editor

7. Hereditary

High-quality horror came at a break-neck pace in 2018, but nothing has haunted me quite like Hereditary, Ari Aster’s debut film about a family torn apart by impossible grief. The film soured some critics for its hard pivot to supernatural in the final act, but it didn’t feel left-field to me. From its opening shot of a dollhouse come to life, Hereditary is steeped in discomfort. The noises are wrong, things move unnaturally; like Kubrick’s The Shining, there is the feeling that something’s off. And also like The Shining, the family drama goes arch in several scenes, as the mania plaguing the family crescendos. Toni Collette is devastating as the matriarch, giving one of the best performances of the year, full-stop. I still can’t look at telephone poles the same way. (Full review!)

-Lindsey Romain, Nerdist staff writer

6. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best superhero movie of the year. Yes, I’m fully aware that 2018 was stacked, but Spider-Verse still manages to break through to bring us the story of Miles Morales. Spider-Verse’s strength lies in leaning into the uniqueness of Miles, what makes him different than Peter Parker, what makes him a Spider-Man for today. One of the most important aspects of Spider-Man is that no matter who you are, you can be the hero of your own story. And Miles lets us know that “anyone can wear the mask. You can wear the mask.†Excelsior. (Full review!)

-Hector Navarro, Animation Investigation host

5. Mission: Impossible-Fallout

Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his team of operatives are back in one of the most bombastic action films ever made, and this time, they’re joined by Henry Cavill’s mustache. M:I-Fallout is a movie that pumped me up like no other this year, packed with thrilling sequences like a dizzying halo jump, a chase through the rooftops of London, and Tom Cruise piloting a helicopter (a stunt he learned to do for this film). While some franchises suffer from sequel fatigue, M:I-Fallout demonstrates that the MI series – much like Cruise himself – only gets better with age. (Full review!)

-Erin Vail, Nerdist producer

4. Paddington 2

In a year full of ceaseless vitriol, fresh nightmares lurking around every corner, and rampant hostility underpinning every interaction (especially on social media), the world needed a hero. Not Captain America or Aquaman, but Paddington, an anthropomorphic bear with a deep and abiding love of orange marmalade who reminded us of one simple truth: “If you’re kind and polite, the world will be right.†This simple story of a young bear who gets sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit while trying to buy his Aunt Lucy an antique pop-up book for her 100th birthday will grab your heartstrings and use them to play an Yngwie Malmsteen guitar solo. One could point to its 215 fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes or its status as the best reviewed film ever made, but to do so ignores the beating heart and vibrant soul of this breathtakingly good film about the importance of kindness, empathy, and delicious sandwiches. (Full review!)

-Dan Casey, Nerdist senior editor

3. Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War was the culmination of ten years and twenty MCU films, but really, what it was was the culmination of every geeky kid’s dream who grew up reading superhero comics, and imagined what it would be like if all their favorite heroes got together in a big ol’ fight with the universe’s worst villain on a movie screen. The fact that it wasn’t just indulgent fan service, and was actually a compelling sci-fi action adventure spectacle with dramatic and heart to spare, and a seriously ballsy ending is nothing to shrug off. Sure, we all know the dusted heroes will get better, but it won’t change how we felt when we heard Spidey say “I’m not feeling so good Mr. Stark.” (Full review!)

-Eric Diaz, Nerdist staff writer

2. Annihilation

Of all the movies released in 2018, the one I’ve not been able to get out of my head is still Alex Garland’s Annihilation, a movie that deserved much more love from the world than it got. Seemingly a journey of five women into an unknown and dangerous portion of the Florida wetlands, beset by some otherworldly force, it ends up being an examination of what it means to be human, what it means to be alive, and what it means to be yourself. It’s a terrifying and highly effective example of Cosmic Horror, in which through understanding comes more terror. The world will seemingly never be the same thanks to this thing we can’t understand, and Garland depicted that through troubling and hauntingly beautiful, psychedelic images and an equally rattling electronic score by Geoff Barrow and Ben Salisbury. (Full review!)

-Kyle Anderson, Nerdist associate editor

1. Black Panther

Ryan Coogler broke the Marvel mold with his incredible entry into the MCU. If you can believe it, Black Panther did come out this year, and it broke box office records, changed the face of superhero movies with a predominantly black cast and truly introduced fans to the world of Wakanda and its super powered Monarch T’Challa. Vibrant, action-packed, filled with kickass women, and bursting with a roster of A-List stars that includes Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Forest Whitaker, Michael B. Jordan and of course Chadwick Boseman. Black Panther is one of the best superhero movies ever made, and easily takes the top spot on our list of best films for 2018. (Full review!)

-Rosie Knight, Nerdist staff writer

Images: Marvel, Paramount, WB, A24,

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Aunt May has long been an integral part of Spider-Man lore. In fact, she was introduced in Amazing Fantasy #15 just like Peter Parker himself. One of comics’ longest-standing matriarchs, she’s been there through thick and thin. And just like Spider-Man, May has been through a number of different iterations. Her newest incarnation appears in the incredible animated adventure, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and it offers up a brilliant, refreshing vision of Aunt May unlike any we’ve ever seen before.Originally, Aunt May was the older caregiver who raised Peter alongside her husband Ben after their young charge’s parents died. Her character design by comics icon Steve Ditko sported greying hair and a wrinkled face. May has, like so many other female characters throughout history, played into all three of the classic tropes of the Mother, the Maiden, and the Crone, with her earliest rendering very much fitting into the mold of the Mother.Over her 56 years, May has often been more of a passive part of Peter’s life, though she’s also been the driving force behind many of his decisions, especially the one to keep his double life a secret. Over her tenure as one of comics’ residing figures, a few brave creators have tried to reinvent her with some having more success than others. One of the better versions of Aunt May was the short lived Spider Ma’am, who was introduced in 1980’s What If #23 by Herb Trimpe and Peter B. Gillis. In the short story, the creative team imagined a world where May was the one who was bitten by the radioactive spider, giving her the powers that were more commonly recognized as those of her grandson Peter Parker. It was refreshing to see an older woman put on the mask, but unfortunately it was short-lived.A less successful attempt came from Mark Millar and Terry Dodson, and was widely derided after fans balked at the creepy comic. Conceived by misguided Marvel bigwigs Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada, Trouble told the story of a teenage Aunt May and her “friend” Mary, and for some reason focused entirely on the sex lives of the two juvenile girls. Marketed as a romance comic, the title became instantly notorious for its terrible sexy teen girl photo covers, which have since become a joke collectors item because of just how bad they are. It also added the controversial and now trashed retcon that Aunt May was inexplicably Peter’s mother after a dreadful teen pregnancy storyline which saw Uncle Ben impregnate her. We guess that Trouble 2: More Sexier Trouble would’ve been a time travel story explaining how Ben and May aged 50 years. Luckily, we’ll never have to read it.Post Trouble, May has mostly stayed as the older matronly mother figure, though of course Spider-Man: Homecoming changed those expectations by casting Marisa Tomei. Though that’s a cool diversion from the classic character, we’ve yet to really get to know that version, whereas Into the Spider-Verse gave us a May who was so enchantingly engaging and well-rounded that fans are already begging for more of her in the already announced sequel.One of the smartest moves that Into the Spider-Verse makes is that it positions Lily Tomlin’s May as someone who’s well aware of the dangerous life that her now deceased nephew chose to lead and is clearly incredibly proud of his choices. This May seems to take some nods from the Ultimate comics that spawned the film’s lead, Miles Morales. In that story, she learned of Peter’s dual life during the Clone Saga, but was never as much of an active part of it as she is in the movie version. It’s so refreshing to see Aunt May as a hero, someone who embraced Peter as Spider-Man come what may, and it’s even more wonderful that we get to see her take on the role of a mentor to the new Spider-folks in her life.Whether it’s offering up a home base for the multi-dimensional heroes or providing Miles with his first proper Spider-suit, Into the Spider-Verse’s May plays a vital part in saving the world and it feels radical. We can’t wait to see her return in the yet untitled sequel, and maybe even get some Spider-powers, which, by the way, Lily Tomlin would love!

Images: Marvel, Sony

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Most superhero movies have Easter eggs here and there referencing their comic book source material, but we think that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wins hands down for the sheer amount of them included. The latest Spidey(s) film has a whole slew of nods to the comics and past movies alike. Here’s a few of the biggest Easter eggs we noticed sprinkled throughout this amazing film.

The Comics Code Authority Seal

As the movie opens, we see the classic “Comics Code Authority” seal of approval, which appeared on most comics from the ’50s on until the early 2000s. If you grew up reading comics during that time frame, then that seal was synonymous with all Marvel and DC books.

Spider #42

The spider that bit Miles is from the Alchemax Corporation, and had the number “42” on its back. We also see the number when Miles falls down on the street after first getting his powers. According to Miles’ creator Brian Michael Bendis’ blog post, it’s a Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy reference.

Miles Morales’ Phone Contacts

Speaking of Miles Morales’ creator Brian Bendis, you can see his name listed in Miles’ phone contacts. Also included is S. Ditko, a nod to Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, who passed away earlier this year.

Alchemax Corporation

As for the company called Alchemax itself, it’s a big evil science corporation in the Marvel universe, and is where Spider-Man 2099 got his powers from. In the film, it’s the center of all the weird dimension breaching experiments going on, and ties in directly to the film’s post-credits scene (see below).

Peter Parker’s Dance

There’s a bunch of nod’s in the blonde Peter Parker’s history to the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, when he’s going over his 12-year career as Spider-Man. Among them are them the upside down kiss from Spider-Man 1, the train rescue from Spider-Man 2, and even the notorious Tobey Maguire dance scene in Spider-Man 3.

The Marvel Multiverse

The Marvel Comics Multiverse designations are adhered to on a graph, as we see that the second older Peter Parker is from Earth 616 (the “main” Marvel Earth in the comics), Miles is from Earth 1610, Gwen is from Earth-65, Spider-Noir is from Earth-90214, Peni Parker is from Earth 14512, Spider-Ham hails from Earth-8311, Spider-Man 2099 is from Earth-928, and ’60s animated Spidey comes from Earth-6799.

Tombstone

One of Spidey’s longest-tenured bad guys is Tombstone, who shows up in the film as one of the Kingpin’s enforcers. He’s played Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, a.k.a. Black Lightning villain Tobias Whale.

Blonde Peter Parker

The Peter Parker on Miles’ Earth (played by Chris Pine) is blonde, which is probably a tip of the hat to Ben Reilly, Peter’s clone, who bleached his hair blonde back in the ’90s and became the Scarlet Spider.

Stan “the Man” Lee

After the first Peter dies, we see Stan Lee himself selling Spider-Man costumes to mourning fans. His first words spoken are, “I’m really gonna miss him,” which it could not be more poignant, given Stan’s recent passing.

Kingpin’s Family

The Kingpin’s wife and son are Vanessa and Richard Fisk, who are also Wilson Fisk’s family in the pages of the comics (and on Daredevil).

Lady Octopus

The “Dock Ock” of this universe is a woman named Liv; although she’s a new character, she’s based on the comics’ Lady Octopus.

The Spider-Costumes

Almost every alternate Spider costume is on display, including the Iron Spider Armor from Civil War, the Secret Wars costume, the Stealth suit, a variation on the Scarlet Spider suit, and the recent Sony PS4 game gets a nod too. There’s even a Spidey WITH A CAPE! from the What If? story “What If Spider-Man Had Stopped the Burglar Who Killed His Uncle?”

The Spider Buggy

In the ’70s, Peter briefly drove around in the Spider-Buggy… which was maybe not the best vehicle to use in Manhattan. Unlike the Batmobile, this one didn’t exactly stick around. We catch a glimpse of it when Miles visits Peter’s amazing Spider-lair which holds his costumes and gadgets.

Spider-Man 2099

The ’90s hero Spider-Man 2099 appears in the post-credits sequence, played by none other than Oscar Isaac. And if you’re wondering who the heck this particular iteration of Spider-Man is, you might want to read this.

1960s Animated Spidey

There’s also a post-credits nod to the 1967 Saturday morning cartoon Spidey, and we get to hear the amazing and iconic theme music too!And those are just the ones we noticed after one viewing! We believe people will be unearthing Easter eggs for years to come with this particular movie. Did you notice any not on the list?

Images: Marvel Comics

Additional reporting by Hector Navarro.

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Now that you’ve experienced the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, you’ve no doubt fallen in love with Miles Morales Spider-Man, Spider-Gwen, and a whole slew of spider-folk you may not knew existed before you saw the film. But just about all of them come directly from the pages of Marvel Comics, and some from a few pretty recent comics at that. If you want to read some of the very best of the adventures of Miles Morales and Spider-Woman Gwen Stacy in particular, you want to dive into these comics–all in chronological order of course, starting with the story that set events in motion leading to Miles taking over the web slinging duties from Peter Parker.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man: Death of Spider-Man

Miles Morales became Spider-Man under tragic circumstances, as it involved the death of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker. Or to be specific, the Peter of the Ultimate Marvel Universe. In this Death of Spider-Man collection, which includes Ultimate Spider-Man #156-160, Peter faces his destiny, fighting with a mortal wound to save his Aunt May and his girlfriend Mary Jane. Peter’s noble sacrifice inspires Miles Morales to become the new Spider-Man.

Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Vol. 1

The last thing Miles Morales wanted was to become a superhero, but as the new Spider-Man, he’s thrown into the fire as he faces Peter’s old foe, The Scorpion, and deals with the fallout when his Uncle Aaron, better known as the Prowler, discovers his secret. This first Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man collection has Miles’ first appearance in Ultimate Fallout #4, plus the first 12 issues of his solo series, and his first meeting with the adult Peter Parker in the Spider-Men mini-series.

Spider-Verse

This is the Spider-Man crossover event that inspired Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. What’s better than two Spider-Men, you might ask? How about several dozen, and several Spider-Women as well? When the villainous Morlun and his family the Inheritors begin hunting Spideys across the dimensions, Miles and Peter and several other arachnid heroes cross space and time to stop him, and become an army of Amazing Spider people in the 2014 event book Spider-Verse.

Spider-Gwen Vol. 0: Most Wanted

For many years, Gwen Stacy was famous for being Peter Parker’s nice, sweet girlfriend who died tragically at the hands of the Green Goblin. But in this alternate universe story, Gwen is a hero in her own right; she got bit by the radioactive spider on that fateful day. Can she keep her secret identity of Spider-Woman a secret from her police chief father, and fight the villainous Vulture too? Spider-Gwen Vol. 0: Most Wanted collects Spider-Gwen #1-#5.

Spider-Man/Spider-Gwen: Sitting in a Tree

When the original Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy fell in love, their relationship didn’t have a happy ending. But what happens when new Spidey Miles Morales and the alternate universe Gwen, a.k.a. Spider-Woman, find themselves sending each other love notes across dimensions? Can these star-crossed Spider heroes make a relationship work across while living in two different universes? It all unfolds in Spider-Gwen: Sitting in a Tree.

Images: Marvel Comics

Additional reporting by Hector Navarro.

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If you’ve seen Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse already, chances are your ears perked up quite a few times in the “Hey, I know that voice!” fashion. The cast is stacked with a ton of famous actors, some you may recognize right away, and others more subtly disguised. With that in mind, here’s a guide to all of the celebrity voices in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, for your convenience. (But if you haven’t seen the film BEWARE OF MAJOR SPOILERS from this point forward. We’re warning you—it’s worth the surprise!)Miles MoralesOur film’s central hero, who assumes the role of Spider-Man from Peter Parker, is played by Shameik Moore. Moore is best-known for his role in 2014’s Dope.Gwen StacyGwen Stacy, or Spider-Gwen, the equivalent of Spider-Man in another dimension, is played by Hailee Steinfeld. Steinfeld is the Oscar-nominated star of True Grit and The Edge of Seventeen, who will next appear in Bumblebee.Peter ParkerThe film’s older and more-washed-out-than-we’ve-seen-him-before Peter Parker is played by Jake Johnson, who played the lovable, laughable Nick Miller on New Girl and appeared in Jurassic World.Peni ParkerKimiko Glenn plays Peni Parker, another version of Spidey from yet another dimension. Glenn is a Broadway actress who also plays Soso on Orange Is the New Black.Spider-Man NoirSpider-Man Noir, a detective version of Spidey from another dimension, is played by the incomparable Nicolas Cage. We don’t have to explain how you know Nic Cage.Spider-HamSpider-Ham, otherwise known as Peter Porker, an, um, pig version of Spider-Man, is portrayed by stand-up comic, former SNL head writer, and Big Mouth co-creator John Mulaney.Miles Morales’ familyMiles’ cop dad Jefferson Davis is played by Brian Tyree Henry, who was recently terrifying in Widows and is consistently charming on Atlanta. Meanwhile, his mom Rio Morales is played by Luna Lauren Velez. You’ve probably seen her on Dexter. Finally, Miles’ Uncle Aaron—also the supervillain Prowler—is none other than Mahershala Ali. Ali recently won an Oscar for his role in Moonlight, and will star on the next season of True Detective.Aunt MayPeter’s beloved aunt is played by the great Lily Tomlin, a legendary actress who’s starred in films from Nashville to Grandma, and who currently stars on Grace and Frankie.Mary JaneZoë Kravitz plays Mary Jane, Peter’s former love. Kravitz is known for the hit HBO series Big Little Lies, the new film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and has appeared on Californication.The villainsLiev Schreiber is Kingpin, the film’s big bad; Kathryn Hahn plays a female version of Doctor Octopus; Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone is the new Green GoblinPeter Parker… againYeah, there’s another one. Star Trek and Wonder Woman‘s Chris Pine plays a Peter whose death inspires Miles’ to take up the Spider-Man title.Spider-Man 2099If that weren’t enough Spideys, Poe Dameron himself Oscar Isaac is Miguel O’Hara, or Spider-Man 2099, a beloved Marvel Comics character. Given that post-credits tease, we expect we’ll see much more of him in future Spider-Verse installments.And of course…The legendary comic creator Stan Lee, who recently passed away, turns in a posthumous cameo in Spider-Verse as a costume shop owner who gives Miles his first Spider-Man costume. Lee’s cameo almost didn’t happen, but we’re so glad it did; it’s one of his best—and most touching—yet.

Images: Sony

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The following article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the very end of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Like literally the very end. No more scenes after this scene. So if you’d like not to be spoiled, we recommend bookmarking the page and returning once you’ve seen the movie. If you’ve already seen the movie or don’t care about spoilers, read on. It’s your Spider-Verse, friend.………LAST CHANCE….In a movie filled to the brim with cameos and references, there is one character appearance that made fans especially giddy, especially if those fans grew up with ’90s era Marvel Comics. The post credits tag of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse featured yet another alternate Spidey, this time it was the future webslinger Spider-Man 2099, voiced by none other than Oscar Isaac.First published in 1992, Spidey 2099 wasn’t Peter Parker, but geneticist Miguel O’Hara, and was the biggest hit out of an entire line of 2099 comics back in the early ’90s. Although his cameo at the end of Spider- Verse was more or less a gag, it did hint we would see Miguel far more in future animated Spider-Man projects. But just who the heck is this Spider-Man who kind of looks a lot more like Venom?Spider-Man 2009 is a very “of its time” creation. In the early ’90s comics book publishers were expanding their lines in every way imaginable. Marvel announced an entire new line of comics set a century into the future, most of which were futuristic versions of their most iconic characters. There was an X-Men 2099, Hulk 2099, and of course, a Spider-Man 2099. The character was created by writer Peter David and artist Rick Leonardi, was one of the first titles out of the gate. He made his first appearance in a brief preview of the first issue of his then-upcoming series in the 30th-anniversary issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, which was released just a month later, and remains the biggest selling single issue of writer Peter David’s long career.As explained in his first issue, Miguel O’Hara was a native New Yorker, of Irish and Mexican descent. He was named for actor Miguel Ferrer, of RoboCop and Twin Peaks fame, a good friend of creator Peter David. Miguel O’Hara has a genius level intellect, but is also a bit of a troublemaker and rebel. While still a teenager, Miguel gets accepted into the Alchemax School for Gifted Youngsters in Westchester, in what was once the X-Men’s school, but it now owned by the powerful Alchemax mega-corporation which also controls local law enforcement agencies. Apparently in 1992, they believed the future would be ruled by giant mega-corporations. (No comment.)After becoming the head of the genetics program of Alchemax as an adult, Miguel helps to create new corporation-controlled super-powered soldiers, specifically trying to recreate the accident that gave Peter Parker his powers decades earlier. But when a human test subject dies during an early experiment, Miguel leaves the company in disgust. In retaliation, Alchemax injects various drugs into his system to make him dependent, and when he tries to rid himself of this addiction using their technology, the company sabotages the machines, altering Miguel’s genetic code to be “50% spider DNA.” Miguel survives, but now has powers almost identical to Peter Parker’s, although he had “spider claws,” probably because it was the ’90s and Wolverine was all the rage. He also didn’t have Peter’s spider-sense, but enhanced, Superman-like vision powers.With a costume made materials invented a century prior by the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards, and a mask he once wore for a Mexican Day of the Dead celebration, Miguel becomes the New York City’s newest Spider-Man. At first, Spider-Man was mainly motivated in finding a cure for his condition, but his exploits as Spidey forced him to see how the mega-corporations had inflicted pain on the regular people of the city, and he vows to bring down Alchemax and all the other mega-corporations down. Spider-Man 2099 sold incredibly well at first, and ran nearly four years, but the implosion of the comics industry in 1994/95 forced Marvel to trim their line, and Miguel’s comic was sadly cancelled.Spider-Man 2099 showed up sporadically over the subsequent years, mostly in video games, but the last few years saw a revival of interest for the character in the actual comics, as ’90s nostalgia has loomed large lately. After almost two decades, He received two ongoing series recently from Marvel as a result of his return in their 2014 Spider-Verse event, which found Miguel stranded in the present time, and working for Parker Industries. His last series ended in 2017, but with a role in the a possible Into The Spider-Verse movie follow up, and voiced by a hugely famous actor to boot, expect to see a lot more of Spider-Man 2099 in the near future.

Images: Marvel Comics/Sony

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is so close to swinging its way onto our screens and it is marvelous. One of the highlights of the brilliant animated adventure is Lily Tomlin’s awesome Aunt May. A vibrant new take on the classic character, Tomlin’s May plays a vital part in the film and earlier this year our very own Hector Navarro interviewed the iconic actor and spilled some secrets about a lesser known version of the character known as Spider-Ma’am.[brightcove video_id=”5977878715001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=“rJs2ZD8xâ€]During the chat, the pair talked about May’s awesome history as a core part of the Spider-Man universe, from her introduction in 1962’s Amazing Fantasy No. 15 to the action-packed awesomeness of her role in Into the Spider-Verse. Tomlin explained that her journey to becoming a superhero fan was the realization that there are humans behind the mask, something that the film deals with brilliantly, with each of the characters given an arc and a story that feels like it matters.Hector also introduced Tomlin to the wicked alt-universe version of Aunt May. Introduced in What If? #23, Spider-Ma’am takes on the powers and role usually reserved for her nephew after being bitten by a radioactive spider in on her Earth. Tomlin was incredibly happy with this revelation, especially as her wish for future Spider-Verse movies was to see an older hero put on the mask. Who knows? Maybe one day we’ll get to hear Tomlin voice a super-powered Aunt May. We can dream, right?

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Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man swings into theaters this December 14 in the hotly anticipated animated feature film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. As the title suggests, this movie offers us more spider-powered superheroes in one place than we’ve ever seen before on the big screen. While we absolutely loved the movie and geeked out seeing characters like Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, and Spider-Ham in one place, we couldn’t help but want more. So we sent our number one Spider-Fan, artist extraordinaire and host of Animation Investigation Hector Navarro to sit down with stars Jake Johnson, Shameik Moore, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Luna Velez, and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller to create original Spider-Verse characters before our very eyes.[brightcove video_id=”5976990909001″ brightcove_account_id=”3653334524001″ brightcove_player_id=“rJs2ZD8xâ€]In order to generate these characters, Hector came armed with a sketch pad, some markers, and a cup full of movie genres for the Spider-Verse cast and crew to randomly select. Then, based on their suggestions, Hector generated some deeply strange and unexpectedly cool creations. To help stoke their creative juices, Hector prepared two sample pieces:

Spider-Men in Black

Spider-Gwenbusters

 And here is what the cast and crew came up with:Shake-Jor Equal parts secret agent and crusader against supernatural forces, “Shake Jor” is the brainchild of Peter Parker and Miles Morales themselves, Jake Johnson and Shameik Moore, respectively. Drawing a combination of “spy movie” and “fantasy,” they came up with this stabby-chic, web-covered superspy.

Spidey Claus

Ho ho holy smokes. From the twisted minds of Phil Lord and Chris Miller comes this unholy union of Christmas movie and dinosaur movie: Spider Claus. With a little elf helper, feathered raptor claw hands, and eight-legged reindeer that can shoot their own webs, Spider Claus was bitten by a radioactive ice spider at the North Pole. Oh, and he can control time too for some reason.

Mega Spider-Salsa-Sauce

Will Smith once famously proclaimed that parent’s just don’t understand, but Brian Tyree Henry and Lauren Luna Velez, who portray Miles Morales’ parents in Into the Spider-Verse clearly understood their assignment. The result of their session with Hector is a lion-headed, insect-winged kaiju creation that definitely seems like more foe than friend.And there you have it! Three amazing new additions to the Spider-Verse canon that we fully expect to see in the already announced sequel. Special thanks to Hector Navarro for his artistic prowess and to the cast of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse for being such good sports.Which of these original characters is your favorite? What would your original Spider-Man character be called? Let us know in the comments below.

Featured Image: Sony

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Although Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has not officially come out yet, we simply can’t stop talking about it! We don’t want to spoil it for anyone, because it’s just that good — but one aspect from the trailers has our spider-senses tingling.When the older Peter Parker (New Girl’s Jake Johnson) is sharing moments from his life as Spider-Man, some of them seemed a bit… familiar. So familiar, in fact, they could have been pulled from Sam Raimi’s original Spider–Man trilogy. Which got us thinking… is this Peter Parker based on Tobey Maguire’s portrayal?It turns out that not only are the Raimi referencees intentional, Tobey Maguire was actually up for a role in Spider-Verse — or at least, a version of Spidey — but alas, it was not meant to be.In an interview with Screencrush, Spider-Verse co-director Rodney Rothman shared, “There were many thoughts about where we could put Tobey Maguire and others. I think after this film, those thoughts might have a little more traction. But before this movie, and introducing the idea of the “Spider-Verse†to the audience, I think everybody was afraid that it would just really confuse people.”If we do get Spider-Verse sequels, and signs are certainly pointing in that direction, it would be fun to introduce an older version of Tobey’s Spider-Man. And hey, why not include Andrew Garfield as well? It would be super meta AND explain just what happened to those versions of Spider-Man after their series ended. Plus, we bet that both actors would be game to do an animated appearance as Peter Parker for old time’s sake. We know we’d be down to see it!

Images: Marvel/Sony

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is almost here, and over the last few weeks we’ve been looking at some of the cast of brilliant heroes from Spider-Gwen to Peni Parker to Spider-Ham to its star Miles Morales. But as we get ever closer to the release date, we thought it was about time to explore the antagonists of the epic animated adventure, especially as the film includes some of the most iconic Spider-Man villains of all-time.

Kingpin

Though Wilson Fisk is probably best known for being an adversary of Matt Murdock A.K.A. Daredevil, he was first introduced in Amazing Spider-Man #50 as an antagonist for Peter Parker. In main Marvel continuity, Fisk is a notorious crime boss who rules the streets of New York City with an iron fist. In the Ultimate Universe, where Miles Morales’ Spider-Man first debuted, Fisk is the head of all corporate crime in the Big Apple. He’s also known as a brutal murderer, with enough corrupt friends in high places to avoid prosecution. In the film, Fisk is the man behind the multiverse-spanning threat that sees the Spider-Folks come together to save their worlds.

Green Goblin

Norman Osborn is arguably the best known of Spider-Man’s rogues gallery. The father of Peter’s best friend Harry, his alter-ego the Green Goblin first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #14 and was the result of Norman experimenting on himself. The latest film version (who can forget Willem Dafoe in the Raimi movies?) seems to take from the Ultimate Universe, which is where the demonic and monstrous version of Norman was first introduced. In the Ultimate timeline, Osborn was once again a brilliant scientist, but in that version he was attempting to recreate the Super Soldier serum for S.H.I.E.L.D. when his desperation to achieve greatness saw him test it on himself and become the terrifying Green Goblin.

The Prowler

A deeper cut Spider-Man character, this anti-hero made his debut in Amazing Spider-Man #78. The original incarnation Hobie Brown was an ally to the wall crawler, but in the Ultimate Universe he was Miles’ ne’er-do-well uncle and antagonist Aaron Davies. He was brought to life by Donald Glover in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and in the comics he tried to kill Miles after blackmailing him to help him defeat Scorpion. He died during the Ultimate run, but when Miles joined the main comic book continuity, Aaron was brought back to life in the 616 universe, once again becoming a massive threat to his young nephew. It looks like he’ll be back to his old villainous tricks in Into the Spider-Verse.

Are There More Villains?

The trailer revealed that these won’t be the only bad guys popping up in Miles’ movie, as we’ll also see some classic Spidey-Foes like: Doc Ock, the hyper intelligent scientist whose body was fused with a four-armed apparatus, giving him the appearance of an octopus; Scorpion, who made a cameo in Homecoming, was the subject of scientific experimentation and the recipient of an advanced body armor with a deadly prehensile tail; and Tombstone, Wilson Fisk’s trusty henchie and hitman who later becomes a crime boss himself. We may get even more iconic villainy, but we’ll have to wait until December 14 to find out!

Images: Sony, Marvel

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When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse slings into theaters later this month, some fans will be most excited to have Miles Morales on the big screen, while others will be freaking out over seeing Gwen Stacy finally get to shine. Some will be smiling ear to ear when Peni Parker pops up, and we really can’t wait to hear Nicolas Cage voice a very serious version of the masked superhero, Noir Spider-Man. But everyone can agree on one thing before we even see the film – we are all in on Spider-Ham, the talking pig with super spider powers voiced by one of our favorite comedians. And now we’re getting even more of a taste of the strangest superhero in the Spider-Verse with his own theme song.

Entertainment Weekly has an all new look at Spider-Ham, the John Mulaney-voiced anthropomorphic pig named Peter Porker, who proves the Spider-Verse really is even more bizarre than many fans would even guess. We’ve been salivating at the chance to see him on screen since he first popped up in a trailer. It will be his first screen appearance after he was introduced in the comics three decades ago. (Seriously, Spider-Ham has a long history you can read about here.)This introduction video is another tasty appetizer for what we can expect from him in the movie. He gets his own version of the classic Spider-Man theme song, which acknowledges just how weird his presence really is, even in a movie that features Nic Cage playing a noir version of Spider-Man. (Homer Simpson’s “Spider-Pig” theme song has been stuck in our head forever, so we’re more than happy to update it with those lyrics.)And now of course, even before we see Into the Spider-Verse, we already have one very important question cooking up: when will Spider-Ham get his own spin-off?

Featured Image: Sony

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s main character Miles Morales was introduced back in 2011, replacing the Peter Parker of the alternate, “Ultimate Universe” who had died heroically. Miles was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli, along with Marvel’s then-editor-in-chief Axel Alonso. He was inspired by President Barack Obama, who grew up reading Amazing Spider-Man comics, and actor Donald Glover, who once was a favorite to replace Tobey Maguire’s Spidey on the big screen.Instantly catching on with readers, Miles survived the end of the Ultimate Comics universe, and then joined the regular Marvel Comics universe. He even became a member of the Avengers for a time. In his seven years on the scene, he has appeared in several series of his own, as well as in team books and team-up titles with other heroic Spider people. Ahead of his starring role in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, we present to you five of the best Miles Morales story arcs, specifically for readers just now discovering New York’s other wall-crawler.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Vol. 1 (2011)

After more than 100 issues of a modern take on Peter Parker in Ultimate Spider-Man, writer Brian Michael Bendis killed the character and introduced the Afro-Latino teenager Miles Morales as the second Spider-Man. Miles gained his Spider powers after being bitten to a similar spider to the one that gave Peter Parker his abilities. In his very first solo series, Miles begins his superhero career in earnest, and tries to do justice to Peter’s heroic legacy, even though Miles had no desire to be a superhero initially. This volume, which collects the first five issues, also introduced us to Ganke, Miles’ best buddy who is the inspiration behind Ned Leeds in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Spider-Men (2012)

This long anticipated mini-series sees Miles meet the adult Peter Parker, in this first ever crossover between the Ultimate Marvel Universe and the classic one. Now having been Spider-Man for some time, Miles meets the Earth 616, adult version of Peter Parker (that’s the “regular universe” Peter, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko). The two heroes take on Mysterio, and Peter realizes how much better a Spider-Man Miles is than he himself ever was at the same age. The idea of an adult Peter mentoring a teenage Miles, something core to the new movie, is pulled from this series. This volume collects Spider-Men #1-5.

Spider-Verse (2014)

With the Ultimate Universe now established as part of a much larger Marvel Multiverse, Miles joins up with the adult Peter Parker and dozens of other alternative versions of Spider-Man that have appeared not just in comics, but in other media as well. The Spider people all join together when they are attacked by the villainous Morlun and his family, the Inheritors. The idea of a larger Spider-Verse was introduced here.

Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man (2014)

This storyline opens the second volume of Miles’s solo series, now called Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man. On the two year anniversary of Peter Parker’s death, Aunt May holds a special memorial service, and Miles is there to honor the hero whose legacy he carries. That is, until Peter shows up alive and well. Not only is Peter alive; so is Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin, and things get pretty hairy from there. Despite Peter’s surviving, this volume also focuses a great deal on Miles’ personal life, and fleshes out his supporting cast members in new and interesting ways. This one is collected as Ultimate Spider-Man: Revival.

Spider-Man (2016)

No more “Ultimate” or “Miles Morales” in the title, this series is simply called Spider-Man. This is the first Miles Morales story which occurs after the Ultimate Universe was destroyed and Miles is incorporated into the regular Marvel Universe. (He’s also a bonafide Avenger now as well.) Sara Pichelli changes her art style to show that this universe is different from the Ultimate universe, but it all still looks gorgeous. Miles is an older teenagers here, about sixteen, so his perspective on things in this series is slightly different as well. The trade paperback name for this is Spider-Man: Miles Morales Vol. 1 and collects the first five issues of Spider-Man.

Images: Marvel Comics

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Miles Morales has been a fan favorite hero since his first appearance in Ultimate Fallout #4 , and now he’s got the starring role in the brilliant animated flick Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. But hey, is any of that more exciting than the fact that you can now get him as a stuffed teddy bear? Thanks to Build-A-Bear you can now take home your very own Miles Morales inspired plush, alongside Spider-Gwen, and even Spider-Ham as a part of their new Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse range!The Miles Morales bear is covered in red spider webs, and you can even get his iconic red and black spider suit to make him really look the part! Miles also comes with the option to add 6 pre-recorded sayings including the iconic spider-line “With great power comes great responsibility.” This super cute and cool bear is joined by a radical Spider-Gwen bear wearing Gwen Stacy’s iconic white, blue, and pink Spider-Woman costume!Our favorite from the selection though is probably the pre-stuffed Spider-Ham. This very good super powered pig is also known as Peter Porker and is a beloved, ridiculous member of the Spider-Fam. He’s fought alongside Spider-Gwen and co in the super spider team Web Warriors, stars alongside her and Miles in the new film, and now you can take your very own Spider-Ham home with you for only $10.Which of these spider-cuties will you be rushing out to grab? Just can’t wait to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse? Really wish that they had made a Spider-Noir plush, with Nick Cage’s voice? Then swing into the comments and let us know below!

Images: Build-A-Bear

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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is going to introduce mainstream audiences to a ton of new Spider-People they have never met before, starting with Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen. But one character that is no doubt going to win everyone over is Spider-Man Noir, a hard-boiled 1930s-style detective Spidey, played by none other than Nicolas Cage. But just who the heck is Spider-Man Noir? Was he made up for the movie, or are his roots actually in the pages of Marvel Comics?The character actually does originate from the comics, and has actually been around for less than a decade. Considering how long it takes most comic book characters to make the leap to the big screen, it’s amazing that Spidey Noir has had such a short time to become a fan favorite and into the movies. Making his first ever appearance in the Spider-Man Noir limited series, this darker, alternate history Spider-Man is still Peter Parker, but became Spider-Man in 1933 in the midst if the Great Depression. In this version of New York, the big crime boss is Norman Osborn, a.k.a. “the Goblin.” Many of the Goblin’s goons are pulp fiction style gangster versions of classic Spidey bad guys like the Chameleon, Kraven the Hunter, and more.Peter is a cub reporter learning the trade from The Daily Bugle’s Ben Urich, and he winds up taking a hot tip on a story that leads him to a warehouse where the Goblin’s men are unloading a shipment of stolen antiques, one of which is an ancient spider statue. When opened, it unleashes hundreds of spiders, and one of them bites Peter, and when he passes out, he has a wild dream about a mythical spider-god. Once Peter wakes up, he finds himself upside-down in a black web of his own making. Realizing he has been gifted with arachnid abilities, he dons some old World War I goggles and becomes the vigilante Spider-Man.After the Goblin kills his mentor Ben Urich, Spider-Man decides to bring down the crime boss once and for all, with a little help from one Felicia Hardy, who in this universe isn’t the Black Cat, but the proprietor of the “Black Cat Club” speakeasy. After his initial limited series, which was part of an overall “Marvel Noir” publishing initiative, Peter Parker returned in Eyes Without A Face. This story shows Spidey taking on Doctor Otto Octavius, who in this world is working for the Nazis, and in true noir fashion, the second story ends on a very downbeat note.Spider-Man Noir would show up again in cross-universe capers like the Spider-Verse event comic from 2014, and the following year in the multiverse-spanning Secret Wars. He becomes part of a team of other alternate Spider-Men called “The Web Warriors,” and is currently appearing in the sequel to Spider-Verse, called Spider-Geddon. But even before he makes his big screen debut, Spider-Man Noir has already appeared in other non-comics media, starting with several episodes of Ultimate Spider-Man on Disney XD, where he is voiced by actor Milo Ventimiglia.But more than on television, Spidey Noir has made several appearances in a ton of video games, where his a perfect fit, thanks to his distinct visual appeal. He appeared in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, voiced by Christopher Daniel Barnes, who many will recognize as the voice of Peter Parker from the old ’90s animated series. He also shows up in Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Marvel: Avengers Alliance, and most recently, his distinctive costume appears as an unlockable outfit in Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PS4.With the Nic Cage portrayal about to bring the character of Spider-Man Noir to millions more people who will have never heard of him before, don’t expect Into The Spider-Verse to be the last time we see the gumshoe version of Peter Parker on the big screen, or on the small one. Whether it’s a solo spin-off project, an ongoing comic book series, or another team-up animated film, the future looks bright for this sepia toned version of everyone’s favorite wall-crawler.Are you as excited as we are to see Spider-Man Noir hit the big screen? Be sure to let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.

Images: Marvel Comics / Sony Animation

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