Between unveilingthe title for the MCU’s fourth Spider-Man movieand reviving the Now You See Me franchise of all things, this year’sCinemaConevent has so far offered a little magic for everybody, andthat’s especially true for fans of a very different kind of wall-crawler. After years of production setbacks and soul-crushing delays, Sony finally took to the stage and confirmedSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’s 2027 release datebefore releasing new footage and images from the upcoming film. The third and final installment inPhil LordandChris Miller’s revolutionary Spider-Verse trilogy,Beyond the Spider-Verse, has been hotly anticipated since that brutal cliffhanger at the end ofSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and the newest revelations out of Las Vegas disclose preciselyhow this cinematic finale is going to expand on the series' increasingly devastating tone.
‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’ Images Hint at a Dark Conclusion to Miles Morales' Story
It’s hard not to be excited about the new promotional materials forSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Aside from teasing the long-awaited showdown betweenShameik Moore’s Miles Morales and his Earth-42 Prowler variant (Jharrel Jerome) which was unveiled at the end ofAcross the Spider-Verse, the official images released for the movieembody everything there is to love about the series' unique visual style. With flashy splashes of color and vibrating backgrounds alluding to the ongoing problems in the Spider-Society’s multiverse, the threequel is set to exhilarate audiences withthe same high-quality animationas its predecessors. The film’s plot, on the other hand, appears anything but wholesome. While we don’t know for certainwhat’s next for our main Miles Moralesin the conclusion to his story,these images suggest Miles has hit his lowest point yetafter the fallout from the last movie.
25 Stylized Animated Movies Like ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’
“Let’s do this one last time.”
AsAcross the Spider-Versefans will remember, the most (literally) earth-shattering development of the film is Miguel O’Hara’s (Oscar Isaacs) revelation thatMiles was never meant to be Spider-Manand only gained his powers because of Earth-42’s spider being erroneously transported into his world via Alchemex. The admission devastated what little sense of belonging and confidence Miles had gained since becoming a superhero in the first film, and Sony’sBeyond the Spider-Verseimagesonly escalate that internal conflict with their focus on Miles' battle with Prowler. Since this variant Prowler’s world is seemingly only as crime-ridden as it is because Miles effectively stole their radioactive defender,the focus of the film’s promotional materials on Earth-42 all but confirms one of the film’s central conflicts: whetherMiles truly deserves to be Spider-Man.
‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’s First Look Signals the Hardest Test Yet for Miles and Gwen
Miles’ battle with his alternate self is bound to unearth more and more difficult truths aboutthe true cost his powers have unintentionally inflicted on others, breaking his heart and ours on a deep, interior level, but the latestBeyond the Spider-Versepromotion also gives us a clear look at how the series finale will catch back up with Miles' external dilemmas. While we don’t yet have a clear glimpse into whatBeyond the Spider-Versehas in store for Miles' ill-fated father (Brian Tyree Henry), CinemaCon did provide an image of Miles reuniting withthe franchise’s best character, Spider-Gwen(Hailee Steinfeld). Seeing the couple together again is bound to be exciting for anyone who has been kicking their feet watching the two characters adorably grow closer over the course of the series, but in keeping with the dark tone of the promotional release,the pair’s image is actually the most somber of the event’s tease.
In the image, Gwen stares after Miles as the latter looks away and appears to hang his head in shame, visually conveying the lonely rift the two are going to have to overcome in order to succeed againstJason Schwartzman’s Spot in the finale. This scene could very well be the two navigating the fallout from the last movie, with Miles expressing his sense of betrayal after learning Gwen knew about his less-than-legal multiversal status as soon as she joined the Spider-Society. Since this scene would also have to take place after Miles took on his Prowler variant, however, it’s equally likely thatMiles' negative feelings stem from a sense of guilt after that fight. The footage shown at the event repeats Miles' insistence that “I’m gonna do my own thing,” reiteratinghis empowering resolve to fight fatealongside his multiverse of allies, but before that happens, these new images confirmBeyond the Spider-Verseis primed to deliver one of the most emotional Spider-Man movies to dateby dissecting Miles' bitter identity crisis—one with no guarantee of a happy ending.
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
In Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, multiple Spider-People from diverse universes face an evolving threat that challenges their very existence. As they unite across dimensions, they navigate complex relationships and moral dilemmas, striving to protect their worlds while confronting their individual destinies in this animated superhero adventure.
