by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2 ending has been revealed by one of the film’s directors as it prepares for its theatrical release.
With just a few weeks until release, Spider-Verse 2 will attempt to build on the popularity of the 2018 animated film Into the Spider-Verse.
The movie is slated to be “a love story” set within Miles Morales‘ and Spider-Gwen’s Multiversal mischief, played by Shamiek Moore and Hailee Steinfeld, respectively.
Not everything will be resolved, though, since Beyond the Spider-Verse, which comes out the following year, will serve as the ultimate finish to the story’s middle chapter, which is presented in Across the Spider-Verse.
A Significant Spider-Verse 2 Spoiler
Kemp Powers, the co-director of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, disclosed a significant spoiler for the forthcoming animated sequel’s conclusion.
According to Powers, the movie would “end on a bit of a cliffhanger,” providing a “satisfying tee-up for what’s coming in the third film:”
“Across The Spider-Verse is a movie on its own, but it definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I think it’s a good cliffhanger. We hope that it’s a satisfying tee-up for what’s coming in the third film, because you want people to be excited about what’s coming next.”
It “helps that we knew going in that this was part two of a three-part story,” he said, adding that this allowed them to “tackle it a bit differently” when it came to concluding the plot in Spider-Verse 2:
“And it helps that we knew going in that this was part two of a three-part story. Since you already know that that third story is guaranteed, you can tackle it a bit differently. That being said, there’s a lot of key characters in this film, and there’s a story in this film that has an arc of its own that we needed to complete.”
The Spider-Verse director continued by equating the next movie with the cliffhanger from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and expressing his hope that “this is our Empire:”
“I was very satisfied after ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’ And hopefully, this is our ‘Empire.’”
This Empire analogy has been made previously as well. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Christopher Miller, the writer and producer of Across the Spider-Verse, said that viewers of the movie “have told us that it feels like The Empire Strikes Back of the Spider-Verse franchise:”
“People who’ve seen ‘Across’… have told us that it feels like The Empire Strikes Back of the ‘Spider-Verse’ franchise. “It shows you worlds you haven’t seen, and it’s an emotional story that ends in a place where you need to see the third one. So, yeah: this is our ‘Empire.’”
The Spider-Verse’s “Empire Strikes Back”
Given that a third movie was already planned, a cliffhanger ending for Across the Spider-Verse is not entirely unexpected, but it is alarming that those involved in the production are so blatantly giving away the finish.
Being openly bragging that this movie will “[end] in a place where you need to see the third one” is virtually a sign of the confidence these creators must have in their work.
Across will undoubtedly serve as the Infinity War if Beyond the Spider-Verse is the franchise’s Endgame. And moviegoers are aware of how it ended.
The analogies to Empire that are being made are also intriguing. To compare oneself to not just one of the best sequels ever made, but also one of the best films ever made, is a high assertion.
The creators of Into the Spider-Verse, one of the most adored animated films of all time, believe they are the team that could live up to those expectations.
The similarity to Empire may be more profound than just the calibre and cliffhanger aspect of the conclusion. Perhaps Spider-Verse 2 will explore some tonally dark ground, as Empire is also one of the darkest Star Wars films.
Ere Santos, a former animator on Across the Spider-Verse, admitted he (and a large portion of the team) believe this is “not a kid’s movie,” and perhaps an Empire-like narrative atmosphere could be the reason for that.
On Friday, June 2, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theatres with a cliffhanger finish.
