WARNING: MILD SPOILERS AHEAD
The animated Spider-Verse movies are setting the template not only for Spider-Man films but how to best utilize the Multiverse. With any Multiverse-based film plot, fans want variants, and Across the Spider-Verse delivered the goods.
As audiences saw in the trailers, there’s an entire city teeming with Spider-People, and the filmmakers delved deep into the comics for some hilarious characters. No doubt, it will send buyers to the auction sites for those tantalizing first appearances.
VAULT OF SPIDERS #1
Judging by the events of the film, the new character with the most potential in the next film is Spider-Byte. She is a relatively new character to the pantheon, having only debuted in 2018’s Vault of Spiders #1.
In the movie, Spider-Byte serves more or less as Miguel O’Hara’s version of Oracle from the Batman mythos. Odds are, we will be seeing more of her in the subsequent movie, and that should inspire a wave of collecting beginning here.
As an added bonus, Vault of Spiders #1 also marks the first appearance of the cowboy Spider-Man that we see in the movie (complete with mask on his horse). In the third Spider-Verse movie, we could see Savage Spider-Man, a Peter Parker variant raised by spiders in the Savage Land.
EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #1
Go to a comic shop and mention Edge of Spider-Verse, and you’ll likely strike up a conversation about Spider-Gwen’s first appearance in the series’ second issue.
Thanks to Across the Spider-Verse, you now have a reason to look into Edge of Spider-Verse #1. When it comes to oddly hilarious Spider-Variants, there’s nothing quite like Spider-Rex. As his name implies, he’s a T-Rex dressed in a Spider-Man costume and web-swinging. What’s not to love?
You’ve also got the debut of the Scottish Spider-Laird, a character with such an outrageous accent that we’re bound to see him in the next movie.
MIGHTY AVENGERS #1 LEGO SPIDER-MAN VARIANT
There are so many Easter eggs and references to all manner of studios and universes that it will take multiple viewings to catch them all. Even then, there’s probably still some that will go overlooked. One of the film’s first crossovers is with Warner Bros. Animation’s Lego universe.
In true Lego style, we get a bricked New York City where we meet Lego Spider-Man. He is bound to be an instant favorite, and part of me wonders if we could get a Lego Spider-Man Movie. If Sony will co-produce movies with Marvel/Disney, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
When it comes to first appearances, Lego Spider-Man debuted on the cover variant for Mighty Avengers #1. There’s also a black-and-white sketch variant that you’ll want on your shopping list as well.
CONCLUSION
As we saw in Into the Spider-Verse, the variants stole the show. Boy did the Spider-Verse creative team give fans all the variants they could handle and more. There’s no way to spotlight every background character in the film, but GoCollect will feature more standouts and how the secondary market is responding to the sudden rise in popularity.
