There’s no scene wasted in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, and with the movie bursting with so much Spider-Man, it makes sense that there would be some nods to Marvel’s most famous wall-crawler that audiences missed. The Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse easter eggs are plenty and meaningful.
Some of the best easter eggs in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse feature exciting cameos, unique Spider-People, and a lot of love for the history of Spider-Man across the 60 years that the character has existed both on Marvel comic pages, and screen.
Major spoilers ahead for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse!
14 J.K. Simmons As J. Jonah Jameson
One of the most iconic castings of all time involves J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. This talented actor has played the Spider-Man-hating editor-in-chief for the Daily Bugle ever since Sam Raimi’s 2002 Spider-Man. J.K. Simmons has returned to the role for numerous animated projects, and most recently joined the MCU as the wall crawler’s number-one hater.
In Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, J Jonah Jameson can be heard on numerous TV sets, and each time he is heard, there is one constant in the multiverse: The character is always played by J.K Simmons. It just goes to show how iconic the actor is for this role.
13 Universe Hopping Vulture
On Spider-Gwen’s Earth, a variant of the Vulture makes his way into an art museum. This variant is not from Spider-Gwen’s Earth or any other known universe. The Leonardo da Vinci-inspired Vulture villain isn’t even the first time the character has been spat out into a new universe against his will, as something similar happened in live-action.
So far, one of the only characters to cross the multiverse in live-action is Michael Keaton’s Vulture character, who featured as a villain in the MCU Spider-Man films and has now transitioned through Doctor Strange’s spell into the Morbius end-credits scene. Interestingly, Vulture is the only Spider-Man villain to cross dimensions twice now.
12 Doctor Strange And The Little Nerd
Considering the confusing relationship between the Sony Spider-Man universe and the MCU, it’s safe to say that the two try not to reference each other too much. However, Miguel O’Hara makes a disgruntled comment about “Doctor Strange and the little nerd”, which audiences familiar with Spider-Man: No Way Home may strictly recognize, as those two got themselves into a multiverse shenanigan of their own.
Miguel O’Hara’s knowledge surrounding the MCU’s Spider-Man and the issues that he had created with Doctor Strange means that there’s a wider universe, and even if it will never be seen, it’s great to see Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse acknowledge the existence of the MCU as a reality.
11 Donald Glover As The Prowler
Joining as one of the most exciting cameos in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, Donald Glover features as a live-action variant of The Prowler. This is not the first time Donald Glover has played the man behind the mask, as Donald Glover played Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming years prior. To see him return may spell hope for his MCU return, or, it was just a fun cameo.
Donald Glover joins Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse in a quick scene, but most curiously, he appears in live-action and converses with the animated protagonist of Miles Morales. It’s a very promising cameo and begs the question of what awaits Glover in the MCU.
10 Insomniac Spider-Man Cameo
In the same prison section of the Spider Society where Miles Morales’ Spider-Man found the Donald Glover Prowler cameo, audiences can spot Insomniac’s Spider-Man. This Spider-Man features in the beloved Marvel’s Spider-Man, a title set for a sequel in the Fall of 2023. To see Insomniac Games’ very own iteration of Spider-Man is a true delight.
The character can be seen in the background of a few scenes, but in the prison scene in particular, he has a line or two. The character is even voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, the actor in Marvel’s Spider-Man, whose fans are very excited to see what he does with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2.
9 Andrew Garfield Spider-Man
Although Andrew Garfield had to proclaim for years that he was not the werewolf in the lead-up to Spider-Man: No Way Home, no such task was required for Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man is in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, but only as a cameo using a previous scene from 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man.
The scene in question involves Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man cradling the dying body of Captain George Stacy, all whilst Miguel O’Hara explains that a Canon Event in Spider-Man’s life is that the police captain has to die.
8 Spectacular Spider-Man Cameo
One of the most popular and best Spider-Man cartoons was The Spectacular Spider-Man, an animated show from 2008 that ran for 2 seasons. This iconic version of the famed Marvel character returns for a cameo in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, where he even has a speaking role with the returning voice of Josh Keaton.
For fans of The Spectacular Spider-Man, it’s great to see that character again, especially on the silver screen. To know that this character has progressed to become part of the Spider Society is great closure for fans, but the demand for The Spectacular Spider-Man Season 3 will inevitably resume.
7 Ganke Plays Marvel’s Spider-Man On PS5
Miles’ roommate is seen in their dorm room with a PlayStation 5 controller in his hands. What’s notable about what he is playing is the fact that he is in the midst of traversal combat in Marvel’s Spider-Man. It’s not surprising that a Sony film would feature a Sony product, but it’s a fun easter egg in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.
It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a Spider-Man game to exist within Spider-Man’s universe. After all, people know Peter Parker is Spider-Man after his death. What’s most questionable, is the fact that Marvel’s Spider-Man features Miles Morales, so does this Earth’s version of the game feature the same?
6 Andy Samberg As The Scarlet Spider
With a near-infinite amount of Spider-People cameos in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, one that sticks out the most is thanks to the burly muscles and sulky personality of Ben Reilly, the Scarlet Spider. This iteration of the character, played by Andy Samberg, is a far more comedic take on the character that audiences know from the comics.
The Scarlet Spider features as a parody version of the 90s comics and tackles their edginess and darkness in a comedic way. Scarlet Spider and Ben Reilly fans may want more from the character in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, but it’s nice to see him feature in a film.
5 Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock
While running through the Spider Society’s halls, Miles Morales finds himself in what seems to be a training area for Spider-People. This area is filled with heavy weights to lift, as well as a combat area to fight iconic Spider-Man villains from the Sinister Six and other Rogues Gallery enemies from the character’s past.
One character that features as a cardboard nemesis is Doctor Octopus, but more importantly, Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock. This is indicated by the voice line that players, which is the same “Hello Peter” that broke the internet in the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer.
4 Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker
While Miles Morales faces the difficult reality that Spider-Man cannot save everyone, video evidence plays behind him on futuristic monitors, featuring many times across the multiverse that Spider-Man had to witness loss as part of a Canon Event.
One of the more eye-catching scenes isn’t just of one of the animated Spider-Man characters, but it’s none other than a scene from 2002’s Spider-Man, featuring Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker mourning the loss of Uncle Ben. It’s a quick moment to miss, but iconic for those aware.
3 Hi, Mrs. Chen
A familiar face appears in Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse thanks to the multiverse exploration of The Spot. Mrs. Chen features in the Sony Venom films as the convenience store owner in San Francisco. Her store has the regular customer of none other than Eddie Brock and Venom, which shows why she is not phased in the slightest when an animated figure steals some gum from her store.
Maybe Mrs. Chen will inform Eddie about this multiverse robbery, or, considering how annoyed and done with the situation she seemed, it’s likely that she will just shrug it off and not care about the dimension-hopping villain that stole gum.
2 The LEGO Universe
Writers and producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller return to the LEGO universe that they originally joined in 2014’s The Lego Movie to feature a fun cameo. As The Spot hops through new dimensions, he has a peak into the LEGO universe, where audiences are greeted with the LEGO version of The Daily Bugle and Spider-Man.
What’s even more fun about this easter egg is the fact that the sound effects in The LEGO Universe are all man-made, which is just as charming as it was in The Lego Movie. Although LEGO Spider-Man didn’t do much other than a cameo, he was a welcome addition to the Spider Society.
1 The Spider-Friends Return
The ending of Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse features some returning faces from Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse that spells for an exciting finale with Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse. The film closes out with Spider-Gwen’s new band, which features faces seen in the film like Hobie Brown, Peter B. Parker, Spider-Byte, and Pavitr Prabhakar. However, what’s more interesting, is the additions.
Although there is no speaking role for these characters, it’s great to see the return of Spider-Ham and Spider-Noir, two iconic characters voiced by John Mulaney and Nicolas Cage respectively. Hopefully, these characters feature more prominently in Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is in theaters now.