Based on the name and trailers alone, it should come as no surprise that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is full of famous web crawlers in many iterations. Trailers often spoil things that they don't need to and there are definitely some things that would have been cool to find out naturally in the movie.
Still, to the credit of the trailer editors, there are indeed some fun surprises in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as far as dimensions and Spider-Man iterations go. There are too many to name them all, so, instead, let's go through the standout characters.
Warning! There will be spoilers.
8 Therapist Spider-Man
There is a brief scene in the Spider-Society within Nueva York that is great. There is a Spider-Man who looks like he is a therapist as he is dressed in a suit. He still wears his mask though which could mean he still fights crime when he needs to.
This therapy job could be his alter ego instead of being a photographer like so many other Peter Parkers out there. The scene is brief but hilarious as he is trying to comfort another Spider-Man upset about Uncle Ben.
7 Web-Slinger
Web-Slinger is the nickname often given to Spider-Man but this is a specific version of the character. He is a Cowboy version of Peter Parker who lives in a full Wild West-themed universe. Miles encounters him in the Spider-Society several times. He uses guns to shoot webs at his opponents, like Miles when he is giving chase after the tables turn.
Web-Slinger also has a horse that wears a mask to hide its identity which is a great joke. He’s not in it for long, but the idea of a Wild West universe sounds amazing for a potential video game. Imagine how cool Red Dead Redemptionplus Marvel’s Spider-Man would be.
6 Scarlet Spider
Ben Reilly has a wild history in the comics that would take too long to get into. He is known as Scarlet Spider and is a clone of Peter Parker. He was created to kill Peter and has all of Peter’s abilities and then some.
In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, he is portrayed as a brooding emo-like man who likes to monologue his every move. He’s voiced by Andy Samberg who is doing his best Nicolas Cage impression which makes the character work so well. It’s just great how pathetic he is.
5 Miles Morales
Miles is the main character of this franchise who is struggling with the workload throughout the movie. Can he have a normal life as a student and fight crime? It’s the curse that every version of the hero has to deal with.
The first movie was about finding himself as the hero after witnessing the other Spider-Man die. This movie has less of an arc for Miles which is why he is one of the middle-of-the-road main characters although this will probably be rectified in the sequel.
4 Spider-Punk
Hobie is a new version of the hero who comes from an alternate version of London and he calls himself Spider-Punk. His universe is not visited in the film, although there is a quick flash as he explains his origins. There is a pop art to his design and it changes constantly.
One minute Hobie will look like he belongs with Miles and another minute he’ll be more gray. It’s a cool punk rock aesthetic that works for this anti-establishment anarchist.
3 Pavitr Prabhakar
Pavitr is another new version of the hero who comes from India. He doesn’t have a clever name like Spider-Punk and instead refers to himself as a regular old Spider-Man. His costume does look authentic to the region though and he does have one gimmick with his technique.
He uses what looks like a yo-yo when he is casting webs at opponents. His overconfidence, charm, and annoyances with chai tea make him a standout character in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
2 Peter B. Parker
Peter B. Parker returns with a new surprise for Miles. He is now a father after reuniting with Mary Jane. His daughter’s name is Mayday which is one reason why he remains a great character. It’s cute seeing him be a dad and happy which is kind of rare in the comics.
Peter B. Parker got his groove back and it shows in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Unfortunately, he’s more there for emotional support for Miles and doesn’t get to do a lot of action. That will probably change in the sequel.
1 Gwen Stacy
Gwen is almost like the true lead of this movie. It begins with her, conflicted over leaving Miles in the first movie. Then, after joining the Spider-Society, she is at a loss again because she knows Miles is technically dangerous. She wants to put the many above the few but is struggling with the concept of betraying Miles.
By the end, she decides that friends are more important and that she will find a way to save him and the multiverse. She gets the old band back together and it’s one of the most hype endings in a Spider-Man movie, ever. It’ll be hard to wait to see the sequel, whenever that will be.