Looking back, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse did an incredible job of establishing its multiverse and setting up the franchise for a ton of future fun in just one film. Judging from the trailer for the upcoming sequel, the film will be diving into the never-ending possibilities with wild abandon.
As everyone knows by now, Marvel's continuity features countless alternate realities that happen concurrently across a shared multiverse. These serve as playgrounds for creators to play with endless versions of fan-favorite characters that can take any form. Some lasted for decades while others were quickly shuttered. The 2099 universe has a complex history and a few conflicting explanations that will be interesting when the concept makes its big-screen debut next year.
For the uninitiated, the recently released trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) features a groundbreaking moment for the series. While the first film focused on a few excellent and charming alternate universes Spider-people converging on Miles Morales' reality of Earth-1610, the new film seems to see Miles leave his home for the first time. He does so by force, dragged into a dimension he's never seen by Miguel O'Hara, the Spider-Man of 2099. The trailer gives the audience a brief glimpse of that reality. Hovering vehicles rocket down a large silver bridge, buffeted on all sides by giant glowing holographic messages. It's clearly sci-fi inspired, and the clean animation style is easy on the eyes. This extremely short clip gives away only a couple of things about the film's take on the concept, but the source material holds more answers.
Marvel 2099 came into existence in 1992, heralded in by four new comic series that promised a possible future take on new and classic Marvel heroes. This blitz included new versions of Doctor Doom, The Punisher, and the aforementioned Spider-Man, along with the new hero Ravage. The new series was originally described as one possible future but later confirmed as the future of the Prime Marvel universe.
That detail has changed, and the studio has dubbed the 2099 universe Earth-928. Depending on the issue, this future dimension could be described as Earth-616 in the year 2099, or the alternate universe 928. The trailer reveals that the film will be depicting 2099 as a different universe from the prime universe that Peter B. Parker came from. Fans are excited to see this timeline's Spider-Man, Miguel O'Hara, but the universe he calls home is one of the more interesting in Marvel's catalog.
The 2099 universe intermingles two fan-favorite concepts, Marvel superheroes, and the cyberpunk sci-fi subgenre. The Earth of 2099 is a corporate autocracy, ruled by a handful of ultra-rich monsters who have long since bought and paid for the government and the police. The heroes of the past like Thor are worshipped as figures of ancient myth, while modern heroes are increasingly rare. The world fell into a nightmarish dystopia as a result of a decades-long war between humanity and mutants. Humans won, but not without immense losses of life and land. Large portions of the Earth's landmass were rendered uninhabitable. During this apocalyptic war, the rich and powerful tightened their grip on wealth, resources, and influence, and swiftly became unquestioned dictators.
A handful of companies, primarily Stark-Fujikawa and Alchemax, govern the world through a system of cards that tie identity to net worth. Black cardholders at the top have unlimited money and complete immunity from all laws, while Aluminum cardholders are effectively slaves. The age of heroes was dead, but their stories remained. Enter Miguel O'Hara, a genius geneticist who found himself inspired by the tale of Peter Parker. With his scientific knowledge, he successfully replicated a comparable experiment and granted himself a set of similar spider powers.
Miguel was the first superhero in generations, a guardian for the city of Nueva York, and the only hero willing to fight the evil Alchemax. Shortly thereafter, the remnants of mutant-kind slipped into the shadows to form a new X-Men team. A new Hulk, Punisher, and Ghost Rider emerged and took to the streets. Shockingly, one of the era's heroes was Victor Von Doom, who waged a semi-successful war against the megacorporations. The 2099 universe is a grim reality, but there are still sparks of life in that cyberpunk future.
The dimension Miles Morales finds himself dragged into is marked by cybernetic advancements, private ownership, and violent corporate dictatorship. Miguel O'Hara is one of the most intelligent figures in the timeline, and his battle with the businesses that own his world is very intriguing. If the entire film takes place in 2099, seeing Miles take on Alchemax and experience the dystopian future would be a fascinating change of pace. It remains to be seen how much of Across the Spider-Verse will take place in 2099, but the universe's big-screen debut is set to be a substantial event.