In the animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” the protagonist, Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), and his many spider-ally friends from different realms do battle with a wide variety of antagonists. Dr. Olivia Octavius, played by Kathryn Hahn, and the scary Prowler, played by Mahershala Ali, are two of the members of Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) and his team of supervillains, which also includes a laundry list of other terrible talents. As a result, it will undoubtedly be fascinating to watch how the planned sequel to the movie attempts to top this wacky rogues gallery of characters.
The identity of the film’s antagonist was ultimately revealed to Spider-Man fans in June 2022, and the filmmakers of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” couldn’t have chosen a more fitting or sinister foe for the role. The Marvel villain known as the Spot, whose voice will be provided by Jason Schwartzman, is one of the less prominent enemies of Spider-Man, but he possesses a formidable combination of abilities. Because he is linked to another dimension, he is able to exercise influence over the shadowy portals that transport material. Additionally, his body is made up almost entirely of these portals, which, to put it mildly, makes it a challenge to engage in combat with him.
The idea that the movie will explore multiple dimensions is alluded to by its title, and this specific superpower ought to fit in fairly nicely with that idea. One of the directors of the film has stated that because to the unusual graphics of the antagonist in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” it is possible that we will never see him in a live-action adaptation of the film. I’ll explain why.
Across the Spider-Verse director thinks the Spot wouldn’t work in live-action
The Spot may be a bit of a C-list villain in the comics, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe is very excellent at raising little-known villains to the rank of key players, as the Guardians of the Galaxy demonstrate. However, in an interview with CartoonBrew, the co-director of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” Joaquim Dos Santos, mentioned that despite the fact that the Spot’s inky nature makes him a perfect fit for an animated film, it is likely that his powers would be visually underwhelming if they were used in a live-action setting.
Dos Santos stated that the team had a pretty good idea from the beginning that the Spot would play the role of their primary antagonist. “You can’t really have a compelling plot for your main character if you don’t have a truly evil antagonist, someone whose motivations you can at least partially grasp thanks to the way their story unfolds. Therefore, he presents an interesting contrast to Miles in many ways. And his living ink really is really, I think we’ve all been saying, it’s not just an effect. It’s been going on for quite some time. The artistry that was put into it comes to life. It’s the kind of thing that can technically only take place in animation. You could picture Spot appearing in a live-action Spider-Man movie as a guy dressed in a sock suit. It is not going to be successful.”
It is important to note that many of the classic comic book effects are still developed with a very particular medium in mind, even though movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, such as “Doctor Strange,” have done an excellent job of adapting the visual style of the comics. For example, the fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) premiere of Jack Kirby’s characteristic Kirby Krackle visual approach occurs in the animated “What If…?” series on Disney+ is definitely not a coincidence. When one considers this, it is not difficult to trust Dos Santos when he asserts that animation is the path that should be pursued with the Spot. Even more convincing is the idea that the creators of “Across the Spider-Verse” have some wild ideas in store for the character’s appearance.
