Let's Talk About Bombastic Bag Man, The Deepest Cut In The Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Trailer

Just about a year after the first look teaser dropped, Sony has finally released a proper trailer for "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." As expected, the latest preview for the highly-anticipated follow-up to the 2018 sensation "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" features a ton of Spideys that are sure to be recognizable to many True Believers out there. But out of the numerous spider-themed heroes both highlighted and hiding in the background, one, in particular, stood out each time he appeared onscreen. Of course, we're talking about the Bombastic Bag-Man!

Though his suit is slightly different that the version we're used to from the pages of Marvel Comics, it's impossible to mistake this incarnation of the friendly neighborhood web-slinger. I mean, it's hard to miss Spider-Man wearing a paper bag over his head. However, despite the fact that this version of the fan-favorite character is often played for laughs, Peter Parker's Bag-Man Spidersona always seems to pop up during important transitional periods in the hero's life. 

There's no doubt that Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and David Callaham have thrown in some excellent jokes and gags around this character in their latest script, but let's take some time to acknowledge that Bag-Man is as amazing, spectacular, and ultimate as the rest of the Spider-People.

Making his first appearance in 1984's "Amazing Spider-Man" #258 by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz, the Bombastic Bag-Man was born out of necessity. Shortly after Spider-Man adopted the black symbiote suit four issues earlier and during the "Secret Wars" crossover event, Peter visited the Fantastic Four at the Baxter Building to learn more about his new attire. That's when he discovered that his suit was actually an alien life form attempting to permanently bond with him. 

But after he handed over his suit to Reed Richards for closer examination, young Parker was left without anything to wear that protected his identity while fighting crime. Or at least, you know, cover up his body as he makes his way home. Luckily, his old friend Johnny Storm had an extra Fantastic Four uniform and a paper bag lying around for his buddy to use. The Human Torch even added a "Kick Me" sign on the back to complete the look. And the best part is that Spider-Man actually did fight crime dressed this way.

Despite being a hilarious anecdote of Spider-Man's history, the Bag-Man suit also represented the struggle that the wall-crawler was going through at the time. He was at the precipice of some big decisions that ultimately led to him rejecting the symbiote, marrying Mary Jane Watson, and creating one of the most notorious villains in all of comic book history — Venom.

Although in early 2022, Zeb Wells and Carlos Gomez brought out a version of the Bag-Man suit when Peter Parker found himself in another transitional period in his superhero career. During the "Beyond" storyline, Captain America and Black Cat attempt to get Spider-Man back in the swing of things after a near-death experience. But since the Beyond Corporation owned the rights to Spider-Man, he had to don another identity in order to proceed with his training and rehabilitation. Luckily, whenever there's a bodega or supermarket nearby, Bag-Man isn't far away. Under that brown paper mask, Peter proved that he still had what it takes to be Spider-Man over the course of "Amazing Spider-Man" #87.

At this time, we don't know how the Bombastic Bag-Man will factor into "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" beyond appearing in the background, but we'll find out when the upcoming film swings into theaters on June 2, 2023.