Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Trailer: A Lot More Spider-People And A Certain Spider-Cat

The 2018 animated adventure comedy "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" was an audacious kick in the pants that brought Marvel's comics to life in astonishing new ways. It managed to not only be one of the earliest and best examples of the current boom in multiverse stories, but it also was just a darn good time at the movies. It was the cure for my superhero fatigue, and the latest trailer for the upcoming sequel, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," has me excited for more.

The new trailer shows some of the same moments and characters as previous trailers, but it also gives us a look at a few new characters and seems to confirm that someone in Miles Morales' life is going to face the same fate as Peter Parker's Uncle Ben. That's pretty dark stuff, but the trailer also has a lot of gorgeous art to look at and plenty of the self-aware humor that made the first film so delightful. If you can't wait to see the further adventures of a whole multiverse of Spider-People, fret not, because "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is just around the corner, releasing in theaters nationwide this June. Just watch out for that Spider-Cat, because those hairballs are haggard.

"Across the Spider-Verse" is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, taking over from Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman. The trio worked from a script by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham (Lord co-wrote the first film), which means we should expect the same sharp and hilarious storytelling. Shameik Moore is back as Miles Morales, the "Spider-Man of Brooklyn," with Hailee Steinfeld also back as Spider-Gwen, Brian Tyree Henry once again voicing Miles' father Jefferson Davis, and Luna Lauren Vélez returning as Miles' mom, Rio. From the look of things in the trailer, Miles' dad is going to be filling the role that Uncle Ben and Aunt May have filled in other versions of the 'verse, and poor Miles will have to try and decide between saving his father from certain death or saving the world. Being Spider-Man revolves around that choice, after all, not just the neato arachnid-based powers.

Gwen takes Miles to a Spider-Hub of sorts, where all of the spider-folks from various 'verses gather (kind of like the Council of Ricks from "Rick and Morty") and we're introduced to some fun new spider-friends, including Daniel Kaluuya's Spider-Punk, Oscar Isaac's Miguel O'Hara, Issa Rae's Jessica Drew, and Karan Soni's Spider-Man India, just for starters. Jason Schwartzman also appears as the Spot, who seems like a pretty silly villain that Miles will have to face off against despite his rather awkward powers. 

Here's hoping that Miles can be the one spider-hero to actually manage to save his dad and the world, even if it's a long shot. We'll have to wait and see what happens when "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" slings itself into theaters on June 2, 2023.