Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Hides Details Everywhere, From Ben Day Dots to Stan Lee's Final Pose

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is packed with animation details, and there are no joke hundreds I never caught until my recent revisits. It is my favorite Spider-Man film and one of my favorite superhero films of all time, and here I am going to try to cover all of those details. The payoff comes in the climactic battle, when Miles Morales pulls off the same move he admired in his hero Peter Parker, with a lot more debris flying at him and an even cooler landing pose.

Across the multiverse, our commonalities unite us, "but the hundreds of tiny details that make our homes unique are what truly define our realities." The movie is animated with the aesthetic of a comic book page. You could pause it at any frame, the way you notice something new in a panel of a comic left open on your bed. What makes something feel like home is like comfort food: a notch on a wall, the smell of a room, Miles sniffing the steam from his mother's cooking, Peter B. Parker getting burger grease everywhere. Throughout this piece I single out those comfort food details, the ones that never get talked about elsewhere.

Into the Spider-Verse Opens Inside a Lord and Miller-Verse

Listen to the opening seconds and you hear a cough. Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller put a cough in the opening titles of 22 Jump Street in 2014, so they did it here too. As we push in on the Sony logo we see Ben Day dots, the dots used to print colors in comic books.

The Columbia torchbearer glitches into an animated cowgirl from the 1965 Jane Fonda film Cat Ballou, which also happens to be the Columbia logo in that movie. The torchbearer then gets hit with a giant banana, which also happens in the Columbia logo of Lord and Miller's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. As much as we are in a Spider-Verse, we are also in a Lord and Miller-Verse.

After the studio logos comes a stamp approved by the Comics Code Authority, the guidelines from the 1950s meant to assure parents that comics would not corrupt their kids, including anything that promoted sympathy for criminals. The movie actually follows them: Wilson Fisk and Aaron Davis both suffer and get punished for their crimes.

The Number 42 Keeps Turning Up Around Miles Morales

The Alchemax spider in the eye of the multiverse collider is numbered 42, and this is the moment it gets infected. 42 is Miles's number. It is on the lottery ball that selects him for the Brooklyn Visions Academy and in the cluttered numbers on the ground later. It is the spider's number in the Ultimate comics, Jackie Robinson's number, and in Hitchhiker's Guide the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. Later, the max occupancy on the bus to Alchemax is 42 as well.

The Peter Parker of universe 1610 is voiced by Chris Pine, and he says "let's do this one last time," which every spider person says when they introduce themselves. His comic cover carries the signature of an artist who worked on the movie, though the cover names usually belong to the character's creators: Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli for Miles, Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez for Spider-Gwen.

Chris Pine's Peter Parker Lives in a New York of Coca-Cola Soda and Backrub

Peter swings past a Coca-Cola soda sign, the New York Red Socks and Backrub, which was the original name for Google. Later we see Red X instead of FedEx. When Peter says he has been the one and only Spider-Man for ten years, a neon sign behind him reads wrong, because in a multiverse you are not the one and only Spider-Man.

For Uncle Ben's line about great power and great responsibility, Lord says they used Cliff Robertson's actual audio from the 2002 film. Peter stops a train like Tobey's Peter in Spider-Man 2, and there is an upside down kiss like the 2002 film, except in 1610 MJ is the one hanging. Peter senses a thrown car like the Doc Ock moment in Spider-Man 2, then does the finger guns and dancing from Spider-Man 3. His bulging eyes when he is choked match the drippy eyes on the deformed popsicle, and the Doc Ock arm has a different texture, showing this universe's Doc Ock is different.

Miles Morales's Height Chart and Untied Shoes Set Up His Growth

Miles sings Post Malone's Sunflower, tapping a highlighter on his throat with impact lines as he reaches for the high notes. Many say a medal hanging on a banner looks like Deadpool or the Prowler. I don't think this is an Easter egg; I think it's just a medal on a banner. His height chart shows lots of measurements up to age 10, then fewer, because he is a cool teenager now. It sets up his symbolic growth spurt into the role of Spider-Man. And that smile at the steam from his mom's rice is so authentic. "The animators made 1610 a home we would die to protect."

A kid asks about the earthquake last night, caused by Fisk's underground collider. Miles trips on his laces, which he leaves untied by choice, and that later makes him trip over a ledge and break the thumb drive. Only during his heroic jump do we see him finally tie them. His dad's cop car has the plate RFD 960, the detective's plate in Law and Order, and Jefferson points to a foam party coffee shop, where Miles and the Spot literally have a foam party in the sequel.

The news ticker reads Bitcoin hits new high, then during the report on Peter's death, new high followed immediately by new low, plus the ridiculous largest baby born today. The subway signs use Arial, not the Helvetica of real New York; Microsoft introduced Arial in 1992 as an alternative to Helvetica. Jefferson mangles the saying as great ability and great accountability, showing Uncle Ben's words became immortal to regular folks here. A taxi advertises a George Saunders book that does not exist; the co-director said they asked Saunders what he would write in an alternate universe.

Great Expectations and Aaron Davis's Apartment Hide Big Clues

Miles's English class is assigned Great Expectations, whose cover shows characters embracing in a cemetery, as Miles will with Peter B. Parker. Thematically it inspires his no expectations wall art. A projection of Alchemax scientist Dr. Olivia O is cut off to hide that she is Octavius, but her lenses are octagon shaped. Miles scores zero out of 100 on a true or false test, meaning he knew every answer to get them all wrong, and he dated it Decembruary 2nd, trying way too hard to look stupid. His dorm poster shows Chance the Rapper in a number four hat instead of three.

Aaron's painting of a predator cat hides the skewed word Prowler, and he wears a Brooklyn Muay Thai club panther shirt. His phone wallpaper shows Jefferson giving him a noogie, while Jefferson's phone shows the brothers older and further apart. Jefferson looks at when they drifted apart; Aaron remembers the good old days, yet Jefferson's photo is framed in Aaron's apartment. "Ooh, I just love it when artists put these little details in there to convey how these characters feel about each other."

Aaron watches the Community episode where Donald Glover's Troy wears Spider-Man pajamas. Glover voiced Miles in the Ultimate animated series, there was a campaign for him to play Miles in live action, and he does play Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming. A passing subway carries a Stan Lee cameo.

The Spider Bite Foreshadows Miles's Cloaking and Electric Powers

As Miles paints, the spider blends into the can colors, foretelling his cloaking. Aaron paints Miles's silhouette over no expectations, an image that recalls the Spot. The bite releases blue electricity through Miles's tissue and bloodstream, showing electricity will be part of his powers. Stumbling through school, Gwen's feet are visible behind him, a moment we later see from her side. He sticks to her hair, and I've mentioned my MCU theory of dancers versus non-dancers like Loki and Sylvie; it is interesting to see that theme here too.

The security guard is playing the Spider-Man Christmas album seen earlier, sung by Chris Pine himself. Pigeons that flew smoothly past Peter now stick to Miles. A hang in there kitty poster hangs in a classroom he passes, like it's encouraging him, and his Amazing Fantasy 15 reads The True Life Tales of Spider-Man, starring Billy Barker, since Peter's identity is secret in 1610. His phone lists Cindy M for Silk, Jessica Drew, who appears in Across the Spider-Verse, Jason Reynolds, author of a Miles novel, and Brian Bendis and Sara Pichelli flanking Mom and Dad, arguably his parents.

Spider-Sense and Wilson Fisk's Screen Map the Multiverse

I love how spider-sense lures Miles to Peter's fight with Green Goblin; in the comics this multiversal link is called arachno-frequency. Peter first sees Miles in Goblin's green and purple, a threat, before it shifts to safe red and blue. Fisk's screen lists 1610 at the center plus 616, 65, 90214, 14512 and 8311, the exact designations for Peter B. Parker, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Penny Parker and Spider-Ham. The beam looks like inky Ben Day dots, and the collider's shockwave shows the five spider people blasting across the city.

Kingpin's double fist slam references the Daredevil Gang War comic, the storyline that reinvented him as a rage monster. The Prowler chase reverses the route the two took down. A bystander is confirmed by the credits as Post Malone, and Stan Lee sells Miles a costume: "It always fits, eventually." The jump test stairwell first has no visible bottom, then a visible floor.

Peter B. Parker Arrives Worn Down in a Times Square Full of Jokes

The Bugle at Peter's grave reads that Peter Parker, 27, was found dead in front of the Daily Bugle. When Miles shocks Peter B. Parker, we see his nervous system rather than his skeleton, which is more realistic. His name tag is more worn than 1610 Peter's after 12 more years, he gets hit by a bus driven by Tombstone, his TGI Spidey's restaurant gets a bad review, and a slice of pizza fails to make it through the rift.

Times Square offers From Dusk Till Shaun, Edgar Wright's idea for a vampire Shaun of the Dead sequel; a Seth Rogen film called Hold Your Horses; Clone College, spun off Lord and Miller's Clone High; Hi, Hello with Nick Kroll and John Mulaney; Peekaboo, Snapchat's original name; Kitten Heels the Musical; Blake Griffin playing baseball; Planet Inglewood; Red Man Group; The Mary Janes, Gwen's band; a Weeknd album riff; Steph Curry as a golfer; Romita Ramen for John Romita Sr.; Il Giornale coffee; Beefsteak Charlie's; and Mr. Tomato Head.

Peter peels off a column like pizza and keeps getting knocked out, a cone lands on his head like a hat, the snowman's smile becomes a frown, and Stan Lee steps over them. Peter's bruises heal quickly. When he bites the burger and squirts grease right at us, this comfort food from a place closed in his universe calms his glitching. I also love the C grade on the door.

Alchemax Hides Octagons, a Smear Frame and Animation in Twos

I think my favorite gag is a single frame where Miles's eyes pop out as he falls, a smear frame that distorts the body to create motion blur. Olivia's lab is all octagons, the bubble claw sits on a table, and her desktop has Oc Notes folders and one called Bust Sandwiches, probably meant to be Best Sandwiches. Aunt May later says it's Liv, so they might be friends; Doc Ock and May do kind of get together in the comics. In the cafeteria, one tired scientist dumping sugar in her coffee just goes back to it.

Miles is animated in twos, 12 frames per second with each frame repeated, so his swinging looks choppy, while Peter is animated in ones and looks smooth. Animation history shows Miles's hesitation against Peter's experience. Gwen's teal ballet slippers were under her school uniform, her suit in plain sight.

Aunt May's Spider Cave and the Rejection That Makes Miles Vanish

The caption says somewhere in Queens because Miles, from Brooklyn, does not know Queens. May's cave holds dumbbells weighing a ton and 12 suits, including the PS4 advanced suit, the Secret War suit, a cape suit nodding to What If 19, Big Time stealth, two spider armors and the Iron Spider. Miles's reflection does not yet reach the suit's head. Kingpin's network shows the Enforcers, Hammerhead and the Rose, once Richard Fisk.

Miles's spider-sense fires half a second late. Comic prices match each era, Penny's robot shows Japanese for I love you, and Gwen pulls Miles up only to kick him down. He finally turns invisible when rejected, worth remembering with Across the Spider-Verse: these variants aren't always best for Miles. His dad's contacts include Chris McKenna, Todd McFarlane and Steve Ditko, and a taxi advertises a fictional Marlon James book. Penny repairs the drive in Japanese, Spider-Ham drops a toilet on Tombstone, and a Bugle headline asking how sunsets work makes me think this J. Jonah Jameson is a flat-earther.

Miles's Leap of Faith Is a Climb

Jefferson came to say Aaron died but tells his son he sees a spark in him, and Miles uses that spark to blast free. His hands break the glass because he clings to things when nervous, yet he forces himself on. My favorite shot frames his dive upside down so it looks like a triumphant rise. The hotel flag he hit before is gone, maybe because he damaged it.

In the final fight, Peter and Miles thwip in sync, Miles finally out of animation in twos. He passes Flint Lockwood's food replicator from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. My favorite combination has Peter slingshotting Miles and Gwen so Gwen whips upward at Olivia. Miles begins his callback move by whipping onto Aaron's record player, a memento giving him the boost. He beats Kingpin with Aaron's shoulder touch, while Fisk's son flickers into Matt Murdock's look and the bridge glows red like the Daredevil credits.

Miles changes his art to great expectations; like Pip, he may not have gotten his Estella, but he came of age. Spider-Ham's stand offers a recession special for 800 dollars, a Perry Joe sign nods to Joe Perry, and only after more than a dozen viewings did I notice Stan Lee's final cameo is the web slinger pose. Miles ends listening to Sunflower without singing, simply enjoying it.

Do you see Deadpool or the Prowler in that medal on the banner, or is it just a medal?