Across the Spider-Verse: Every Clue That Miles Landed on Earth 42, Not His Home

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ends with a twist that reveals Miles has not actually made it back to his own Earth at all. He has been taken to a completely different reality, one that looks close enough to home that it takes a while to notice something is wrong. I compared it to that episode of Sliders where the group thinks they have finally made it home, only for someone to realize the gate does not creak the way it used to, so they leave because it is just not quite the same. This piece is about breaking down exactly what happened on Earth 42 and every clue that a twist like this was coming.

What makes this twist land is that it was actually set up all the way back in the first film. On our Into the Spider-Verse breakdown we pointed out that Miles's Spider Sense is initially green and purple before it changes to blue and red. Aaron's colors are green and purple, so the fact that Miles changes shows he is no longer going to be led toward a life of crime by his uncle and will instead follow in Peter's footsteps. As we know, the main Miles we follow would likely have become the Prowler had the spider not intervened.

The Number 42 Is Hidden All Over Into the Spider-Verse

That first film is filled with nods to the number 42, and it appears throughout the entire movie. It shows up on Miles's winning lottery ball at the start, which gets him a place at Visions Academy. It appears on the back of the spider itself, and on the ground when Miles fails his first jump. His basketball hoodie in the film has 42 on it as well. These ties run constantly through the whole movie.

There was also a major clue in that first film that the spider was from an alternate universe, since it was glitching out just like the other spider people did once they showed up. That spider came from an alternate reality where Miles was supposed to be the sole Spider-Man of that universe, meaning it was part of that universe's canon. When it arrived on Miles's Earth, it sorted itself out, giving that reality's Spider-Man role to both Miles and Peter Parker introduced at the start. That leaves Earth 42 without a Spider-Man of its own, which is why it ends up going down a darker path.

Every Reality Is Meant to Have Its Own Spider Person

Across the Spider-Verse establishes that basically every reality is supposed to have its own Spider-Man or Spider-Woman, regardless of race, gender, age or even species, and we meet several people who go on to become their universe's version while the traditional Peter Parker never comes to be. This is seen clearly in Gwen's world, where she dons the mantle instead of Peter. On Miles's Earth, Peter Parker was meant to be the main one, with Miles going on to become the Prowler.

On Earth 42 there was no Peter Parker, or any version at all, which is why the alternate Rio has no idea who Spider-Man even is. Instead, Miles 42 was going to become that universe's protector, until the intervention of Jonathan changed everything. In the Spot's origin story we actually see a classroom with a spider behind a glass case, the one the Spot pulled across, and we see how close it almost got to biting Prowler Miles. In that classroom you can catch Miles 42 with his back turned, made clear by the braids he wears later on. That spider bit our Miles instead, and because it carried DNA from Earth 42, it stayed intrinsically linked to that reality.

The Crash Landing on Earth 42 Is Full of Deliberate Warning Signs

When Miles crash lands, the sky is lit green, which is of course the Prowler's color in the main universe. Rio's eyes are brown normally, but here they appear green, and Miles even draws a green and purple chalk symbol after picking it up off the floor in the Prowler's room. This is what gave the twist away for me while watching the film, since it leans so heavily into those classic Prowler colors.

We also hear about the Sinister Six cartel, which is clearly running crime in this universe's Manhattan. When Miles first lands, there is a billboard with the number six on it, and several other signs across the landscape point to which villains might be members. Just before Miles reaches Times Square there is a sign reading Vulture, and below the Sony sign there is the name Electro, advertising 2G phone reception. On the roof where Aaron takes Miles, there is a building that looks like it says Hammer, likely teasing Hammerhead, along with signs that appear to read Scorpion and Sandman. That leaves one slot open, which I am guessing is the Prowler, and I do have a feeling this cartel may appear in the next film as breadcrumbs for a bigger villain team up.

Jefferson's Death Plays Out as a Canon Event on Earth 42

We learn that on this universe Miles's father Jefferson was killed, with the film treating it as a canon event that plays out the same way whether or not Miles ever had powers. This kind of loss has shown up in other Miles Morales stories too. In the PlayStation 4 game, Miles's dad was also killed, while in the Ultimate comics it was his mother Rio who died, later brought back after Secret Wars restructured the timeline. Either way, Jefferson's death leaves a hole in Miles's life, and he has been raised by his mother and Uncle Aaron, who could only help the family through nefarious means.

In the first film, Miles was already spending a lot of time with Aaron, and on Earth 42 that influence clearly won out and turned him into the Prowler. It is also what kept Aaron alive on this Earth. In the main timeline, Aaron died because Miles became Spider-Man and was tasked by Kingpin with hunting him down, which got him killed. Since Miles never became Spider-Man on Earth 42, that chain of events never happens, and Jefferson dies instead while Aaron survives.

Prowler Miles's Comic History Hints at a Possible Redemption

We see that Prowler Miles has become a big name in this crime ridden universe, and our Miles gets pulled into it through a case of mistaken identity. In the comics, the Prowler originally started as a villain before becoming more of an antihero once his connections to Miles were established, something also reflected in the Miles Morales game, where he helps guide the player at points.

Some people have picked up on hints in the scene suggesting Prowler Miles might actually become a good guy, and that could be the case, potentially becoming the protector of Earth 42 by the end of Beyond the Spider-Verse, especially given how overrun it is with criminals, after being swayed by our Miles showing there is a different way. I have a theory that Aaron will take the hit for Jefferson in Miles's universe and die instead, in order to save the brother he never could. I also suspect the two Jefferson are going to meet and finally get to say the things they never got to say to each other, since the Jefferson in the first film never really got to say goodbye to his brother, and I am guessing something similar happened here with Aaron.

Shameik Moore Has Already Described What an Evil Miles Would Look Like

There is also the potential that Prowler Miles becomes a nemesis to our Miles, something teased by Shameik Moore in a recent interview. He said, "My real arch nemesis might be myself in another dimension and with different morals, someone that is me but every decision I would make, they make the opposite decision, and they're just as powerful or strong or talented or whatever as me." That quote spoils the entire dynamic, but it is worth acknowledging how Moore himself sees the other Miles.

One detail worth noting is that Prowler Miles is played by a completely different voice actor, Jharrel Jerome, which lets the character lean further into his Puerto Rican side given that his father was never around. Miles pronounces Morales more like he is speaking Spanish here, and I like that small vocal change used to differentiate the universes. There are still similarities, though, since Miles is strapped to a punching bag just like Peter B. was in the first film. Whether Aaron wants to help Miles or not is another matter, but I think Aaron is likely going to be key here, as Miles points out there is still good in him, and Aaron has just learned his brother is alive in another reality, even if the Heart of the City backdrop to that scene suggests there is not much love between them.

Donald Glover's Prowler May Still Be Building Toward the MCU

The Aaron of the main Marvel timeline is also likely to make a big appearance in the MCU before long, since Donald Glover plays a live-action version of him in the films. There have been updates on this front. Sony was reportedly developing a Hypno Hustler project with Glover attached as lead producer, which would have positioned him to potentially play that role too, but that project has reportedly since been scrapped. That does not rule out Glover playing the Prowler in the MCU. He was fairly low level during the events of Homecoming, but there has since been a five year time jump in that timeline in which anything could have happened, and I would love to learn that Aaron became the Prowler during that gap, tying things together as strong fan service.

Where do you think Prowler Miles's story goes from here, and does Aaron end up saving Jefferson in the next film?