Into the Spider-Verse: I Broke Down Every Easter Egg and Hidden Detail You Might Have Missed

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is such an impressive work of animation that I think it belongs among the best Spider-Man stories ever told, because it actually gets what it is like to read a Spider-Man comic book and translates that beautifully to screen. There is so much more going on in this movie than a first watch reveals, so I am going to break it down scene by scene to point out the hidden animation jokes, Easter eggs, and subtle creative choices that make it work so well.

If you love Spider-Man, this is worth digging into because the filmmakers built almost every frame around decades of comic history, and once you see the references you cannot unsee them.

The Comic Book Look Was Built From Ben Day Dots and 12 Frame Animation

The opening studio logos are depicted with Ben Day dots, which appear throughout every frame of the movie. The filmmakers wanted the film to feel like a living painting, as if you were walking into an actual comic book, so you see Ben Day dots and hatching lines throughout, both techniques older comic books used to shade images without using extra ink. Beyond the visuals, the animators had to build a new animation style. Standard film and most modern animated movies run at 24 frames per second, but for Into the Spider-Verse the animators doubled each frame to get 12 frames per second, the way old school animation was done. In their words, this gives the movement a crunchy and sharp quality so an image really has impact and burns into your memory the way a comic book panel does. Sony is reportedly trying to patent this animation technique.

The Comics Code Authority Stamp Is Not Just a Joke

The opening frames feature a stamp reading approved by the Comics Code Authority, a real set of 1950s guidelines meant to assure parents that comic books would not turn kids into criminals. Those guidelines forbid creating sympathy for a crime and required criminals to be shown suffering for their actions. Into the Spider-Verse actually abides by these old rules. Villains like Kingpin and Aaron Davis are shown with some sympathy, since their behavior comes from something deeper than pure evil, but their criminality never looks fun and they suffer a lot, so no kid is going to want to dress up as them for Halloween.

The Number 42 Haunts Miles Throughout the Movie

In the opening titles there is a Korean number 42 stamped on a spider and on the lottery ball for Miles being selected for his school, and later it appears as scattered numbers on a shattered street address sign. In the Ultimate Spider-Man comics, 42 was the number of the radioactive spider bite that actually worked on Miles. The number keeps reappearing throughout the movie almost like a curse whenever his new powers become a burden.

"Let's Do This One Last Time" Nods to Every Spider-Man Reboot

Chris Pine voices the Peter Parker of this Ultimate Universe, and he says the line "alright, let's do this one last time," which is repeated by every new Spider-Man we meet in the film. It is a nod to the endless reboots and reintroductions of Spidey over the years. Notice too that every time a new Spider-Man is introduced, the comic book cover on screen changes to credit the actual comic creators who made that character: Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli for Miles, Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez for Spider-Gwen, David Hine, Fabrice Sapolsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico for Spider-Man Noir, and Gerard Way and Jake Wyatt for Peni Parker.

This Is Earth-1610, and the Alternate Products Prove It

This first Spider-Man universe is from the Ultimate Comics, Earth-1610, an alternate dimension from the main Marvel universe Earth-616. That is why products have alternate spins, like Red X instead of FedEx, and Coca Soda instead of RC Cola. In the Ultimate Comics, Peter Parker actually dies and Miles Morales takes over, and here Peter has blonde hair, which could be a nod to the Ben Reilly Spider-Man from the Clone Saga. Peter's introduction montage references several moments from Sam Raimi's trilogy: the train rescue from Spider-Man 2, the upside down MJ kiss from the first film, the car flying through the window in Spider-Man 2, and the cringy pointing and dancing from Spider-Man 3.

Spidey O's Cereal, a Real Popsicle, and a Full Christmas Album

The cover of Amazing Spider-Man number 186 shows up, retitled True Life Tales. A girl is seen eating Spidey O's cereal, a nod to a real Spider-Man cereal from the 90s promoted with the 90s animated series, which also gets a shout out in the post credits scene. There is also a real Spider-Man popsicle, and an apartment Christmas album with titles like Spidey It's Cold Outside, Silent Night You're Welcome, and Spidey the Snowman, which pays off later when the school security guard chasing Miles is listening to that same album, voiced by Chris Pine himself doing a parody of Stringer Bell.

Miles Morales Gets a Very Different Origin Than Peter Parker

Miles, voiced by Shameik Moore, sings the song Sunflower, written specifically for this movie, and Moore even makes a cameo later as a Brooklyn bystander. Miles lives in Brooklyn, not Queens, and still has both parents. His father Jefferson Davis, voiced by Brian Tyree Henry, is an NYPD cop, and his police cruiser's license plate, RFD 960, is the same tag number used for the detectives' car in Law and Order. Miles' dad quotes the famous Uncle Ben line as "with great ability comes great accountability," a line that recurs throughout the film.

Great Expectations Sets Up Miles' Entire Character Arc

At Brooklyn Visions Academy, Miles is assigned Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, which sets up a running theme. Like the character Pip, Miles struggles to live up to the expectations of the elite new world he wants to join, with Gwen Stacy standing in as a version of Pip's romantic aspiration Estella. Miles defies those expectations with a graffiti book report of the word "expectations," foreshadowing the spray painted design he later puts on his own suit as he makes his literal mark on the world.

Doc Ock Is Foreshadowed Long Before the Reveal

In physics class, Miles watches a video from Alchemax featuring head scientist Olivia, later revealed to be Olivia Octavius, this movie's version of Doc Ock. Miles stands directly in front of her last name in the frame, and the number eight appears around her constantly, including her octagon shaped glasses frames.

Uncle Aaron's Apartment Is Full of Prowler Clues

Miles' uncle Aaron, voiced by Mahershala Ali, moonlights as the villain the Prowler, and his apartment decor features predator cats throughout, with a painting above the couch that appears to spell out "Prowler" in its skewed lettering. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Donald Glover plays a live action version of Aaron Davis, and Glover also voiced Miles Morales in an earlier animated series. The scene of Miles and Aaron together is scored by Biggie's "Hypnotize," a deliberate touch since Biggie was a famous Brooklyn rapper, reinforcing this Spider-Man's Brooklyn identity.

Kingpin's Collider Is Tearing Open the Multiverse

Kingpin, voiced by Liam Schreiber, oversees the Collider test that Spider-Man and Green Goblin, the monstrous Ultimate Comics version of the villain, are fighting over, with Prowler and later Tombstone joining Kingpin's crew. When the Collider activates, the interdimensional particles literally take the shape of Ben Day dots, showing the device tearing the fabric of different comic universes and spilling their ink together. A screen beside Kingpin lists the exact dimension numbers being linked: 1610, 616, 813, 90214, 1451-3, and 8311, corresponding respectively to Miles, Peter Parker, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker, and Peter Porker.

Peter's Death Triggers a Times Square Full of Jokes

As Peter enters the particle beam, the trippy interdimensional space he passes through could be a nod to the Web of Life and Death from the comics, the cosmic construct connecting the Spider-Man multiverse. After Kingpin kills Peter, Miles watches the world mourn in Times Square, which is loaded with jokes: a billboard for the movie From Dusk Till Shawn, a nod to a real unmade Edgar Wright pitch combining Shaun of the Dead with From Dusk Till Dawn, a Seth Rogen comedy called Hold Your Horses, a show called Clone College riffing on Clone High from Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, a Broadway ad for Tie Hello referencing Nick Kroll and John Mulaney's Oh, Hello, the New York Red Sox with Blake Griffin apparently on the roster, Planet Inglewood standing in for Planet Hollywood, signs for Bendis and Romita Ramen honoring Brian Bendis and John Romita Sr, a Redman Group parody of Blue Man Group, and a fake Snapchat app called Peekaboo, which I think is honestly a better name than Snapchat.

Stan Lee's Cameo Voices All of Our Grief

The mourning sequence leads to an animated Stan Lee running a Spider-Man collectible shop, where Miles buys his costume. Stan Lee says of Spider-Man, "I'm really gonna miss him," which basically voices all of our feelings about Stan Lee himself.

Peter B. Parker's Backstory Includes a TGI Spidey's and a Broken Back

At the grave, Miles meets Earth-616's Peter B. Parker, voiced by Jake Johnson, who says he has been at it for 22 years, compared to Chris Pine's Peter saying ten, meaning that Peter died at 26 while this older Peter has lived to 38. Peter B's montage shows him fighting alternate versions of Scorpion, Doc Ock, and the Lizard, blowing his money on a failed TGI Spidey's restaurant, and mentioning he broke his back once, which could be a joke referencing Tobey Maguire's real back injury from Seabiscuit that reportedly helped him negotiate more money for Spider-Man 2.

The Alchemax Lab Confirms Olivia Is Doc Ock

At the Alchemax lab, voiced by Kathryn Hahn, every ceiling light fixture and shape in the lab is octagonal, and a spare Doc Ock claw sits on a work table. Olivia's notebook contains the notes "X minus 8," and the missing digit of the password Peter signals to Miles is an eight. During the escape, Miles reveals he has invisibility powers, which along with an electric charge ability shown later are new powers the Ultimate Spider-Man gains in the comics.

Spider-Gwen's Rescue Echoes Her Own Comic Tragedy

Spider-Gwen, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, is shown drumming, referencing her band Mary Jane's from the comics. She fights the Lizard, who transforms back into human form and dies, and she says, "I couldn't save my best friend," referencing how in her comics Gwen Stacy's world's Peter Parker becomes the Lizard. Right before she is pulled out of her dimension, a Doc Ock claw reaches out for her, suggesting that by defeating this reality's Doc Ock, Spider-Gwen may finally be finishing that old battle.

Kingpin's Family Backstory and Aunt May's Spider Cave

A flashback reveals Kingpin's ex-wife Vanessa Fisk and son Richard Fisk, both drawn from his comic backstory and also seen in the Daredevil series. The team then heads to Aunt May's home, voiced by Lily Tomlin, who reveals Peter's high tech spider cave filled with references, including a Spider-Mobile from a 1970s toy-focused Spider-Man comic run, the gold lined Iron Spider suit from Civil War, the bulletproof Spider Armor MK II, a suit resembling the white logoed Secret Wars costume, the Big Time stealth suit built to counter the Spider-Slayer program, a caped suit referencing Amazing Spider-Man's What If issue 19 where Spider-Man became a TV star, and a suit resembling the recent Spider-Man PS4 game costume.

Noir, Peni Parker and Spider-Ham Each Get Their Own Animation Style

Aunt May introduces Spider-Man Noir from Earth-90214, voiced by Nicolas Cage, a gun-wielding hero from a darker 1930s world; Peni Parker from Earth-14512, voiced by Kimiko Glenn, who was adopted by Uncle Ben and Aunt May and pilots a mech she is telekinetically linked to; and Peter Porker, Spider-Ham, from Earth-8311, voiced by John Mulaney, a pig bitten by a radioactive spider. Each character's animation style shifts to match their comics, with Noir rendered in a monochrome Frank Miller Sin City style, Peni Parker in a bright Sailor Moon anime style, and Spider-Ham in a Looney Tunes style that moves like Porky Pig. As the team examines Kingpin's operation, the villain Hammerhead appears briefly but does not factor into the plot, while Scorpion later joins the villain team instead.

Miles' Phone Contacts Honor Real Comic Legends

When Jefferson searches Miles' phone contacts, the Easter egg names include D Cowen for artist Dennis Cowan, C McKenna for screenwriter Chris McKenna, T McFarlane for Spider-Man artist and Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane, and Steve Ditko, who co-created Spider-Man with Stan Lee and passed away earlier that year, tying into the post credits tribute to both men.

Miles' Final Leap Mirrors His Earlier Failure

After Kingpin's crew kills Uncle Aaron, the other spider people find Miles in his dorm, where his roommate, who never speaks, may be a version of Ganke Lee from the Ultimate Comics, the character Ned in Spider-Man Homecoming reportedly drew from. When Miles finally breaks free and takes his leap of faith, his triumphant "whoo" as he swings up deliberately contrasts his earlier terrified "aah" as he fell. As he swings into action he passes a neon sign reading Perry Joe, a nod to Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, who composed the opening music for both the 90s Spider-Man and X-Men animated series.

The Climax Nods to Daredevil and 2001: A Space Odyssey

In the final battle, floating debris from the crashing dimensions gives the spider heroes plenty of surfaces to swing from, and a red water tower and Brooklyn Bridge appear near Kingpin, which could be nods to the red soaked opening imagery of Netflix's Daredevil, where Kingpin was the main villain. Miles defeats Kingpin using Uncle Aaron's signature hand on the shoulder move, using the wisdom of the uncle he lost to avenge that same uncle, a full circle beat that echoes how Luke Skywalker uses Obi-Wan Kenobi's remembered wisdom against Darth Vader after Vader kills Obi-Wan in Star Wars. A later shot of interdimensional webbing lingers a few seconds longer than expected, which reads to me like a nod to the psychedelic long take point of view shot from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

My Verdict on Into the Spider-Verse

The film ends by bookending Miles' journey, showing him complete the same steps every Spider-Man before him has gone through as he becomes the star of his own corner of the Spider-Verse. There is also a post credits scene introducing Spider-Man 2099. I love Tom Holland's version, Civil War, and Homecoming, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 is one of my all time favorite superhero movies, but between the visuals, the design, and the joy of all these spider people interacting, I think this might be my favorite Spider-Man movie ever.

Where does Into the Spider-Verse rank against the other Spider-Man movies for you, and which cinematic Spider-Man is your favorite?