Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse opened a myriad of possibilities. Not only did the animated superhero flick succeed in ways nobody expected, but it opened up a whole multiverse of its own. And in setting up said multiverse, the film allowed for unlimited potential regarding the Spider-Characters we could see in future films.
Indeed, there’s been copious talk about potential cameos from past Spider-Men for Spider-Verse 2. From Nicholas Hammond to Christopher Daniel Barnes, the internet rumor mill is continually spinning. But who are the Spider-Men we really want to see? Who else should join Miles Morales on his web-slinging adventures?
Read on, true believers, as we count down the top five Spider-Verse 2 cameos we want to see in Into the Spider-Verse 2.
5) Neil Patrick Harris (from Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, 2003)
This is perhaps the unlikeliest on the list, given Spider-Man: The New Animated Series is oft-forgot. However, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make this fan’s dream. Harris is underrated in the role of Peter Parker, exuding the awkward nerd aspects of the character while giving him likable humor. And when he’s Spider-Man, Harris proved he could handle the hero’s constant banter incredibly well.
The animation in the show is often mocked by modern fans today. There’s a good argument it hasn’t held up well, but this is all the more reason to include 2003’s Spidey in Spider-Verse 2. By implementing Spider-Ham and Peni Parker with their idiosyncratic art styles into the original, Phil Lord and Chris Miller added a great deal of surreal humor to the film. The conflicting art styles merely added to the awesome absurdity of the action. This would be no less effective regarding 2003’s Spider-Man, whose awkwardly stiff animation could be utilized for many a joke in the movie.
4) Shinji Todō (from Japanese Spider-Man, 1978-79)
Okay, okay, so this one isn’t hypothetical. In fact, it’s been teased by Phil Lord that Japanese Spider-Man (AKA Takuya Yamashiro) is, in fact, appearing in Spider-Verse 2. This continues the creative team’s affinity for introducing relatively obscure Spider-Man characters into a mainstream film. If relatively unknown characters like Spider-Ham, Peni Parker and now Takuya Yamashiro are viable options for Spider-Verse, then there’s hope for the other items on this list, too.
The cool thing about Japanese Spider-Man is how quirky and different he is compared to other Spider-People. While his suit bears striking similarities to Nicholas Hammond’s Peter Parker, he has other tricks up his sleeve. For example, he has a spaceship that morphs into a 200 ft robot named Leoparon, allowing him to take out larger enemies Megazord-style. It’s as crazy and cheesy as you’d imagine! As such, it offers plenty of opportunity to depict hysterical, humor-filled action sequences in SV2. That, and the fact that Yamashiro dons his suit via a magic watch rather than put it on himself would fit in with the Spider-Verse’s meta-humor extremely well. Now they just need to cast Shinji Todō in the role and provide English subtitles (like Peni Parker) to really put the cherry on top.
3) Nicholas Hammond (from Spider-Man, 1978-79)
He’s the first live-action Spider-Man so what better way to honor that than including him in Spider-Verse 2? Hammond was by no means the quintessential Peter Parker for many fans, but he was the first to portray him as the every-man college student from the comics. As for his Spider-Man, his utility belt and single web-shooter are oft-derided in today’s superhero movie landscape. Imagine if Hammond’s Spidey was forced from his universe and into Miles’s, where he’s no longer up against the human foes of his universe, but must deal with super-villains of the likes he has never before dealt? There’s a lot of potential for humor here.
Hammond has already gone on record as saying he’d be up for reprising the role. He doubted he’d play a college-age Peter Parker ever again, but with animation, all he needs to do is provide the voice. The visuals can do the rest.
2) Josh Keaton (from Spectacular Spider-Man, 2008-09)
For the fans who grew up with it, Spectacular Spider-Man is the definitive Spider-Man cartoon. Inevitably, therefore, it’s Josh Keaton’s voice they hear when they read the pages of a Spidey comic. The series and its star are so beloved, fans are yearning for a revival even to this day.
Alas, if we can’t get a Spectacular Spider-Man revival, we can at least get a cameo. Keaton has already said he’s down to reprise the role and his Spidey would fit in snugly within the Spider-Verse. Keaton brings a lot of charm and humor to the character, especially during super-villain fights.
In fact, his Spidey is so good, it’s hard to imagine what the Spider-Verse 2 writers could lampoon. Well, the character design was victim to criticism prior to the show’s release so perhaps that could be a starting point? Regardless, it’d be cool to hear Keaton voice the wall-crawler once again.
1) Christopher Daniel Barnes (from Spider-Man: The Animated Series, 1994-1998)
For many 90’s-born millennials, Christopher Daniel Barnes’s Spider-Man is the Spider-Man. Barnes effectively portrayed Peter Parker’s every-man qualities in his role, exuding his dual identity struggle, relationship frustrations, and compassion. Meanwhile, as Spider-Man, Barnes delivered the web-head’s mid-fight banter naturally and humorously, evading the cheese of his predecessors. It helped that Spider-Man: The Animated Series is the first cartoon to take Spidey seriously, giving him the three-dimensional traits that make him so beloved in the comics.
Having Barnes’s Spidey in Spider-Verse 2 is a stealth opportunity to close the dangling plot thread of his show – did Spider-Man find Mary Jane? Also, since the 90’s Spidey already has an established means of inter-universe transportation via Madame Web, writers already have a clear way to introduce him in the movie (and a good excuse to bring Madame Web into the action?). Where humor is concerned, the writers can definitely parody the stiff animation and recycled animation of 90’s Spidey’s show.
That being said, what are your thoughts? Do you agree with this list or are there other cameos you’d like to see in Into the Spider-Verse 2? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.