Why can’t Miles Morales join Spider Society in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? There will be major spoilers for the film ahead.
After a lengthy delay, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is finally in theatres, in all its animated glory, showing off the different Spider-People in the multiverse, introducing new organizations and a villain so deadly but so goofy no one can take him seriously. It’s packed full of references to not only other Spider-Man things but also other films and universes.
The main group in the film is called Spider Society and is led by Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). It comprises many different Spider-People and Spider-Animals, and they all work together to protect the multiverse.
As soon as Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) finds out about this group, he immediately wants to join them, but he’s repeatedly told that he can’t. We explain why below.
Why can’t Miles Morales join Spider Society in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
When Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld) visits Miles at his home, she tells him that she’s been recruited by this elite strike force called Spider Society, made up of all the best Spider-People, which Miles wants to join. Gwen initially says that the places are fully booked, so Miles can’t join. He follows Gwen back to their H.Q., where he meets the leader, Miguel O’Hara. Miles again asks to join the group, and Miguel says he can never join.
There are two reasons Miles can’t join. First, Miles was never meant to be Spider-Man. The spider that bit Miles wasn’t from his universe and was meant to bite a different person.
It was transported to Miles’ universe by scientist Johnathon Ohnn while performing multiverse experiments for Kingpin. Therefore Miles himself is an anomaly, being in the wrong multiverse.
Spider Society don’t see Miles as a true Spider-Man; to them, he’s just an accident.
The other reason is that when Miguel explains that Miles’ dad has to die in a climactic battle because otherwise, it will destabilize the multiverse, Miles doesn’t want this to happen.
He says he must save his dad no matter the cost. As Spider Society disagrees with this, it puts them at odds with Miles for the rest of the film.
What is Spider Society in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
Spider Society is introduced in Across the Spider-Verse, and it’s vastly different from the comics version. In the film, Spider Society is a group led by Miguel O’Hara, Spider-Man 2099, and is made up of the Spider-People and Spider-Animals from across the multiverse.
Their job is to protect what’s known as canon events, things that must happen in order to keep the multiverse stable. If these events are disrupted, then it could destabilize the multiverse. They also ensure everyone is in their correct universe, labeling anyone who isn’t an anomaly.
They’re similar to the TVA from Loki, protecting the multiverse instead of the Sacred Timeline and sending anomalies back to their correct universe instead of erasing them.
In the comics, Spider Society is a secret society founded in 1099 A.D. as a cult that worshipped totems of multiversal beings created by the spider goddess Neith, like The Great Weaver, the Gatekeeper, and the Other.
Spider Society also raises Hunters to fight their enemy, the Sisterhood of the Wasp. They’re incomparable to how they’re shown in the film, with the name being the only thing that remains the same.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in the MCU?
While not confirmed to be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), the film makes several references to it that indicate the film might be. The first reference is when Miguel yells, “Don’t get me started on Doctor Strange and that little nerd back on Earth-199999!” This refers to the multiverse shenanigans that happened in Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Earth-199999 being the main Earth in the MCU.
There are also references to both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s versions of Spider-Man, with them being played to show Spider-Man 2099’s points in the film. This would mean that they’re part of the Spider-Verse, and, as they’re considered canon in the MCU, Across the Spider-Verse would also be part of the MCU.
Finally, is the appearance of Donald Glover’s Aaron Davis in his Prowler costume. While just a cool cameo in the film, Donald Glover appeared as the same character in Spider-Man: Homecoming. How he wound up in Nueva York isn’t explained, but it’s likely to do with the multiverse shenanigans of No Way Home.
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Article by Kieran Burt
Kieran Burt joined Ready Steady Cut back in October 2022, bringing plenty of knowledge in various universes, including Star Wars, DC, and the MCU. Kieran is also a freelance journalist with a postgraduate degree in Magazine Journalism from Nottingham Trent University in 2023. He’s also a qualified NCTJ journalist.
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