Film Legacy: Alternate Universes

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Name: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Released: 2023-06-02
Duration: 140 min
Rating: 8.3
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson

"It's how you wear the mask that matters."

Released June 2, 2023 2h 20m ★ 8.3TMDB ○ Optional

After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse's very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must set out on his own to save those he loves most.

Watch note

Miles takes on the Spider-Society across dozens of universes. Ends on a cliffhanger, with the concluding film not yet dated.

Outside the MCU A Sony Pictures Animation production, made outside Marvel Studios, so it belongs to a separate continuity. It's listed here because it shares characters with the MCU — whether you watch it is up to you.

Why It Matters in the MCU

A sequel that expands its predecessor's visual thesis — each universe rendered in its own distinct medium, so the multiverse is legible to the eye rather than explained in dialogue. Its narrative argument is sharper than the first film's: that the 'canon events' every Spider-Man is told they must endure are a story about fate versus agency, and that Miles refusing them is the point. It ends mid-sentence, which is a real structural cost, and the wait for resolution has stretched years past what was intended.

Where It Fits in the MCU

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse sits at position 22 of 165 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Legacy: Alternate Universes era. It is rated Optional — can be skipped without losing the main thread. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.