Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Is 'Not Tied Into The MCU' Despite That No Way Home Reference
Officially speaking, the upcoming "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" does not take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is where Tom Holland's Peter Parker lives. Unofficially? It seems a little complicated. The trailer for the upcoming sequel to "Into the Spider-Verse" has Oscar Isaac's Spider-Man 2099 making a direct reference to the events of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," seemingly connecting the animated universe occupied by Miles Morales to the MCU. However, co-director Kemp Powers is here to pour some cold water on the situation.
Powers recently spoke with SFX Magazine ahead of the release of "Across the Spider-Verse" next month. For those who may need a reminder, Miguel O'Hara references "Doctor Strange and that little nerd back on Earth-199999" in the trailer, a clear nod to "No Way Home" and the MCU. In addressing that topic, Powers explained it as follows:
"The world of Miles Morales and Spider-Verse, it's not tied into the Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything like that. But this is a [Phil] Lord and [Chris] Miller film. We like to have a little bit of fun, we like to be a little bit meta and to acknowledge the world in which we are creating these stories. That's the best way to explain it."
Is it ever just having fun when you're making a reference to one of the biggest movies of all time, where all three live-action Spider-Men met each other? Even if it's just a throwaway line, the implications of that line still exist. So this situation just got a little more interesting. Perhaps it's just that, for legal reasons, the filmmakers can't say the film is connected to the MCU. So be it.
What's really going on here?
Disney and Marvel Studios have been pretty militant in keeping the main MCU separate from what Sony has done with movies like "Venom" and "Morbius." The only reason "No Way Home" got away with including references to Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock/Venom at all is because that film was produced by Sony. Aside from that, everything Sony does exists apart from the MCU. To that end, Powers explained that they didn't make that little nod in conjunction with the brass at Marvel Studios:
"This isn't something where we did anything in conjunction with Marvel. Miles's universe, trust me, there's plenty to work with. That gag is one of many, and my favorite gag is one that people don't know about yet. But I think when they see it, they're going to be pretty stunned. It's a serious film, but it's also a film with a lot of fun in it."
Whatever his favorite gag is, all of these MCU references have to be done in an unofficial capacity, it seems. To that end, Powers wouldn't confirm or deny rumors that Tom Holland's Peter Parker is going to appear in a live-action segment of the film. Fortunately, audiences won't have to wait much longer to see what's in store for themselves.
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is set to hit theaters on June 2, 2023.