The long-awaited sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is finally here, and believe it or not, it may be possible for moviegoers to get even more excited about it than they already are. For one reason or another, these 10 movies and TV shows have a lot in common with the themes, plots, and character arcs found in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
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Whether they portrayed interdimensional travel, alternate versions of the self, were delightfully mind-bending, or had fun attempting to answer deep questions about the greater nature of humanity and did so in a wonderfully weird and sophisticated way.
10 'Rick and Morty' (2013-)
Rick and Morty is certainly no stranger to having characters interact with different versions of themselves from alternate universes. In fact, The Citadel of Ricks, a city-state made up of all the different Ricks and Mortys (Justin Roiland) from varying timelines and dimensions, feels eerily similar to the headquarters of the elite team of Spider-Men dedicated to protecting the multi-verse seen in Across the Spider-Verse.
Much like the film, the Rick and Morty writers and animators have a lot of fun playing with all the things that Spider-Man can be, whether it be a pregnant motorcyclist, a cowboy, or an animal.
9 'Counterpart' (2017-2019)
This show takes a far more minimal approach to the subject of the multiverse, tackling just one other instead of many. Much like Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) when he encounters Miguel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac), series protagonist Howard Silk (J.K. Simmons) meets a version of himself that's very different.
Compared to himself, Silk's dopplegänger is far harsher, colder, and more violent, yet incredibly impressive and capable of commanding the respect of those around him. Both projects attempt to answer the question of why and how did these two selves become so different.
8 'The Umbrella Academy' (2019-)
No television show has taken an uncomfortably realistic look at the ramifications of allowing children and teenagers to become superheroes quite like The Umbrella Academy.
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Much like Spider-Man, the Hargreeves siblings struggle not only with the life-and-death situations and hindrances on their mental health that come with the job but being able to maintain stable, loving personal connections with others. Aside from that, this series also showcases creatively choreographed fight scenes, different versions of its characters, and especially time travel.
7 'Moon Knight' (2022)
Another project is about a Marvel superhero starring Oscar Isaac as the titular hero, a man with Dissociative Identity Disorder who must work with his meeker alter to stop a dangerous cult leader from unleashing chaos on the world.
Much like Miles in Across the Spider-Verse, the alter of Steven Grant questions his very existence and place in things when he learns that he's not the only one of his kind out there and was arguably never really meant to exist.
6 'The Flash' (2014-2023)
Like so many other superheroes, series protagonist Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), AKA The Flash, has many encounters with alternate selves and timelines where things are either night and day different or only slightly off, including the different versions of himself.
Just as soon as Barry comes into his own and makes a name for himself as a superhero, the series has a lot of fun exploring these various worlds Barry's super speed enables him to travel to, allowing for a lot of fun crossovers and character interactions, much like the ones in Across the Spider-Verse.
5 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)
Talk about Spider-Men meeting Spider-Men. In this film, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is desperate to go back to before his civilian identity was revealed to the world so that he may have some semblance of a normal life.
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The only solution, it seems, is to have Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) alter reality, which results in two of the previous actors who portrayed Spider-Man coming into the fold to help Holland's Parker save the world. If the Across the Spider-Verse teaser is to be believed, Miguel O'Hara does not approve of their meddling in time and space.
4 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' (2018)
Who can forget the film that started it all? This was the audiences' grand introduction to a quirky cast of lovable characters that would quickly take route in their hearts, like Miles, Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld).
The film also introduces viewers to versions of Spider-Man they probably thought they'd never see, like a black and white noir detective, a young girl in a biomechanical suit, or an anthropomorphic pig named Peter Porker voiced by John Mulaney.
3 'Everything, Everywhere, All at Once' (2022)
This is undoubtedly one of the best and weirdest movies to grace the screen in decades. Fans of the Spider-Verse franchise can appreciate all its elements in common with this film.
From the goofy costumes worn by the even goofier cast of characters, eye-catching fight scenes, jumps from universe to universe, and the emotional moments that still hit hard even all these years later. Much like Across the Spider-Verse, it seems like there's nothing about this film that should work, and yet it all comes together beautifully.
2 'Happy Death Day' (2017)
Happy Death Day has some surprising similarities to Across the Spider-Verse. This is the story of a young woman who finds herself experiencing a situation that defies the laws of physics, forcing her to try to navigate her situation and survive a dangerous enemy coming for her. It's not unlike the circumstances Miles Morales finds himself in.
But it's not only the science fiction elements that it has in common with Across the Spider-Verse, but it also shows this person struggling to deal with a terrible loss amidst the chaos happening around them, something the character of Spider-Man has always been familiar with.
1 'The Spectacular Spider-Man' (2008-2009)
This series may not have lasted long, but it certainly left an impression on the truest Spider-Man fans out there, who hail it as one of the best series centered around the character ever.
Everything about this show and its titular hero is Spider-Man at its finest with its top-notch writing, exploration of deep, mature themes, and a stellar performance from its lead Josh Keaton as Peter Parker. In fact, it's a role that he happens to reprise in Across the Spider-Verse.
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