The Kingpin was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's big bad, so whoever comes next obviously has big shoes to fill. It was recently confirmed that The Spot will take centre stage in next year's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, a surprise considering he's a C-List villain at best.
Still, that obscurity opens the door to a fresh spin being put on the character, and our first look at the villain made it clear that The Spot will be a formidable foe for Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen.
Talking in the video below, director Joaquim Dos Santos explained the thought process behind choosing this bad guy. "Pretty early on we knew the Spot was going to be our main villain. Without an awesome villain, who you sort of can understand with their through-line, you don’t really have a strong story for your main character. So he's an awesome sort of opposite to Miles."
"And his living ink really is just, I think we've all been saying, it's not just an effect," he continued. "It's artistry come to life. It's something that can only really happen in animation."
"You can imagine Spot as a dude in a sock suit in a live-action Spider-Man film. It’s not going to work. It’s just not going to work. So he’s art come to life. He’s the inkwell spilled on the page. It all goes back to sort of comic books and comic book art."
Co-director Kemp Powers added to that, praising the unique visuals The Spot brings to the table and teasing how he'll factor into proceedings. "That’s not a costume, that’s his skin. It's not a guy in a polka dot suit. That's actually his skin. So you know, the arc of Dr. Ohnn Spot is one that does really complement, without giving away the story, the journey of Miles in this film really well."
Jason Schwartzman will lend his voice to The Spot in this sequel, joining an impressive cast that includes Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, Oscar Isaac as Spider-Man 2099, Hailee Steinfeld as Spider-Gwen, Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, Issa Rae as Spider-Woman, Jorma Taccone As The Vulture, and Shea Whigham as Captain George Stacy.
In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Miles returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga for an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.
The movie is set to be released in theaters on June 2, 2023.