Spider-Verse 2 confirms the MCU isn’t Earth-616 after all


An image of Miles Morales fighting The Spot in Spider-Verse 2

Sony Animation’s upcoming webhead sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has changed what many fans know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Technically not connected to Disney’s MCU, Spider-Verse 2 has a lot to say about the massively popular movie franchise.

In the newest trailer for Spider-Verse 2, Oscar Isaac’s Miguel O'Hara (Spider-Man 2099) comments on the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. In the short clip, the futuristic superhero reveals that the MCU universe is not what Disney has claimed it to be.

In the trailer, Miles Morales introduces himself to O’Hara whilst he rants about multiversal issues. At this moment, the superhero mentions the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, assigning a new universe number to the Marvel movieverse.

“Don’t even get me started on Doctor Strange and that little nerd from Earth-199999,” the character shouts at Miles.

Obviously, the character is referring to the events of No Way Home, which saw Peter Parker accidentally pull in villains from across the history of live-action Spidey films. However, O’Hara’s designation of the MCU universe is not what Marvel themselves have assigned it as.

In the past, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige claimed that the MCU was set in Earth-616. As many comic fans know, 616 is the main universe of the Marvel Comics, a universe that is still ongoing. In fact, Feige himself appears as a movie producer in the 616 universe.

However, many fans have fought hard against this universe designation for the movie franchise. Fans, including Ms. Marvel actress Iman Vellani, have stated that the MCU should be designated Earth-199999.

It’s never really made any sense for the MCU to be set in Earth-616. While it may be a loose adaptation of that comic universe, that would never really play well with the Spider-Verse movies. For example, Insomniac’s Spider-Man appears in Spider-Verse 2, a character that has already interacted with the real 616 Spider-Man.

Spider-Verse 2 is already looking like a massive expansion over the first movie. However, most importantly, it hasn’t appeared to have lost its heart.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse releases in cinemas on June 2nd, 2023.

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