Well, here’s some news you weren’t expecting for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2.
Since the sequel was announced, fans have been hypothesizing about how the series could go forward. After all, the very concept of the ‘Spider-Verse’ means unlimited potential for great stories. And great characters as well.
If a recent Twitter interaction with one of the movie’s head honchos is anything to go by, we may have our first new character reveal. And who is this Spider-Verse 2 character, you ask? Why, it’s the Japanese Spider-Man, of course!
For you Spider-Verse fans with raised eyebrows, the Japanese Spidey is Takuya Yamashiro. This version of the character starred in a 1978 live-action series exclusively in Japan, which lasted 41 episodes. It was not until 2009 that English viewers could see the show, when Marvel uploaded the series to their website.
This unexpected news came when Kubo and the Two Strings creator Shannon Tindle joked to Phil Lord on Twitter that she would “happily design” Japanese Spider-Man if the creators decided to use him for Spider-Verse 2. Lord, who is working on the sequel alongside Christopher Miller, simply replied, “He’s designed”.
He’s designed!
— Phil Lord (@philiplord) November 5, 2019
Needless to say that this has caused quite a buzz around the internet. And although Tindle has since tweeted that this is not a confirmation, the chaos has already ensued.
Given that the Spider-Verse Powers-That-Be used the somewhat obscure Peni Parker in the first movie, it wouldn’t be uncharacteristic of them to put Yamashiro in Spider-Verse 2. Hell, they even put in Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham! It seems you don’t know where they could go with this series, considering the countless possibilities.
Whether or not the Japanese Spidey will play a significant role in Spider-Verse 2 is another question, should he be included. Despite being voiced by big-time actor Oscar Isaac, Spider-Man 2099 was relegated to a mere after-credits cameo in the first film.
Would you like to see the Japanese Spidey in Spider-Verse 2? If not, who else would you like to see in the sequel?
