“Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” Said Trans Rights

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse just unveiled its second official trailer, and at least one of the many friendly neighborhood wallcrawlers is championing trans rights. Soon after the trailer dropped, eagle-eyed fans spotted a pro-trans poster in the bedroom of a main character.

It’s a brief moment toward the end of the trailer, but the message is clear. Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) is shown in what appears to be her bedroom looking at a polaroid of herself and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). On the wall in the background is a poster bearing the slogan “Protect Trans Kids” over the Trans Pride flag. Gwen ominously says in voiceover, “I can’t lose one more friend.”

The first film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, pushed the traditional Spider-Man cannon in a variety of ways. It introduced movie-goers to Miles Morales, the first biracial Spider-Man, making him the star of his very own film. Along these same lines, Gwen Stacy—one of the original comic book “women in refrigerators”—not only gets to survive but takes on the role of Spider-Woman (or “Spider-Gwen”), the primary superhero in her own alternate timeline.

Of course, the trailer also gives us our first full look at the sequel film’s plot. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse begins with Miles trying and failing to balance his personal life with his superhero duties. Along the way, he encounters The Spot, a supervillain with the power to open up portals at will. Gwen Stacy arrives to help, and she takes Miles to a place called The Lobby, an interdimensional meeting place for Spider-People throughout the multiverse.

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Unfortunately, one of the Spider-Men, the grizzled Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), has his own ideas for how the group should be run. He seems to emerge as the central villain, with subsequent clips showing Miles and Spider-Man 2099 engaged in repeated battles.

The first movie was a critical and commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film for Sony Pictures Animation and winning Best Animated Feature Film at the Academy Awards, The Golden Globes, and the Critics’ Choice Awards. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will release in theaters on June 2, 2023.