Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is finally coming back, and it brings a whole lot of new Spider-Man characters to the big screen. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse was a massive hit, and was the first non-Pixar film to win the Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is set to feature many new Spider-Man variants and a whole new villain that fans will be familiar with if they've seen Marvel's Spider-Man. The Spot has been featured in many Spider-Man storylines in both comics and animated media.
However, not much is known about him. Who is The Spot? How would he affect the larger scope of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
Jason Schwartzman voices The Spot in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Who is The Spot in Marvel comics?
The Spot is a prominently Spider-Man villain in Marvel comics. He accumulated a number of multidimensional spots of dark energy all over his body after an experiment went wrong.
Formerly known as the scientist Dr. Jonathan Ohnn, the villain worked for Wilson Fisk, a.k.a Kingpin. While trying to control the powers of dark energy through experiments, he managed to open a portal to the Darkforce dimension.
While that went horribly wrong and the whole city was destroyed, Dr. Ohnn gave into the temptation of stepping into an unknown dimension. He did it so he could salvage whatever he could and keep the portal to the Darkforce Dimension open.
Once he came back out, he was covered in spots of dark energy, which gave him a dalmatian-like look. He can open portals to any dimension in the blink of an eye, which makes him one of the strongest Marvel villains ever.
He is the perfect Spider-Man villain, but his multi-dimensional nature gives him an undetectable presence. Spider-sense is useless against him for this reason. Moreover, he can instantly teleport his opponents before a fight even begins. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will explore the character in all glory.
Jason Schwartzman as The Spot in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Actor Jason Schwartzman is the voice behind The Spot in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The actor is popular for his roles in The Righteous Gemstones, Fargo season 4, and Scott Pilgrim vs The World.
He's in great company as well, since actor Oscar Issac is making a comeback in the series as Miguel O'Hara, or Spider-Man 2099. Oscar Issac's casting has a lot of fans excited, as the actor also plays Marvel's Moon Knight.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will show him as the main villain. Given that the sequel is all about multi-versal travel, The Spot is the perfect villain for this. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will essentially increase the scope of the Miles Morales saga like no other.
When was The Spot first featured in comics?
The Spot made his debut in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #97, December 1984. However, he was unnamed in the issue. Created by writer Al Milgrom and artist Herb Trimpe, The Spot found his rather simple but apt name in the very next issue of Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man.
His first confrontation with Spider-Man was a success. After Black Cat and Spider-Man confronted Kingpin, The Spot interfered and announced himself. However, Spider-Man was left giggling on the floor in reaction to his name. The Spot emerged victorious as the duo underestimated him and told them to leave Kingpin alone.
The second confrontation, however, was for Spider-Man to win, as he realized that his portals were a limited resource and could be used against him. After The Spot used too many portals as projectiles on the duo, he was left with no one to defend himself, and Spider-Man defeated him.