An upcoming Spider-Man film may feature a South Asian version of the web-slinging superhero.
Return to the Spider-Verse: The unannounced first look at Sony’s animated film “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)” caught fans by surprise with its release on Sunday, confirming the return of major characters and also hinting at the arrival of at least one new hero.
- The sneak peek begins with a short interaction between returning characters Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy from the 2018 film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”
- The following scenes then jump to Miguel O’Hara, (Spider-Man 2099), who appears to be chasing after Morales across various multiverse portals.
- As the two characters move through different dimensions, some eagle-eyed fans spotted Easter eggs referencing another version of the web-slinging superhero who was part of the original “Spider-verse” comic.
Tease of a teaser: Multiple hints peppered throughout the first teaser indicate the possible on-screen debut of Pavitr Prabhakar, an Indian version of Peter Parker, reported Hindustan Times.
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- Prabhakar, who made his first comic book appearance in 2005 via “Spider-Man: India #1,” was not directly referenced nor actually spotted in the teaser.
- However, social media users have shared screenshots of scenes showing Morales passing through the alternate universe of Earth-50101, where Mumbai-based Prabhakar acquired his spider-inspired abilities from an esoteric yogi.
- Multiple texts written in Hindi can be seen on billboards and comic panels throughout the teaser’s fast-paced sequence.
While India’s Spider-Man played a significant role in the “Spider-Verse” comics storyline, he was not part of the first “Spider-Verse” film. Both Sony and Marvel have yet to confirm whether the references to Prabhakar are just an homage to a popular character or hint at a cameo, a small role or something bigger.
Featured Image via Sony Pictures Entertainment
