Miles Morales’ Spider-Verse returns in a “horrific” prequel

While many fans are eager to see Miles Morales’ Spider-Man again in Beyond the Spider-Verse, the superhero universe will expand with a brand new project, titled The Spider-Within.

After Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, another incarnation of the Ride-on is very popular with fans. This is obviously Miles Morales, played by Shameik Moore in the animated films Spider-Man: New Generation (2018) and Across the Spider-Verse (2023).

This is why many fans are eagerly awaiting Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is none other than the final part of the trilogy centered on Miles Morales. A third opus which is currently in production, and for which we do not yet know the release date.

However, audiences will be able to see Brooklyn’s Spidey again sooner than they thought thanks to the new short film The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story. A new spin-off project which is a sort of “horrific” prequel highlighting the difficulties he faces.

The Spider Within, directed by Jarelle Dampier, will show the young superhero in a new light as he struggles to balance his life as a son, a student and Spider-Man. The film follows him on a particularly difficult day where he suffers a panic attack and begins to see horrifying manifestations of his anxiety.

Dampier explained his decision to place such a family-friendly character in a horror situation to The Wrap, saying: “My favorite genre is horror. I think it’s the perfect envelope to convey big messages, especially to a younger audience, and I think it’s something we’ve gotten away from for a long time. But I think if you take a character that kids really love and you put him in a thrilling situation, I think they get a lot out of it.”

The director added that, when discussing what his short film was about with those around him, most people believed that Miles would definitely suffer from these types of mental health issues because “he seems to be that kind of child. But we never got to have that slice-of-life moment because the films are so great and excellent and breathtaking. I think horror is just one of those wonderful genres that you can use to get intimate and find out what really motivates this character, what scares them, and what they’re going to do to get out of it. I love that.”.

Naturally, fans wanted to know if The Spider Within had any real connections to any of the Spider-Verse films and, while Dampier neither confirmed nor denied any direct connections, he did confirm that the short- footage includes several easter eggs which should please fans.