Popverse's top stories

• The Expanse TV series was such a positive work experience that crew members left other shows to return, says Thomas Jane
• Star Wars boss steps down: Kathleen Kennedy leaves Lucasfilm after 14 years, Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni to become studio president
• Bridgerton Seasons 1–3 recap: Everything to know before Season 4’s release

The multiverse has a spider infestation, and it’s one of the best things to ever happen to Marvel. Spider-Verse is a comic, a movie, a concept, and one of the most consequential things that has happened to the Spider-Man mythos in decades. Inspired by the final episodes of the 1994 Spider-Man animated series and the Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions video game, Spider-Verse was a 2014 comic book storyline that dared to ask what would happen if every Spider-Man variant across the multiverse came together.

What is the Spider-Verse, who are the important players, and how does it work? If you’re pondering these questions, Popverse has you covered. Let this guide serve as your atlas to navigating Marvel’s Spider-Verse and its arachnid inhabitants.

What is the Spider-Verse?

The Spider-Verse is a multiverse full of different Spider-Men. There’s a universe where Gwen Stacy became Spider-Man (or Spider-Woman) instead of Peter Parker, a universe where Spidey is a sitcom character, a universe where he’s made of spiders, and a universe where Spider-Man is a dinosaur. Sometimes a Spider-Verse story will be a self-contained anthology tale set in one of these universes, such as Marvel’s Voices: Spider-Verse #1. Other times, a Spider-Verse story is an epic crossover (such as the 2014 comic book storyline) where multiple spider-heroes from across the multiverse join together to defeat a common enemy.

What is the Web of Life and Destiny?

The Web of Life and Destiny is a web-like structure that connects the destinies of the various spider-heroes in the multiverse. Each strand represents a spider-hero’s destiny, with each decision taking the strand in a new direction. This means that destroying or manipulating parts of the Web can have a fatal effect on their lives. Spider-Man and the other Spider-Verse heroes have used the web as a central hub to travel to other realities.

The Web of Life and Destiny is located on Earth-001, where it is guarded by a being known as the Master Weaver. The Master Weaver spins and maintains the Web of Life and Destiny until they die. After their death, a new spider-hero or totem assumes the title of Master Weaver.

Who are the Inheritors?

The Inheritors are a group of hunters who travel through the multiverse to eat spider-totems. In other words, they tour the Spider-Verse, devouring any hero with a spider-themed identity or spider-powers. They eat spider-totems by draining their life force, leaving their bodies a shriveled and empty husk.

Solus is the patriarch of the Inheritors, and his son Morlun is one of Spider-Man’s deadliest foes. In fact, during the storyline Spider-Man: The Other, Morlun ate Spider-Man’s eye and briefly succeeded in killing the hero (he got better).

Who are the most important characters in the Spider-Verse?

There are hundreds of Spider-Man variants and villains in the Spider-Verse, and it would be nearly impossible to keep track of them all. However, if you’re curious about the major players, here’s a brief breakdown. Aside from the various spider-heroes (like Peter, Miles, and Gwen), these are the most important characters.

• Master Weaver – The protector of the Web of Life and Destiny. Master Weaver is a mantled passed down from spider-hero to spider-hero. The current Master Weaver is a young woman who once went by the name Spider-Zero.
• Madame Web – A former Spider-Woman who now serves as a psychic. Madame Web helps Web Weaver oversee the Web of Life and Destiny.
• Morlun and the Inheritors – A group of villains who feed off the psychic energy of the spider-heroes. The Inheritors hunt down spider-heroes across the multiverse and are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Spider-Man variants.
• Karn – A former Inheritor who betrayed his family and helped protect the Web of Life and Destiny as Master Weaver.
  
  

What are the most important universes in the Spider-Verse?

There are hundreds of realities in the Spider-Verse, and we don’t have enough space to catalog them all. However, here is a brief index of some of the most important universes.

• Earth-001 – Nexus of the Spider-Verse, and home of the Web of Life and Destiny.
• Earth-616 – Home of the mainstream Spider-Man and the Marvel Universe.
• Earth-1610 – The Ultimate Universe. Home to Miles Morales before he migrated to Earth-616 after the world was destroyed in Secret Wars.
• Earth-65 – A world where Gwen Stacy was bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter Parker. The primary setting for many of the Spider-Gwen stories before the character migrated to Earth-616.
• Earth-982 – A world where Peter and Mary Jane’s daughter grew up to become Spider-Girl and the setting of Marvel’s MC2 stories.
• Earth-90214 – The home of Spider-Man Noir and other 1920s inspired Marvel heroes and villains.
• Earth 8311 – A cartoon world of anthropomorphic Marvel heroes. Home to Spider-Ham and countless other animal heroes like Captain Americat and Hulk Bunny.
  
  

What about the Sony Animated Spider-Verse films?

Sony’s Spider-Verse films are set in a separate continuity from Marvel’s Spider-Verse comics. Some of the rules established in the films don’t apply to the comics. For example, in the Spider-Verse movies the spider-heroes must wear interdimensional wristbands to prevent them from “glitching” when they’re in other universes. The comic book characters don’t have this problem and can move between worlds freely.

While the Spider-Verse movies are inspired by the comics and use many of their characters, the animated films tell an original story not based on what was done in the comics. As of this writing, the Inheritors and Madame Web, two major elements in the Spider-Verse comics, haven’t appeared in the films.

Sony’s animated Spider-Verse saga began with the 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and continued with the 2023 sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The third film, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, is currently set to be released in 2027.

What’s next for the Spider-Verse?

As of this writing, Marvel Comics hasn’t announced any plans for another Spider-Verse crossovers. However, the concept is popular, so don’t be surprised if another Spider-Verse event is announced, especially in the lead-up to the 2027 film Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

The most recent Spider-Verse event was the 2025 limited series Spider-Verse Vs Venomverse. As the name implies, the limited series featured a multiverse war between the heroes of the Spider-Verse and the symbiotes of the Venomverse. The event ends with the symbiote known as Spider-Venom convincing both sides to co-exist instead of trying to destroy one another.

As for cinema, the next Spider-Verse movie, titled Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, is currently set to be released on June 18, 2027. The film was originally set to be released in March 2024, but production suffered numerous delays, in addition to the 2023 Hollywood strikes. A spin-off film starring Spider-Punk is also in development.

On the television front, Nicholas Cage will be reprising his role as Spider-Man Noir for an upcoming MGM+ streaming series. The live-action series will consist of eight episodes, with black and white and color versions available. The series is set to premiere in 2026.

Marvel's most reliable superhero has proven he can do a whole lot more than just 'whatever a spider can.' Swing into Spidey's history with Popverse's...

• Best Spider-Man comic books 
• Spider-Man movie watch order
• Spider-Man's actors, ranked
• and the Spider-verse explained!

Just watch out for that radioactive blood.