Marvel and Sony’s sequel to the incredibly successful Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse finally hit theaters this week, bringing together an even more variants of our favorite wall-crawler. Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and Peter Parker are back to take on a multiverse-level threat, but it might not be the big climactic conclusion fans expect.

While the first film revitalized our interest in comic book movies, gave the superhero genre a gorgeous new flavor, and introduced thousands of new fans to characters like Miles Morales, its sequel made a grave mistake that will bite it right in the critical response.
The Spider-Verse Stops

WARNING: Spoilers for Across the Spider-Verse from this point!
Across the Spider-Verse incorporates the Multiverse and jump-points made famous by the MCU, there’s even a reference to Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness during the stylish battle with the Vulture, and that allows for some very stellar visual storytelling. The film continues down this trail of exploration and introduces us to an army of Spider-Men, but the third act stops quicker than Turn Off the Dark.
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Without going into the thick of the film’s laws of the Spider-Verse, the third act is concerned with returning Miles to his home reality. Instead, he gets sent to the universe of the spider who bit him, meaning that there is one reality where Spider-Man doesn’t exist.

It’s revealed that a universe where Miles doesn’t become Spider-Man forces him to become the Prowler, assuming his uncle’s mantel. Once that’s revealed and Spider-Man comes face to face with his evil alter-ego and his allies jump into the portal to save him, the film stops. Not end, just straight-up stops with a “To be continued…” panel slapped on the screen.
If that ending sounds absolutely insulting and unsatisfying, you’re not alone. Peter Parker dissolving into ash after the Thanos snap was much preferable to an ending with tons of build-up and no payoff. Frankly, it’s an insult to fans of Marvel movies.

It’s not the fact that the film ends on a cliff-hanger that’s so infuriating, but rather it halts mid-action and leaves the audience without a conclusion. While that might work in a comic book, movies are a different medium, and it leaves the potential third movie feeling like a blatant cash-grab.
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Across the Spider-Verse is a gorgeously made film, absolutely stunning, and it’s bound to win some awards. However, audiences have not been in the realm long enough to deserve a cliff-hanger ending while there is still plenty of elements, visuals, and Spider-Variants waiting to be explored. In short, it’s a cop-out from Marvel and Sony and fans deserve better.
Were you upset at Across the Spider-Verse? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!