'Spider-Verse' Character "Caked Up" On Purpose

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) had many unique visuals and moving parts that required individual focus. Apparently, one of those parts was specifically about one Spider-Person’s butt.

spider-rex in across the spider-verse — Credit: Sony Pictures

Across the Spider-Verse has so many things going for it but one of the most significant factors is how many different Spider-People there are, including Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), Spider-Woman/Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Spider-Cat, Spider-Rex, and even appearances from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Every single character stood out in the film, with many of them getting specific focus during the animation process. This included Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), who received a director’s attention to ensure that he would have an incredible butt.

‘Across the Spider-Verse’ Director Dedicated To Making Miguel O’Hara a “Thirst Trap”

Miguel O'Hara judgmentally looking forward with Lyla on his shoulder — Credit: Sony Pictures Animation

Across the Spider-Verse directors Kemp Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos, and Justin K. Thompson recently sat down for an interview with Collider, where they were asked if any fan reactions particularly surprised them. Dos Santos quickly responded with, “Miguel’s butt,” offending Thompson.

“I’ve got to push back on that. I actually feel a little offended because I put myself in charge of making Miguel the thirst trap.”

A "caked up" Spider-Man 2099 getting stared at by Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy — Credit: Sony Pictures Animation

Thompson continued, “From day one, I said, ‘I’m on butt duty. I wanna make sure his butt is as tight as possible. I want close-ups. I wanna get the camera there, and I want him to turn. I want his back to the camera when we first introduce him so you can really appreciate it.’ So, no, I was not surprised.” That being said, he was “surprised by how far it went.”

Despite one director being dedicated to “butt duty,” it was still challenging to get the character to the screen, specifically because producer Phil Lord had “an aversion to overly-muscular characters.”

Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O'Hara) looking back on a train with his claws out — Credit: Sony Pictures Animation

Dos Santos elaborated:

“I will say, we did struggle with having a character as physically robust as Miguel. That was a thing because I think Phil [Lord], especially, has sort of an aversion to, like, overly muscular characters. We were like, ‘This Spider-Person is different. He’s not like the gymnast, he’s like the bodybuilder. He’s got to be big.'”

Thompson laughed along with the other directors, saying, “I think Phil must have been picked on by bodybuilders at some point because, like, we had to convince him it’s okay for him to have muscles.” Fortunately, Lord relented, and fans were gifted the best booty in Spider-Man history.

Who is your favorite Spider-Person? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!