Spider-Man fans are already celebrating the sequel to the beloved Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse, as the newest installment, blows up the internet. But some sharp-eyed animation fans are also buzzing about a certain easter egg in the already dizzying array of crossovers seen in the first look.
The first film utilized a vast array of different Spideys from around the multiverse, including Gwen, as well as an adult (and pretty down on his luck) Peter Parker, Spider-Man; Noir, and, of course, The Amazing Spider-Ham. Many of the characters all already slated to appear in the upcoming sequel. But the new trailer introduces an Easter Egg which alludes to an entirely different type of hero.
As the trailer opens, with Gwen Stacy aka Spider-Gwen visiting a grounded Miles Morales at his parents’ apartment, viewers are treated to several views of Miles’ childhood bedroom, much of which is filled with his old toys. In a blink and you miss it moment, one of them is revealed to be a wooden moose. While the reference may be lost on some, the toy will be instantly recognizable to fans of another project from Spider-verse directors Phil Lord and Christopher Millers’ project, Netflix’s The Mitchells vs. The Machines.
The moose toy, which belongs to Mitchells’ protagonist, Katie Mitchell is a definite shout-out to Lord and Millers’ former work. The Mitchells vs. The Machines, was, like the Spider-verse titles, a Sony Pictures project but was not given a 2020 theatrical release as planned due to the Covid Pandemic. The movie rights were then purchased by Netflix and became a surprise hit for the streaming service when it was finally released in April of this year.
Although The Mitchells vs. The Machines has generated a fairly intense fandom it’s probably not popular to the point where we will be seeing a Katie and Miles team-up anytime soon. But given Lord and Millers’ ability to think outside the box there is always a possibility, however slim, at least another Easter Egg being hatched.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) will be released in theaters in October 2022.