Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: The End of Credits Scene, Explained

Just like any comic-book movie worth its salt these days, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse closes out by teasing something bigger, badder, and bolder to come. But also like Samuel L. Jacksons iconic first cameo as Nick Fury at the end of Iron Man a decade ago, this little gem for Spider fans both new and old came together at the last minute. Here, the filmmakers take us behind the scenes of this new Spider character and what his appearance means for the future of the franchise. Warning: if youre concerned about spoilers, see the movie before reading any further.

When Marvel screened Into the Spider-Verse for a number of comic-book writers and artists, a single, booming cheer kicked up when, after the credits rolled, a caption flashed: “Meanwhile, in Nueva York” and a black-suited Spider-Man came into view. As long-time Spider-Man writer Dan Slott recalled: “Peter David. You could hear him from the back: Yeeeeeeaahhhhh!” David co-created Miguel OHara a.k.a. Spider-Man 2099, back in 1992, and the Into the Spider-Verse directors figured he was just the hero to take audiences swinging into the future of the franchise. On a wing and a prayer, they asked Oscar Isaac to voice the role.

“We were blown away that he said yes,” co-director Rodney Rothman said. “Sometimes you just have to ask. The worst they can say is no.” The directors said this same fearless tactic landed them the voice talents of Mahershala Ali as Miless Uncle Aaron just one week after the actor had won an Oscar for Moonlight in 2017.

The end of credits scene opens with a female hologram named Lyla (Greta Lee) giving Miguel the low-down on some multiverse-threatening events afoot. In the comics, Lyla is to Miguel as J.A.R.V.I.S. is to Tony Stark. Though on the page shes styled very alluringly in quasi-Grecian muse mode, Lyla gets a funky, futuristic update for Into the Spider-Verse, including pink sunglasses and a fur coat.

Miguels mission, should he choose to accept it, is to travel through the multiverse and gather as many Spider-People as he can in order to save the day and prevent the multiverse from collapsing. (Not too far off from Nick Furys mission to assemble the Avengers.) That has some tantalizing prospects for a future team-up, no? Unlike Gwen, Noir, Ham, Peni, and Peter Parker, who were unwillingly ripped out of their universes by Kingpin in Into the Spider-Verse, Miguel is given a wristband that would allow him to be the first character to be able to travel through the multiverse autonomously.

According to Bob Persichetti, Miguel wasnt the only candidate for this post-credits gig—but his appearance came about largely because fans were very vocally disappointed to learn that OHara wasnt part of the central Into the Spider-Verse team: “Everybody is champing at the bit to see him.”

In the post-credits stinger, as Miguel sets out on his mission to round up Spider-People, he decides to go “back to the beginning” and lands smack-dab in the middle of an Internet-famous scene from the 1967 Spider-Man animated TV series. In the episode “Double Identity,” a villain attempts to impersonate Spidey, leading to a scene in which two Spider-Men wind up pointing at each other—each declaring himself to be the true hero. Decades later, a very useful Internet meme was born.

PlayStation recently took advantage of the familiar double Spider image to promote a new patch for its very popular Marvels Spider-Man game as well.

Into the Spider-Verse plunks OHara into one of the Spider spots, while Spider-Man stalwart J. Jonah Jameson gets a cameo as a bystander observing the pointing match. This prompts a policeman to exclaim—both in that original show and in this post-credits stinger—“There cant be two Spider-Men!” Its an especially incorrect statement to make after Spider-Verse, a film premised on the multiplicity of Spider-People. Will Oscar Isaacs Miguel be back for more adventures? Theres no guarantee, but never say never. “It felt like a continuation of what we had done already or an expansion of it,” director Persichetti said, “and I think its just like unlimited potential.”

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