Highly unlikely that they’d ever actually be together or work together in WWII because of timeline and continuity constraints. But I’m just wondering about what would actually happen in a universe where they did find themselves alongside one another? In a fight against Red Skull and maybe even bigger threats. What would their team dynamic look like and how effective would they actually be?
I was rewatching both Spider-Verse movies, and I ended up brainstorming something that I felt like sharing with you guys. I'm not really an avid fan or deep consumer of the movies/comics, so if I get any details wrong, feel free to correct me.
Anyway, I have two theories that kind of connect together. One is much more grounded and based on the themes of the movies, while the other one has basically no evidence and is more of a fun "what if" idea. I think the second one works better when combined with the first, though.
(Some of these ideas may have already been discussed before, I honestly don't know because I haven't gone too deep into the community yet. If someone has already had similar thoughts, feel free to mention them.)
Theory 1: The universe cares about the role being fulfilled, not necessarily who fulfills it
This one is the more grounded theory. A big part of Across the Spider-Verse is Miguel's belief in canon events. His interpretation seems to be that certain things have to happen in a specific way, with specific people, otherwise reality breaks.
But I wonder if Miguel is misunderstanding what "canon" actually means. What if the universe doesn't care about the exact person or exact event, but instead cares about the purpose behind the event?
Basically: the universe cares that it happens, not necessarily who does it.
The first movie already shows something similar with Miles defeating Kingpin.
Realistically, other Spider-People could have fought Kingpin and possibly won. Peter B. Parker was much more experienced than Miles and probably could have handled the fight better.But the story doesn't choose him. Miles is the one who defeats Kingpin because the important event isn't just "Kingpin loses." The important event is that Miles becomes Spider-Man.
The universe didn't need the strongest Spider-Man there.
It needed Miles to take that step. Even if Peter B. stayed behind and defeated Kingpin, Kingpin probably wouldn't have been permanently dealt with because Spider-Man doesn't kill. Peter B. would eventually have to leave because of his glitching, meaning Miles would still have to become the Spider-Man of that universe and deal with the consequences. The story always seems to curve back toward the same destination.
Another thing that makes me question Miguel's theory is Miles himself.According to Miguel, Miles is an anomaly because he was never supposed to become Spider-Man. But Miles doesn't glitch. His universe accepts him.
The spider that bit him was "wrong," but the result became real. Meanwhile, Spider-People from other universes glitch because they are physically somewhere they don't belong.
This makes me wonder if the universe isn't rejecting Miles because he is an anomaly. Maybe it already recognizes him as Earth-1610's Spider-Man. A similar thing happens with Earth-42 Miles. The Miles who was supposed to become Spider-Man doesn't become Spider-Man, but he also doesn't become some completely different person. He still becomes someone who protects his city, just through a different path.
Maybe destiny in Spider-Verse isn't a straight line.
Maybe it's more like a river. The path can change, but the story still reaches the same destination.
Theory 2: 1610 Peter was supposed to become Cosmic Spider-Man
Now this one is definitely the more wild theory, and I don't really have evidence for it, but I think it is fun.
Throughout the first movie, Miles' Peter is repeatedly shown as one of the best versions of Peter Parker.
He is incredibly experienced, successful, and respected. But more importantly, he is shown to be extremely pure-hearted.
The biggest example to me is when he meets Miles.
Before the mission, before escaping the collider, before anything else, his first instinct is to comfort Miles. He sees a scared kid who happened to be there, and he chooses to help him emotionally before worrying about the bigger mission.
He also immediately trusts Miles with the responsibility of saving everyone.
In contrast, Peter B. Parker is still heroic and selfless, but his introduction shows that he is much more reluctant.
He is more cynical, more broken, and less willing to immediately put his faith in Miles. Peter B. even says that he was "perfect," not just because of his appearance, but because he had his life together.
That's why I think if 1610 Peter survived, he would have been a potential candidate for something like Cosmic Spider-Man.
Usually when characters get huge cosmic upgrades, it isn't just because they are powerful. It is because they represent the ideal qualities needed for that role.
1610 Peter feels like someone who had already reached the highest version of being Spider-Man.
He wasn't learning how to become Spider-Man.
He already was.
So narratively, the only place left for him to go would be beyond the normal Spider-Man role.
The reason this connects with the first theory is because it creates an interesting possibility:
Maybe the universe lost the Spider-Man who was "supposed" to reach that level, but it didn't lose the possibility itself.
Maybe Peter was the most obvious path toward becoming something greater, but not the only path.
Which leads back to Miles.
Because Miles' entire story is about proving that he doesn't need to follow the exact path that came before him.
If Miles eventually became something like Cosmic Spider-Man, it would basically complete the message of Spider-Verse.
Peter would represent the perfect Spider-Man who could have reached that future.
Miles would represent the Spider-Man who was never supposed to exist, but reached that same destination anyway.
I think this is also why Spider-Verse feels so meta.
The entire trilogy is built around comic book ideas: canon, legacy, alternate versions, different interpretations of the same character.
Miguel represents the idea that a character has to follow the established story.
Miles represents the idea that a character can change the story and still remain true to what makes them special.
Comic books themselves work this way. Different writers change things, different universes exist, different people take up the same mantle, but the core idea survives.
I'd like to hear your thoughts, and again, if I missed something or made a mistake, feel free to correct them. I invite you guys to have a discussion.
Edit: In addition to theory 2, I also believe that a form of cosmic Spiderman may potentially happen because there's a great chance that Spot will become a multiversal villain.