The most shocking plot twist in “Across the Spider-Verse” happens when Miles discovers that he has jumped to the wrong universe. After evading Spider-Man 2099 and his Spider-Men army, Miles steps into a machine and seemingly returns to his world. He immediately runs to his mother, who notes the difference in his hair and demeanor. She also mentions that she has no idea who Spider-Man is because the character doesn’t exist in this realm. Moments later, Miles’ uncle Aaron appears, startling our hero. Eventually, we learn the truth when Aaron attacks Miles and ties him to a punching bag, bringing him face-to-face with his alternate self.
Visually, the filmmakers hint at the twist by presenting the sequence in darker color tones. We obviously know something is amiss when the deceased Aaron shows up, but the creepy atmosphere, heavy shadows, and the character’s strange behavior intensify our fears. At one point, Aaron wears a Prowler claw and strikes the boxing bag, causing the animation to slow down and make us truly feel the impact. We’re watching a comic book come to vivid life here, folks. This is the kind of thing you don’t take for granted.
When alternate Miles arrives, revealing himself to be the actual Prowler, his overall look is harsher — shorter hair, darker complexion, and less emotion on his face. These simple, but effective visual cues lead to an amazing cliffhanger and fuel our desire for the third film to arrive as quickly as possible.
