Who is the Spot? Across the Spider-Verse

The plot of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse mainly focuses on Miles Morales’ conflict with Miguel O’Hara and the rest of the multiversal Spider Society. With O’Hara spending most of the film’s climax trying to squash Miles under his clawed fists, it’s easy to forget that the film’s true main villain is the Spot, a well-established Spider-Man villain with a surprisingly deep history within the web-slinger’s mythos. Here’s everything you need to know about the Spot and his role in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Who is the Spot?

In Spider-Man comics, the Spot is the supervillain moniker of Dr. Johnathan Ohnn, an MIT graduate and scientist who came into the employ of the Kingpin. Tasked with inventing a way to replicate the abilities of Cloak, a young superhero who can open portals to the Darkforce Dimension, Ohnn developed a machine designed to recreate Cloak’s powers. One night, Ohnn stepped into an interdimensional gateway created by his machine and was transported to a dimension that coated his skin in polka-dot-like portals that he could manipulate at will.

Deciding to use his newfound powers to pursue a life of crime, Ohnn abandoned his former identity and soon encountered Spider-Man, who broke down in a fit of laughter upon hearing the villain’s name. However, the Spot proved to be a surprisingly worthy foe, using his portals to attack Spider-Man from a distance and turn the Wall-crawler’s blows back at him.

In the decades since his debut, the Spot has become one of Spider-Man’s regular foes, with various writers portraying the villain as either a joke or a serious threat. One of the Spot’s more prominent appearances was in the 1994 animated Spider-Man television series, which portrayed the villain as a sympathetic figure who ultimately sacrificed himself to stop one of his out-of-control portals from destroying reality.

Related: All Voice Actors in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: Full Cast Explained

What is the Spot’s Role in Across the Spider-Verse?

In Across the Spider-Verse, the Spot’s personality and backstory are very similar to those in the comics. One of the scientists who developed the Super-Collider that triggered the events of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the Spot was accidentally coated in multiversal radiation and gained his signature ability to create and manipulate portals.

Unable to find a job because of his appearance, the Spot is forced to use his new powers to steal food and money. During an attempt to rob a convenience store, the Spot is confronted by Miles, and their fight inadvertently sends the two into an interdimensional nexus connected to every version of the Super-Collider that exists across the multiverse. Realizing he can get stronger by absorbing the energy of the Super-Colliders, Spot sets out to become all-powerful and take revenge on Miles by killing his father.

Like many of Across the Spider-Verse’s other plotlines, the outcome of the Spot’s vendetta is left unresolved by the film’s cliffhanger ending. This means we’ll have to wait until Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse releases next year to see if the Spot creates Miles’ “Canon event” by taking the life of one of the young web-slinger’s loved ones.