Why The Spot’s Transformation Is So Effective (A Character Study)

[@sarcasticat6979]

I LOVE how the Spot's eldritch form looks like it's not 3D at all, but hand-painted/scribbled frames. The whole Spiderverse franchise has inklings of traditional 2D animation here and there but with Spot it genuinely feels like he was 100% hand painted. I don't know if that's the case but I hope it is. Even if it's not, making a 3D model appear so fluid and morphing and scribbly is probably waaaay harder than it looks. Kudos to the animation team for pulling it off

[@jellymatsuryuka6853]

ITSV and ATSV use 3D models with 2D texture and tricks, it's very possible that they made the normal 3D model for him but then went completely ballistic on the 2D aspect.

[@DeadPixel_]

the person who has never heard of anti-spiral, in his natural habitat

[@sarcasticat6979]

@@DeadPixel_ The person who can't tell the difference between animation technique and character design, in his natural habitat.

[@DeadPixel_]

@@sarcasticat6979 i cant even remember what you were praising him for, bur anti-spiral is identical in both of those

[@sarcasticat6979]

@@DeadPixel_ The comment is right there, reread it if you can't remember. Spoiler: it had nothing to do with Anti-spiral.

[@believer2]

It's terrifying how Spot went from "Please let me rob you" to "I'm gonna take everything from you" in one film

[@MoonWielder]

One thing I noticed about Spot is that he looks familiar with the mural Miles spray-painted in the first movie. I don't know if that was intentional, but it would be great foreshadowing if it was.

[@ghosttoast824]

I noticed that too, and I am also wondering if it was foreshadowing or not. Considering how clever the writing for this movie is, I would say that it was foreshadowing, but hey, who knows 🤷‍♂️

[@nugget3687]

I don't think it was meant to be foreshadowing originally, but I definitely think it was used as inspiration for this transformation.

[@Pejay3]

@@nugget3687 yea probably

[@projectstoicism]

@@ghosttoast824 I'd say it was as they have the spider glitching, showing in 2018 that it was from another dimension. Then they had the last scene of Into Spider-verse is Gwen opening a portal and saying "got a minute?" Which happens in the sequel too.

[@FaQueue]

@@projectstoicism yeah, Miles' graffiti very well could mean something else or be a "it looks cool" kind of thing but a movie franchise like this is very intentional with its details so I'm more inclined to think it was a foreshadowing

[@garbage8790]

The Spot is the scariest villain I’ve seen in a WHILE. In the start, he’s shown in a fairly sympathetic light, turning to a life of crime in order to scrape by, he slowly loses his humanity until by the end he’s an unrecognizable monster. It works so well since it shows that a real ‘villain’ isn’t created by one freak accident or something, they start off like us but slowly fall from grace. Anyone could become like the spot in that sense. Bear in mind, this movie pulls it off in about 10 MINUTES of screen time. And for it I think I just barely prefer him to Miguel, but only just barely.

[@thenormie]

What works for him imo is that at first you feel bad for him but you can’t the entire time. It’s good to make a villain one with feelings and depth but when you make it too forgivable or reasonable, he’s no longer a villain, just an antagonist or opposer to the hero.

[@goldenlotus3046]

@@thenormieI feel the greatest villain is one who is no different than the hero themselves. Just on opposite sides. People are too afraid to make villains human. Especially Disney. They have to always character suicide and do something they normally and naturally would never do, so we don’t align with them. It’s bad story telling imo. There’s no such thing as true villains, who are “evil” simply for the sake of being “evil” and have no motivation besides to take over the world. Every villain is a victim in their own right….and most believe they are the heroes….and you can make an argument they are, in their own way. Thanos is the greatest example of this. He was a warlord and a tyrant….but held resolve in his mission. He knew all will die because of over population and the only option was lower the number of mouths that needed to be fed. Was even willing to put himself on the chopping block for the betterment of all. He sacrificed everything for his spiritual mission to save the entire universe. His view might have been twisted but to say he wasn’t a hero would be the same as saying punisher isn’t a hero. And if he never went on his crusade…..if he never snapped his fingers….if half of earth’s population didn’t get dusted…EVERYONE would have died when the celestial is born. His actions literally saved everyone.

[@thenormie]

@@goldenlotus3046 I agree to an extent and I know it’s not what you’re saying but like sometimes the whole “hero but evil” thing gets tiring like Iron Monger, Reverse Flash, etc. like they’re good and I like them, but after time it’s just too much Though to be honest, I still think that there are people that are just messed up. Not from trauma or anything like that. Just completely unhinged without reason. There’s not many but I do believe they exist.

[@thenormie]

@@goldenlotus3046 imo the best villain is one that can’t be the hero. Close but not. Otherwise it’s just one team vs another which is not a bad thing by any means and is definitely one of my favorite types of rivalry but hero is saving and villains are destroying. The Spot wants revenge from his life being ruined and while that’s understandable and he is a victim in a way, what’s he’s doing isn’t accomplishing anything and that’s why I think he’s a very good villain. To compare with my other example, Reverse Flash isn’t saving anyone. He’s a victim but he’s also just taking it too far. You could say that he’s playing his part in the timeline or something ig tho. Then there’s like actual demented evil like some adaptations of Megatron (where he just straight up evil, not trying to fix Cybertron) and in some ways the Fallen. When I say goes too far, I mean like Electro. He’s a victim and it’s totally understandable that he’d wanna kill spider-man and stuff, but he also just wants to be loved. Neither hero nor villain, just a broken guy. Again that’s not hero vs villain to me.

[@goldenlotus3046]

@@thenormie yeah but even the most unhinged people and psychotic/sociopathic people…..are still people. I think that’s what’s lost on most. Like even joker himself…..is still human. And has the heart of a human. He simply had one bad day which made him twisted and deranged and gifted him a higher sanity than everyone else that he sees how meaningless everything is, and makes it his sole purpose for existing simply to bring people in on the joke. ;P joker is for sure the most villainous villain there is. But Batman refuses to kill him, because even the joker is a victim. Even joker is still human. And it’s not Batman’s place to decide who lives and who dies. What upsets me the most, is when antagonists who are more in the grey area and not necessarily villains or evil….make some random uncharacteristic decision out of no where ONLY because the studio is too afraid of the audience agreeing with them. Like the flagsmashers in falcon and the winter soldier and how the girl bombs a building randomly killing tons of innocent people. Which completely goes against her philosophy and goals. She suddenly is now a terroristic murderer just so she’s not too likable. Even though the entire show never built her story in a way for her to organically come to that decision. Complete 180 just so we don’t agree with them and they remain in the role of the “evil villain”

[@grayanddevpdx]

The Spot is a very clever twist villain as you know he’s an enemy, you just don’t expect him to be THE enemy.

[@keemian]

everyone really thought he was just another villain of the weak

[@Tuskbumper]

@@keemian because he really is. Spot is literally a bottom barrel villain with a unique gimmick. Once he got stronger did he really pose a bigger threat.

[@daniellejackson6543]

​@@TuskbumperBetter not say that so loud spot might hear you.

[@No-yu9jj]

@@Tuskbumper just saying. portals are busted,

[@lucabestea6844]

Yeah, I thought he was a side-villain and they kept the big bad away for a theater surprise, but now: DON'T EVER FORGET THAT THE VILLAINS ARE ALSO PEOPLE AND YOU SHOULD NEVER LAUGH AT THEM!

[@stormhought]

one I loved about the Spot, is how his voice doesn't feel like it's coming from any source, like how when miles or anybody else is speaking, you can tell it's him speaking, but the Spot's voice is more so a blanket over all the sounds of movie.

[@MiyaMam948]

Yeah in the art book they were going to have his holes acting like an eye or a mouth but in the finished product they pretty much made him entirely blank except for his body movements. Bold choice. Though at one point he does eat food through a mouth hole, his jaw never moves, his brow never moves, his face is completely static as he speaks except for the unrelated movement of the holes on his body. I love it. It would’ve been so easy to make his face holes act like eyes and a mouth but they made his entire face static

[@Eagercheetah20]

One line that comes to mind when i rewatch the spot transformation scene is the quote from syndrome from the first incredibles movie is “see now you respect me, because I’m a threat” and to me that quote fits so well is because at first miles sees spot as a joke and says “he’s barely a villain of the week” and now when miles starts to “respect him” spot has become a huge multiversal threat that can’t be seen as a joke villain anymore and like mr incredible miles sees the spot as a very dangerous villain who is gonna destroy his New York and kill his dad

[@angelvollant864]

The thing about the way Spot acts is that he's the villain equivalent of Spider-Man. Think about it. Most superheroes are super serious and talk the same way, and Spider-Man is the complete opposite, always joking around in the middle of a fight. He's always being underestimated for his "childish behavior" and tossed aside. Spot is the same. In a world where every single villain takes themselves too seriously, Spot initially was joking around. He wasn't evil, he wasn't even mean to anyone. Even in a fight, all he said when Miles disrespected him was "you left me in the middle of a fight! You don't do that to your nemesis". Not in a hateful way, just in a "I feel hurt by the way you treat me" kind of way. But Miles keeps underestimating him, just like he himself is always underestimated, and then Spot snaps. He and Miles are one and the same.

[@mrcritical6751]

To be fair Mr Incredible didn’t really need to respect the kid who’d been bothering him all day at a fan club meeting, stalked him around the entire city, broke into his car, inturrupted an active crime scene and refused to listen to him at any point even when litterally sat beside the result of his short sightedness

[@MrImastinker]

Exactly. Like, in their final confrontation, Miles says "You're not a joke!" But it's obviously a last-minute plea, motivated by desperation above all else. And Spot knows that. Like Syndrome, he recognizes there's only one way Miles will get the message. Not by respect. But by *fear.*

[@Eagercheetah20]

@@MrImastinkeryeah and the spot got what he wanted in the end and hopefully miles can stop him in beyond the spider-verse

[@pancakes8670]

The Spot really is a modern version of Syndrome huh?

[@wubwubdododo5656]

One neat detail i like that forshadows the Spots status as Actually Not just a villain of the week, is that during his first fight with Miles, we get this small super-quick montage of Miles taking out villains of the week with the same uppercut-like punch, but when he does that same punch to Spot, it gets redirected back at him.

[@BitrateBilly]

That's the best part too, unlike the other bad guys in the previous film and this one who were basically getting their shit rocked by miles and the spider people, spot was keeping up with miles the ENTIRE time, he just didnt understand how to use his abilities and was somewhat clumsy.

[@velocityninja]

The way the Spot went from bread falling out of his stomach to summoning a portal to swallow 3 incoming Spidermen without even looking back was an insane way to show how much of a threat he has become.

[@reaperthebot4814]

Now he can swallow buildings whenever tf he wants 💀

[@SnakeEater776]

And thats before reality just starts to naturally collapse around him

[@rancorious7785]

Man was straight up Mahito

[@The_Thatcher]

The spot has so many damn layers, He’s like a living sentient version of the collider to the extent his theme song is EXACTLY that of the collider from the first film, the inescapability of taking responsibility to those you’ve wronged even if it was a mistake, the way he fills the hole with “More holes” which even that has some pretty tragic meaning to, the fact his design is that of a character layout sketch in the scene where he begins to realize his potential, and the way he isolates miles to further antagonize him. He’s all over the place, and if he is in one place he can still attack you even if you can’t see him, LITERALLY AND METAPHORICALLY!!! He’s already one of if not my top favorite Spider-Man villains!

[@huguy23]

What i also like about the spot is how his transformation makes alot of sense. In the begging of the movie he is taken as a joke because he doesn´t have much control of his powers and doesn´t have much experience as a villain either, but after he realizes his full potencial he then becomes a real threat to the entire multiverse

[@anonymanonymus4706]

Who could guess that 4 scenes of a single character that I never heard about is enough to make one of my favorite villains and one hell of a cliffhanger?

[@applepie1272]

Death from Puss n Boots 2, bro has 3 scenes

[@anonymanonymus4706]

​@@applepie1272 Bro is good too, but he didn't make me save money for Puss In Boots 3.

[@BibHalili]

​@@anonymanonymus4706honestly Death would have been a better name Except for The Spot

[@Mecha_phant0m]

A really underrated moment for him I feel is when he’s done glimpsing the other universes and realizing he can’t do more powers after his spots are out. Theoretically he could have just ended there, he would still be a completely pale and faceless man but he also was removed from the powers. He could have gone on to possibly live a normal life again, but his bitterness and resentment fueled him to push forward and destroy. “ you made me feel empty, like I had a hole in me. Well the solution was to fill it up, and what better to fill a hole with then more holes!?”

[@PokemonkaDub]

The thing about Jonathon is, you can't help but feel bad for him, and just bang your hed over the wall with every step he takes into the deep-end. Dude got disfigured, basically disabled in many regards and got NO SUPPORT from anyone in his life just laughs and disgust ("my family won't even look at me"). He started obsessing over Spider-Man and the idea of "fate" because that would give that accident, that terrible thing that happened to him a meaning. A source, other than "wrong place - wrong time" or "well you got unlucky". It won't be just a tragic thing he needs to deal with on his own (like all spider-people have their "canon events" that have a deeper meaning to their "stories") and then even Spider-Man, that person that he sees his fate connected to, the most important part of his puzzle, the only one who can help him find any sense in all this just ignores him like everyone else - or even worse with a total disrespect not only to him as a villain but also as just a person (while Spot is nothing but polite throughout the entire movie, kind to strangers, even if they are freaked out by him, and even other Spider-People = complementing them throughout the fight). If Miles just listened (not trying to have his cake and eat it, poorly balanding his personal life with his Spider-Maning) he'd realise that this guy needs HELP and all the mess could've been avoided. The scariest part of Spot is that he's just a nice dude, who got warped by terrible events and people in his life lacking kindness. It's super tragic, and scary because it all just feels so.... unfair.

[@ghosttoast824]

This is a really good analysis, thank you for this comment

[@flaremations2693]

@@ghosttoast824 I still feel so bad for The Spot, you too?

[@ghosttoast824]

Yeah, he really was a product of an unfortunate situation, so you do have to feel kind of bad for him

[@lavendercanine]

That's a perfect analysis of his character!

[@lProN00bl]

The thing great about spot is his motivation changes BECAUSE of Miles. At the start, he's not targeting MIles, he's just stealing money out of desperation since he can no longer get a job. And he tries to be somewhat moral about it without escalating to violence. Then Miles comes, starts openly mocking him, and as Spot is trying to explain himself, attacks him because he wants to get this over with. All while consistently mocking him, then leaving him for the police like a "villain of the week".

[@knikolins]

Yep

[@mr.nobody2858]

That's kind of similar to Pixar's Incredibles. With Bob pushing away Buddy/Syndrome at the times he saw him. And when he gets him arrested and sent him, this makes his opinion of Bob and superheroes change for the worst. Similar to how you yourself explained how The Spot was trying to explain himself to Miles, only to get mocked, called a villain of the week and didn't take him seriously. And it is similar in the way Buddy tried to explain himself to Bob but he ignored him and tossed him away. I hadn't noticed the detail you noticed until I drew a connection between The Incredibles and Across The Spider-Verse. I know both movies are very different but the connection is still similar. Thanks for telling me and anyone willing to read this detail!

[@theye29]

​@@mr.nobody2858rhat also explains how peter could "defeat" spot, he helped him instead of treating him like miles, but miles was inexperienced with the whole canon multiverse thing and thete he goes, an almost unstopable multiversal treat

[@mr.nobody2858]

@@theye29 Exactly, Miles may be the stronger version of what you would have for regular Spider Men but what Miles lacks as you said is the experience. Kinda similar to another hero from DC, The Flash/Barry Allen, does kind of the same as Peter does with Spot. Peter like Barry Allen, knows that there is a whole other side to the villains he takes down so he tries to help them similar to Flash. I’m not saying both these men are the exact same but that they both do things a bit similarly. It goes to show how valuable experience doing this shit can go and how inexperience can cause a whole other chain of events that could take a turn for the worse

[@ONEPEAKFRFR]

The spot fully proves what I've always believed in. There's no such thing as a bad story or character its all about who's hand is on the pen. There's been many difrent versions of the spot over the years and only now has he truly been done right not because the other writer's sucked but because now he has all the time he needs to shine thanks to writer's who understand and appreciate he's character by putting him in a story where he's powers could truly shine unlike 90% of the stuff he's been in where he's just a side or even background character who gets pushed around without a second thought. I'd love it in the future if more obscured/ joke characters got the same kinda of care like the spot in across the spider-verse.

[@jordanmatthews1466]

Next, a movie about the wall.

[@ONEPEAKFRFR]

@@jordanmatthews1466 with good writers it could work

[@mister_mozzarella]

The Suicide Squad really fleshes out the true character/humanity in its lesser known DC characters. And Peacemaker even more so, just focusing on Christopher Smith and his "Origin"

[@JosefinaQB]

Your descriptions of his other portrayals make me so happy that this movie was my introduction to the spot because he is now one of my favorite villains of all time

[@MHAOvercharged]

Exactly

[@minisqwish]

I think something else that makes his character really effective is that youre following miles emotional state throughout his encounters with the spot. He starts out so goofy, and fumbling with every other step. Not only are we meant to not take him seriously, we also see why miles doesnt take him seriously. And it isnt until it really, really hits miles in mumbattan that the spot is shown in a much more serious light. Even in the chase leading up to alchemax, the spot is kinda silly (see: "oh i love chai tea" etc.) Even despite the fact he's clearly got a handle on his powers. Miles still just sees him as a nuisance, an obstacle, just some guy who's too confident in himself. But when he strides up to that reactor, you really feel the dread set it, same as the spider crew.

[@freshlybakedmaroon]

"Please just let me rob you!" "I've never robbed anyone in my life please don't make this a bad experience for me!" Spot's just like me frfr

[@joelbrich2538]

His final form makes him look like he's straight out of a labyrinth from Madoka Magica. And thats my favorite show of all time, so i am VERY okay with that.

[@pukefiend]

(madoka spoilers) honestly if you look up madoka's witch form (Kriemhild Gretchen; it's the bigass monster thing she fights in goddess form for a split second at the very end of the series, but there were games that expanded on it and gave each of the girls their own witch form) they kind of look similar. Sketchy, dark, rough lines, capable of destroying universe(s), really fuckin spooky looking.

[@joelbrich2538]

@@pukefiend ya know, ur not wrong lol

[@Countcomfortable]

As someone who loves The Spot and loved him before he was announced to be the main villain of ATSV, I think this is probably his best incarnation. There are only two times prior to this that The Spot was Serious, being his debut and that one time that he was silently going around and snapping necks. In most other situations, The Spot is a bumbling idiot who can’t even drive, dies every two comics, and is part of the Legion of Losers. Having characters actually acknowledge that he’s a joke and making him into the Neck Snapper extraordinaire. Also his voice is perfect. All we need know is for Stilt Man to become to become the god of Death in another movie.

[@flarestriker2005]

I knew about The Spot from the 90s Spider-Man Cartoon and I stoked to hear that he was announced to be the main villain. This version of The Spot is much scarier than MCU Kang and Gorr(Though, High Evolutionary, was also scary).

[@Techy404]

nah we just need a movie about Stilt Man going from villain to hero and NOT dying because of The Punisher

[@GenericClient]

Yea, his character in spider verse is JUST the right amount of goofy and serious to really do him justice, I think.

[@krimo9598]

I don't really get why the spot isn't taken seriously. His ability is OP as hell. And now he can casually travel the multiverse. There's so much potential for destruction. Like he can open a portal to the universe where everyone is a zombie and start a multiverse zombie apocalypse. Or open a portal to hell and start a demonic invasion.

[@xavierburval4128]

He wasn’t taken seriously because although his ability is ridiculously strong, he wasn’t good at using it in the first scene. He has almost no agency over where the portals lead, so he kinda fumbles around trying to make it work. Remember, he’s a scientist at heart. His specialty is knowledge through experimentation, and knowledge and power. So it’s only when he starts experimenting with the portals that he becomes a real threat, as shown in Mumbattan. Although the movie says otherwise, I’m pretty sure the giant hole at the end of the scene was created by Spot, not the canon event disruption.

[@eeveeofalltrades4780]

​@@xavierburval4128well, the giant hole does look like Spot's portals rather than the glitchy effect we see Miguel's substitute reality die with.

[@harebot1232]

I got PTSD from the words "multiverse" and "zombie apocalypse"

[@BigDexMedia]

Pinpoint exactly

[@whyisyoutubeshowinghandles]

​@@eeveeofalltrades4780 To be fair though, the building sinking into the Spot-hole was glitching slightly.

[@aesiro13]

I think that the coolest thing about The Spot is that his actually plays with how people saw him in both the opening of the movie and his original comic appearance, being seen as a forgettable joke before realizing that himself and deliberately pushing himself farther and farther to be realized as an actual threat until he has the potential of destroying the entire multiverse. That's powerful stuff.

[@AlbinoJedi]

I thought Spot was awesome and can't wait to see him again at his full power as we basically saw his origin story here. Realized while watching this that after he realizes he true power then the story shifts to Miguel at the Spider Society and we kind of forget about Spot. Seemed weird Miguel was so focused on Miles taking "canon" seriously that he stopped taking the very real and present threat of Spot seriously.

[@fakename2926]

that’s because Miguel’s witnessed firsthand what the repercussions of canon breaking are, being *universal annihilation*. to put it bluntly, even someone like The Spot, who is *potentially* a planetary to universal grade threat, actually pales in comparison when you consider that the *known* threat of canon breaking is *oblivion*. no if’s or buts, just deleted. literally everyone you knew across that dimensional barrier, dead and gone, period. it’s an incredibly effective threat to drive Miguel and the Spider Society’s actions because when you consider the bigger picture, between Miles deleting his entire universe and killing everyone in it versus The Spot slaughtering thousands, hundreds of thousands, *millions* with his spatial manipulation powers, Miles is STILL the bigger threat!

[@TDWillow]

You’re right, that is *interesting*

[@dlilwon]

Miguel needs the Spot to succeed so the canon event can happen. Miles even mentions it during the SpiderVension, that Spot will be the one to do it.

[@checkm88]

As someone who has never heard of the spot before, i absolutely loved the way they did him. He was a bit of a goofball in the beginning, not too threatening, just kinda trying to get by, basically being played for laughs. Typical minor villain stuff. Then he realizes he can travel through the multiverse and next time we see him in the Indian place (Mumbattan i think it's called, i forgot) he's more confident in himself and is actually posing a bit of a challenge against 3-4 spider people, but still is being a bit quippy, it's only when he gets to the Alchemax that he actually stops being goofy and starts getting terrifying. Not only in appearance but personality wise too, he's no longer making jokes anymore, he's no longer a "villain of the week", he's genuinely a major threat to not only Mile's universe, but to EVERYONE'S. And he's gonna make sure they know it. Next time you see him is at the end getting ready to cause chaos. Easily became one of my favorite movie antagonists

[@neminem233]

the spot is one of the most oddly personal characters in any piece of media I've ever experienced, because he is quite literally me. His mannerisms, the way he talks, his personality, even down to the way he stands and moves his hands are all exactly the way I do those things

[@BigDexMedia]

The Spot’s powers make him an automatic target for me. I love how his portals can be used to transport himself and others across the battlefield or across the city but Across The Spider-Verse has definitely shown that he can legit teleport practically anywhere. I would be surprised if he does not do a crossover with the MCU or even steps into other non superhero storylines. His powers are so awesome and powerful and I am glad he was in the movie.

[@Theneongreninja]

I can’t say I was surprised about The Spot’s role in the film because going into it I knew he would be the main villain but the subversion was still cool to see. I also didn’t see it coming that he would become absolutely horrifying, so that’s cool.

[@Dookieman1975]

He went through a whole training arc so he can beat the hero and stand a chance against every hero

[@charlespackowski6620]

The Spot has gotten what I call the Blackbeard treatment. In case you don’t know, Blackbeard is a character from one piece based on a real pirate named Edward Teach. Blackbeard as a character doesn’t really change as he is a static character but he changes the world around him. Blackbeard gets stronger as the story progresses so he starts as somewhat of a nobody who no one takes seriously but as the story goes on and he gets more powerful people start to notice him and fear him so much so that he is now one of the most influential people in the story. The Spot has a similar thing going for him. He doesn’t develop much as a character but as the story goes on and he gets more powerful everyone else starts to take him seriously and fear him.

[@santino7470]

The initial fights at the start of the movie is probably one of my favorite scenes ever. The way Spot just is a full “First Act” villain is great, but then we have like 3-4 times Miles traps him, and he breaks out. It’s like we’re watching a speedrun from “villain of the week” to “mainstay villain” from just the first half hour alone.

[@micheallove8177]

The spot isn't treated like the main villain, either. He is treated as catalyst post transformation, and at the very end, we are reminded of why movie events exist. This also puts a timer and cliffhanger in the movie. I also upset u didn't mention his power and how, in the beginning, we see the spot limitations indicated by black spots, and near the end, he is more black than white. The once goofy like comic book suit/skin is now a black leaking fountain of energy sparking to life

[@tempestflare4339]

I know that this is only tangentially related to The Spot and his transformation but I believe what we see and what Miles saw during that transformation was actually the Spot's thoughts on what he was going to do to Miles is family or to the people that he knows are related to Miles in some way instead of a vision of the future like the Spot is intentionally allowing people to see into his mind using his powers.

[@thewitchykitty5789]

They didn't just subvert out expectations based on how films usually go, they also subverted them based on what we knew about the spot as a character. In the comics he was a joke vilian of the week. He barely showed up at all and when he was around he wasn't taken seriously at all and was considered one of spiderman's worst villains. So as a viewer even if you knew who the spot was originally you'd still expect him to just be the opening fight and that's it, when in reality they took him not being taken seriously by miles, the viewer, and and even his creators and writers sense his conception decades ago and turned it into a really compelling character arc that hits way harder with the context. It's so interesting and low key kinda meta how his whole arc is how he's upset because believes the person who created him doesn't take him seriously as a vilian, because in reality that's how it was with the people who literally created him for the comics too. It's so clever and interesting and there's just so many layers to it this movie is seriously so cool.

[@standardhuman8675]

youre correct about all of this, but you forgot to mention how they made him the ideal man. i left the theater with 15 new favorite characters, but spot is the top marriage candidate

[@MrStatement]

Spot's origin story in this is truly tragic. He was obviously just a dude who was passionate about his job that made a mistake that took away any chance of having a normal life. For over a yeah Spot had almost everything taken away from him and everyone he knew no longer took him seriously. When he finally decided to accept what he had become and actually use his abilities to help himself while also confronting the person he could blame for all of this: Miles. However Miles wasn't just a person he blamed this whole thing on but the one person who Spot obviously thought would understand him since Miles also had is world completely changed, but when even Miles didn't take him seriously or show empath Spot pretty much snapped allowing him to fully realize and embrace his powers. Honestly just an excellently written motivation and origin for a villain.

[@thatoneguy3883]

Idc if anyone has pointed this out but in miles vision of the future if you slow it down and really pay attention, you can see Spot hovering over what look like a few dead spider people

[@iNDY1001]

Have you considered the animators choice to draw spot as a sketch, indicative of a literal underdeveloped character and somewhat incurious entitled traits when interacting with other characters in the story....the guy was a literal armed henchman scientist on Fisk's payroll before going villain, basically refusing to do any self reflection after the supercollidor incident and his own participation in the plot previous film. Was he their for his own ambition and blaming Miles for making him lose his job or is he blaming Miles for being forced to self-reflect and would rather antogonise someone for making him feel bad, revealing there nakedness and/or emptiness to everyone around him, hence the fixation on being hit by a bagel which the story text itself considers trivial. Great study in story tools to describe a movement...but I suppose might want to focus on the actions and choices he make to how the world is interacting with him if you want it be a character study. I suspect I know how his arc ends but, its more fun to speculate.

[@cosmicspacething3474]

What’s your guess?

[@marendse6561]

The writers intentionally made the audience underestimate the villain to almost showcase a lesson in "never underestimate your enemy". So the shock and awe we feel when Spot reaches his final form is the result of us being unprepared for it we didn't see it coming. You can see the symbolism in this shot 6:36 the wide eyes of Miles and the reflection of the Spot in his eyes reminds me of a deer in headlights. Just like the deer caught in fear and rendered unable to move so was Miles. And his inaction and fear gets passed through the audience so we almost feel exactly what he is feeling in that moment. We all feel a sense of doom because we could've stopped this train but now it's too late.

[@diffdimgamerseven9986]

"Alright, let's do this one last time" kinda how every spiderman begins their monologue about themselves

[@SeekifiedSoul]

ALRIGHT, LET'S DO THIS ONE LAST "TIME". For real this time, Yeah! I'm miles morales, I was bitten by a LITERAL RADIOACTIVE- you know it.... Miles in ITSV. Next thing you see in ATSV: Miles: ALRIGHT LET'S DO THIS ONE LAST TIME I'M MILES MORALES I WAS BITTEN BY A RADIOACTIVE SPIDER- audience on every introduction in the cinema: whats going on, WHAT IS HAPPENI-

[@srstriker6420]

This is what Electro should have been in Amazing Spider-Man 2 and go with his new looks in No way home because he should have been an Avenger threat level, but I got the impression that the first Amazing Spider-Man movie was building up towards Norman because of that mysterious Gentleman but I guess it was Chronicle that changed that

[@mdtisthebest6249]

That’s what I said!

[@Soulessblur]

One of my favorite parts of the first act showcase isn't just that it tells us a lot about our characters, but it does so in a way that makes their lives feel more "real". Like, there was an entire conflict before the events of this movie that they were dealing with, we're just getting a glimpse of that story's climax. Because their lives don't start and end with this film. Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy a good Gandalf visiting the Shire Call to Adventure, but when we're talking about a character who's already supposed to be an adventurer or good guy, don't just tell me, prove it.

[@Sjono]

Spot was handled better than most of the MCU villains that aren’t as obscure as him

[@goatsanimations4480]

The first time I saw this, I was confused as hell. I was baffled that they perfectly cut out the explosion and immediately transitioned it to the Spot’s transformation so we don’t expect it right away. The whole transformation sequence gave me chills and made the message clear that we shouldn’t fuck with the spot, not to mention the background music. Spot’s transformation was my favourite scene in the entire movie. It was so good that I’m recreating the scene with sticknodes!

[@daydreamz618]

Literally after Gwen fought whats his face, I was like oh okay, everybody's gonna have to deal with a one off multiverse anomaly! And then,

[@JosefinaQB]

I fucking love spot- the best villains are the ultimate balance of making you laugh and making your scared

[@Portal_hopper]

Spot definitely has a SPOT (I regret nothing) as one of my favorite villains.

[@chardaskie]

I couldn't believe when Miles called him Villain of the Week. Right to his face too. I knew he'd be a problem after that

[@christophermunoz2004]

it's just like what Megamind said on what separates a Villain from a Super Villain; Presentation. The Spot already had the makings and origins of a villain: a transformation that made him into a freak, being rediculed and disowned by family and friends as a result, and left with hardly anything to live for. He had every reason to seek revenge but his initial presentation was laughable becuase he was more focused with being considered a nemesis to miles that he didn't have a good handle on his abilities and still didn't have full understanding of what he was capable off. Once he did, The Spot was able to present himself as credible threat.

[@2oo3._.]

Honestly its his theme for me - i had chills in the cinema

[@fiishgirl]

even knowing that the spot was going to be the main villain, his arc went in such an unexpected and interesting way i was sitting in the theater just. gaping

[@JohnSmith-vk9ds]

2:16 The difference with Inception is that the characters spend the first 45 minutes of the film explaining to you all the mechanics of dream sharing and then proceed to spend the rest of the film forgetting everything they just taught you. 😅

[@vortex_all9055]

as someone who knew about spot before spider verse I love this characterization even if it is really different nowadays in the comics he is looked at as a small threat baddie who shows up just to fight spiderman but spider verse uses this to its advantage and I love it

[@nightmarecrimson9121]

I just love how unstable he looks in his Final Form

[@gegelegateau6584]

3:36 Miguel O'Hara jumpscare actually put my soul away 💀

[@gjk-arts5855]

love this!!! the spot is actually one of my favorite characters JUST because of how well done he is (with his villain arc) when he became a multiversal threat I seriously felt SICK to my stomach from fear, which is insane and i love the fact during that scene the camera puts you into miles' shoes where your vision is foggy and your head is spinning and you stumble to run out of the falling building…. I felt exactly like miles did in that scene. AMAZING WRITING FROM THE WRITERS OF ATSV :)

[@Steveobrine_Official]

Fully agree, that was such an awesome scene

[@Jukestar]

I legit had no clue where this movie was going and I LOVED every second of it!

[@aria5614]

The Spot: I'm on a journey of Self Improvement Pavitr: so you came to India? That's a western cliche bro.

[@Agent-57]

Reminds me of how Shigaraki went from being the whiny little bitch we thought was just introduced to show All Might's power and the villains of MHA But later developed into biggest threat in the story and the one driving the narrative as much as the protag.

[@kingsman2.065]

Am i the only one who feels like if Miles was really honest about how sorry he was for what happened to the Spot, this wouldn't have happened ???

[@Oblinski]

I think a huge theme of this movie is subversion of expectation. Hobie is another example where we assume he is going to be the love triangle rival character but dude is genuinely chill and a master of subversion in every facet. The ending too was also a huge subversion making us think Miles went to his home when really he did not only to gut punch us with 2 reveals of the current situation.

[@BrianEX2023]

Funny I thought Hobie was just the edgy Spider man that turns out to be one of the best side characters in fiction, I never heard he and Gwen were dating. Overall it still subverted my expectations

[@diandrefuller1294]

3:36 this scared the hell out of me.

[@El_Silveiro]

When I fisrst saw the spot, I actually thought he was just the first enemy that you usually see in some movies, that are just that, for the opening scene and nothing more, just the presentation, just that, the villain of the week, I would never have expected him to be one of the main antagonists

[@PeterGargan]

Not only this but the powers The Spot has on display is such a natural fit for a story all about multiversal travel in the first place, so not only is his development from villain of the week into the main threat a nice subversion for the reasons you listed, but one that just makes sense both on and beneath the surface.

[@cashordeals3672]

Bro went from a barely villain of half a day to a xenoverse 2 mission 🤣😵

[@alexash-green626]

First time seeing one of your vids. Great analysis! And your ghost persona is really cool.

[@ghosttoast824]

Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the video and that you like my Ghost character! I think he’s pretty cool too. Hope you have a great day!

[@JustDoingReviews]

Spot is like a top 10 to top 15 best Mcu villain

[@socriabbas454]

Makes the Spot an actual scary villain is his low self esteem, his whole arc started with a pity arc like being hit by a bagel. Well lets get real its also the fact he got infused by the canisters from the collider still doesnt change the fact that he's basically a ticking time bomb

[@manticstorm3708]

I thought (Likely like most other people) that 2099 Spider-Man would be the main threat. But this was an awesome twist, and easily made me love this guy even more

[@Saladin420]

This was better than everything marvel has dropped after infinity war combined.

[@ghosttoast824]

Agreed, but I would change the phrasing to everything after Endgam

[@Aselectir]

Judging by the trailers I thought he would just be a villain that would be overshadowed when all the multiverse stuff occurred…

[@shenaniganstuff]

why is everyone just saying the spot doing all of this is because he wants to be respected as a villian by a teen? it's because miles ruined his life

[@lance_official]

Is it me but spots theme is creeper than the prowlers

[@michamikoajczak9070]

The movie literally made a videoesseyst say he hopes for more expectation subversions in the future 😂❤

[@I_love_space.]

That last little meme with Miguel is me looking for a game that has no toxic players and is actually so fun and is multiplayer.

[@rrbricksandwildlife8996]

I can’t believe the spot was literally a better villain than Kang the freaking conqueror.

[@damianstarks3338]

Your Spot video is beyond accurate and perfect.

[@ghosttoast824]

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it

[@damianstarks3338]

@@ghosttoast824 Glade you posted this merry Christmas and happy new year !

[@izzytehwolf]

Nothing I've seen on screen captures the feeling of apotheosis then spot absorbing the collider energy and the aftermath of it.

[@psychronia]

I dunno. I never saw his transformation as a twist. The Spot had a really cool power and he clearly just didn't know how to control it. It also helped that I was rooting for him to get the respect he wanted because he was so endearing. Beaides that, a lot of Act 1 fights I've seen feels like it builds up the Act 3 fight too. In a TV show, we open with the Superhero making a mistake, they learn a lesson, and don't make the mistake in the ending fight.

[@DehToadKing]

I always hoped that the Spot would get a shot at getting more recognition because I always thought his powers were really cool for just a side villain. And oh boy, did Spiderverse go beyond what I expected!

[@opornogeros]

Sony just keeps making iconic af villain themes First the Prowler now Miguel and The Spot

[@mindfireart7843]

This is pure ‘bullied-becomes-bully’ theory. Brilliantly done.

[@BlazeRider22]

I loved him cause I thought he was an adorable dorky and clumsy villain of the week The way how he talks and falls cause of his spots Then his transformation and the soundtrack was when I started to be frightened of him He truly was a terrifying twist villain

[@ILiekFishes]

"This film is anything but traditional" the act 1 villain is the vulture. shows us spider people doing spider people things. too much time is put into the spot for him to realistically be a one off, especially with the fight ending as inconclusively as it does with him kicking his own butt.

[@ghosttoast824]

Dang bro, for everything you just mentioned I could mention like 3 the film did differently than traditional blockbuster films these days. But we are each entitled to our opinions, so thank you for sharing yours

[@FishyMaxSteel]

I always thought the spot’s potential was always wasted so I LOVE what they did with him in across the spiderverse

[@EnsourcenatorShorts]

I used to think they called him ‘villain of the week’ and not ‘villain of the weak’ lol

[@JustSomeRandomIdiot]

I like how in a movie about 'anomalies', characters breaking the canon, going against how the story is 'meant to go', the villain himself is a massive anomaly not just in the sense of the movie's definition but also just as an actual real world subversion of cliche. He starts off as a villain of the week and that's what he was meant to be, a joke, then becomes an anomaly in the movie by suddenly becoming the main threat.

[@ghosttoast824]

Nice observation!

[@jordanloux3883]

It also shows how the strict adherence to 'canon' does a lot more harm than good.

[@annebeck7053]

You are so so good at this

[@ghosttoast824]

Thank you, I appreciate the kind words :)

[@JC_Stone]

My 10 year old cousin randomly just blurted out one night saying “Miguel doesn’t care about Spot.” And at first I didn’t think anything of it but looking back at it, yeah. He’s right. If you look at the moment he goes to Earth 1610 with Jessica and Ben, he says “SOMEONE deal with Spot.” Or something like that. The fact that he doesn’t care who goes and does it or even pay it much mind at all while bringing two of the best Spider-People he can to track down Miles just shows where his priorities lie.

[@Astr0-1408]

The Spot straight up gives me anti spiral vibes

[@LiLiKOiOiOi]

I hope the spot theme song is used a lot in the third movie whenever spot’s around to show his true power his true terror

[@bahesb2419]

The spot is ony of my favorite types of Villain: The revolutionary Villain. Like the main protagonist who learns and grows to become a better hero, the Revolutionary villain is a villain who learns and grows to become a better Villain. Is your villain a lone wolf? Have them learn the importance of teamwork. Does your villain think before he acts? Have them learn to become more strategic This helps to make the Villain not only interesting but also makes them feel like a Actual Character who grows and learns. And this fits Spot perfectly. He started out as a Non serious Villain of the week but Slowely becomes the Great Archenemy to Miles as he always sayed to be.

[@Water-rg7gp]

as someone who doesnt watch movies often i immediately thought: oh yeah this guys the big one, dude has *portals*

[@soiboi4497]

And all it took was a bagel

[@diandrefuller1294]

I love first act showcases in Superhero movies especially if there fighting a low tier villain. They might even show up at the end of the movie when the main threat’s done.

[@robinthestate6548]

Very verg well done analysis. Already subscribed.

[@ghosttoast824]

So glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate the support

[@ShotHappens2007]

This isn’t related to the Spot, but it’s something I noticed about the movies that is a cool detail, whether intentional or not. In the first movie we have the “Spider-Man doesn’t wear a cape” bit with Miles. Spider-Man doesn’t wear a cape, but the Prowler does, and Miles was destined to be the Prowler. If this was an intentional detail then that’s really cool foreshadowing.

[@annaxxxx99]

Wait, how do you know our Miles was meant to be the prowler just because he "wasn't meant to be spiderman?"

[@ShotHappens2007]

@@annaxxxx99 it’s heavily implied. One of the main things hinting at his destiny was in the first movie when he met his Peter for the first time. Miles’ spidey sense is green and purple before changing to red and blue.

[@thebcwonder4850]

Miguel has a cape…

[@ShotHappens2007]

@@thebcwonder4850 I thought about that too, that could be another smaller hint that Miguel is lying about canon

[@eeveeofalltrades4780]

​@@ShotHappens2007I think it's more that he's wrong about what causes the destruction of universes

[@JorgeLuiz487]

Spots transformation is basically the "OH FU-" as a subversion of a villain

[@DogManWes2790]

3:36 this scared me

[@ghosttoast824]

Glad it worked lol

[@shlecko]

HIS GOAL IS GROWTH? LITERALLY A METAPHOR FOR CAPITALISM

[@Simply_resharkable]

Calm down there Hobie

[@SeekifiedSoul]

@@Simply_resharkable*ROCK ELECTRIC GUITAR OF MILES THEME*

[@louissemarguerettenavales1253]

He’s so husband material ngl (i am delusional)