The Spectacular Spider-Man is returning for the first time since 2009. He's making his comeback in Across the Spider-Verse, as confirmed by producer Christopher Miller following a string of tweets from fans asking if it was really him in the new poster.The MCU's inception is why Spectacular Spider-Man ended up getting the axe way back in 2009. When Disney acquired Marvel, Sony took back the animation rights, leaving the finale a cliffhanger that has never been resolved. The initial plan was for the show to run five seasons, each with 13 episodes, meaning that the second season's ending left a lot of plot threads lingering. The key one was that Spider-Man had discovered the Green Goblin was Norman Osborn, and he sent him to his death, leaving him guilt-ridden as Harry understandably grew to hate him, not too dissimilar to Raimi's Spider-Man.For the animated world, it's the equivalent of The Amazing Spider-Man returning in No Way Home - a version of the wallcrawler that became a cult hit, gaining popularity years after a sudden cancellation, with a story that ended unresolved. In Andrew Garfield's case, it was Gwen Stacey's death and its aftermath that was never unpacked, but here, it's Norman Osborn's. In No Way Home, we did find out a little about what Spider-Man went through after Gwen's death, while also getting a resolution in him catching MJ, so perhaps we'll get the same here with Spectacular, though the film is already juggling plenty of Spider-people.
You can see him in the poster in the tweet embedded below. Many were quick to assume it was him after seeing the styilised eyes and web pattern, and these eagle-eyed fans were on the money.
He'll be joining Miles Morales, Peter B. Parker, Spider-Man 2099, the Insomniac Spider-Man, and so many more when Across the Spider-Verse releases on June 2, 2023. However, it's unclear whether Josh Keaton will be reprising the role - he's since appeared in Midnight Suns as Iron Man, What If..? as Captain America, and even the 2017 Spider-Man series as Norman Osborn.