Let’s Dive In and Explain Who Spider-Man 2099 Is

The multiverse may be all the rage these days, but no one does it quite like Spider-Man – in particular, Miles Morales. After Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hit theaters back in 2018, the animated feature from Sony drew both critical and commercial success and went on to win the award for Best Animated Feature at the 2019 Oscars.

The highly anticipated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 2, and a stacked roster of Spider-people is highlighted by the addition of Spider-Man 2099, who Oscar Isaac will voice. Isaac will reprise the role after appearing in the post-credits scene of the 2018 film.

Let’s break down everything you need to know about the sequel’s newest addition to the roster.

Who is Spider-Man 2099?

Sony Pictures Animation

The web slinger's true identity is Miguel O’Hara, a geneticist of Irish-Mexican descent who lives in the future 2099 (hence the name). Miguel calls Nueva York (a renamed New York City) his home, and his life work is to recreate the abilities of the original Spider-Man and imbue them in other individuals. After an accident causes half of his DNA to be rewritten with a spider’s genetic code, he soon becomes known as ‘Spider-Man 2099.’

With a genius-level intellect, Miguel quickly develops a fighting style that leans on and maximizes his superhuman agility, strength, and senses, in addition to his intelligence. Unlike many other Spider-people throughout the comics, 2099 does not possess the “spider-sense” ability. Instead, he has enhanced vision and hearing, which works similarly to a spidey sense.

Otherwise, he holds many of the same powers and abilities that are attributed to Spider-Man, including the ability to fire an organic substance from his wrists (webbing) and use this to travel at high speeds, not unlike that of web lines. 2099 can also traverse walls and ceilings via talons that protrude from his fingers and toes.

Spider-Man 2099 publication history

Marvel Studios

O’Hara was one of the many Marvel heroes to be re-imagined for the ‘Marvel 2099’ comic book line that showed future versions of classic Marvel characters, which lived approximately 107 years after the then-current Marvel Universe period. He appeared in a preview for The Amazing Spider-Man #365 (August 1992) and debuted in Spider-Man 2099 #1 (November 1992).

Has Spider-Man 2099 appeared outside the comics before?

Isaac’s portrayal of Spider-Man 2099 will mark the character's debut in a film adaptation. Still, O’Hara has appeared as a playable character in several video games, most notably in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010) and Spider-Man: Edge of Time (2011). He also appeared in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series on Disney XD, specifically the four-part episode “The Spider-Verse.”