The version of Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will be very different than fans are used to seeing. The animated film centered on the Miles Morales Spider-Man will feature other Spider heroes from a number of universes, including the original web-slinger, Peter (Jake Johnson), who will serve as a reluctant mentor for the younger and more inexperienced Miles.

Into the Spider-Verse will be the first Spider-Man feature film with Miles Morales as the lead, a fan-favorite character from the last decade of Spider-Man comics. Originally, Miles took up the Spider-Man mantle in the Ultimate universe after Peter Parker died. The character was so popular that he was eventually brought into the mainstream Marvel continuity to serve as the New York Spider-Man while Peter Parker handled more global threats with the Avengers. Based on the Into The Spider-Verse trailer, however, it seems that the movie will unite Miles and Peter.

Screen Rant had a chance to discuss the film with two of its three directors - Rodney Rothman and Bob Persichetti - at San Diego Comic-Con 2018. When asked to describe the film’s version of Peter Parker, Rothman had this to say:

It’s true that previous films never really portrayed Spider-Man past the prime of his career. Even in the Sam Raimi trilogy, Peter was still coming into his own as Spider-Man. In Into the Spider-Verse, Peter’s age will not be the only thing that distinguishes this version. The originality of this Peter Parker will mostly be anchored by his dynamic with Miles. According to Persichetti:

“The way we think about this version of Peter Parker is similar to how you would think about a pro athlete nearing his 40’s . You know. Beat up. Has seen it all. Is a grown up. He’s no longer a kid. This is no longer a fresh or new experience. He’s taken a lot of hits. He’s lost a lot. And that’s been really fun to work with and to create. Because this isn’t a Peter Parker that you’ve seen before.”

Peter and Miles are not the only Spider-heroes confirmed for the movie, either. The trailer revealed an appearance by Spider-Gwen, an alternate version of Gwen Stacy who was bitten by the radioactive spider instead of Peter. The footage shown at Comic-Con also featured Spider-Man Noir, voiced by Nicolas Cage, and Spider-Ham, voiced by John Mulaney. How exactly all these characters will fit into the arc that is focused primarily on Miles is still a mystery.

“This is a Peter Parker that needed a Miles Morales to come into his life. So it’s almost like the mentee is training the mentor. You know in a way, giving him a new lease on what his life has been.”

Into the Spider-Verse is one of the many Spider-Man movies being produced by Sony outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Venom will also release this year, creating a film universe for Spider-Man villains that will tie into the developing Morbius the Living Vampire and Silver and Black. Since those films are expected to be darker and more adult, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse might be a perfect, lighthearted family-friendly contrast.

More: Into The Spider-Verse: Every Update You Need to Know

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  • Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse Release Date: 2018-12-14