Desi Web Heads, Spider-Man India is Finally Here!

Pic courtesy: Marvel.com

What do we love about Spider-Man? Oops, my bad, wrong question. What we DO NOT love about Spider-Man? The breathtaking parkour sequences amid the majestic skyscrapers of New York, the highly intense storyline where he lost his beloved uncle, his romantic relationship with Mary Jane Watson (mostly) that has been setting couple goals for decades, the distinctive villains with powerful backgrounds and unique styles… The list goes on and on and on.

No, in this article we are not going to delve into the analysis of the first look of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse that released a couple of days ago. What we are going to do is, have a detailed breakdown of the teaser and discuss one of the most striking highlights of it, the possibility of finally seeing Spider-Man India, on-screen!

Before talking about that, first, let’s talk briefly about the teaser. If you are reading this article, you are most probably already a big-time web head and a fan of the ‘Friendly Neighborhood’ for as long as it could be. As you know, Across the Spider-Verse is a sequel to the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse that was unexpectedly amazing. I mean, people knew Into the Spider-Verse was going to be good from the look of its trailer, but no one had expected it to be that good! It broke several records and won several awards, including an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. So, it is only fair to say that everyone has super high expectations from the upcoming sequel too.

Since the movie is slated to be released in 2022, what we know for now is that it would be in at least two parts, as the official title also consists of the words ‘Part One.’ Maybe more, only time shall tell. Also, like the previous movie, there will be Spider-Men and Spider-Women from different alternate dimensions collaborating with Miles Morales, the protagonist and the primary Spider-Man of the movie (Yes, we all love Peter Parker, but c’mon, we do love Miles equally too!). From the look of it, it seems like Spider-Man 2099, who just had a cameo in Into the Spider-Verse, is going to play a pivotal role in the sequel, possibly acting as Miles’ mentor.

Okay, enough with dissecting the teaser. Let’s talk about that one highlight of it that has got all of us super excited – the possible debut of none other than Pavitr Prabhakar – Spider-Man India!

For those who are not familiar with this version of Spidey, he belongs to Earth-50101, one of Marvel’s multiverses. Just like Miles, he is the one and only Spider-Man of his universe, and well, as the name suggests, yes, he belongs from India.

Created by long-time comic book artist Jeevan Kang and writer Sharad Devarajan, Spiderman India debuted in 2004 and is an official entry into the Marvel Multiverse. Since his debut, Pavitr has collaborated with Spider-Men of other dimensions on various missions. You must have got it by now that his name is rather a wise take on ‘Peter Parker,’ though there is a distinctive meaning also to his name; ‘Pavitr‘ is a Hindi word for pure, while ‘Prabhakar’ means ‘one who creates light.’ I will leave it up to you to get the meaning from here.

Here’s how he looks in the comic books:

Pic courtesy: Marvel.com

As the name suggests, Pavitr is from a remote village in Northern India and belongs to a poor family. He lives in Mumbai struggling to get a job and be financially self-sufficient. Like every struggling common man, Pavitr juggles with his professional as well as personal life where he has to take care of his relationship with his girlfriend Meera Jain (Indian counterpart of Mary Jane) and best friend Hari Oberoi (this universe’s version of Harry Osborn). However, since Pavitr is more than an ordinary common man, his problems are also more than just ordinary. We are not going into his tale of becoming the web-slinger and the emergence of the supervillains and his fight with them. For all of it, read the comic books that are easily available on Amazon and other websites.

Why do we think among all the Spideys, Pavitr will also be making an appearance in Across the Spider-Verse, you might ask? Because see it for yourself!

Did you notice it? Yes? No? Well, it’s blink-and-miss. In the teaser, we can see Miles is thrown across various universes helplessly before he is caught and guided by Spider-Man 2099 (alter ego Miguel O’Hara).

Before Miguel comes through a portal, we can see Miles flying (kind of) through a very familiar scenario; sitar music playing in the background, Victorian-era building swaying past, and instead of the usual ‘thwip’ word popping out whenever he launches his web, it’s written as ‘थ्विप’.

That’s clearly ‘Mumbai’ written over a hoarding
Source: YouTube

Also, even though it occurs for just a microsecond, that background establishment is quite similar to the entry of the iconic Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, popularly known as CST. This historical railway station is considered as one of the primary symbols of Mumbai and since our desi Spidey is a resident of the city, it definitely has to be a significant part of the teaser.

The well-known façade of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (circled in red)
Source: YouTube

Besides the Spider-Men/Women officially confirmed to be a part of the upcoming movie, there are a few more whose names have not yet been revealed. However, we have every reason to believe that Spider-Man India is going to be a member of the team, and if it happens, we all web heads can agree that our joy is going to know no bounds!

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) is slated to release on October 7, 2022. Yes, it’s still a long time ahead, but on the bright side, we have got the MCU’s Spider-Man: No Way Home all set to release on December 17^th this year. And boy, it is going to be a roller-coaster ride! We will talk about it some other time. For now, plug-in your earphones/headphones and vibe to Sunflower by Post Malone (those who know, they know).

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