Marvel has recently released a new Miles Morales film that works perfectly to satiate the long wait for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Miles Morales looking shocked with his hands in front of him from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The wait for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is becoming ever more difficult, but one Miles Morales release is perfect to satiate the desire for the third movie. Since the ending of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the anticipation for the final film in the exceptional trilogy has only grown. Originally, March 29, 2024, was set as the release date for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse before complications due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes delayed the production.

Despite other Marvel movies releasing in 2024, the disappointment of having Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse delayed was immeasurable, especially after the cliffhanger ending of the prior film. Even with the likes of Kraven the Hunter, Venom 3, and updates around the MCU’s Spider-Man 4 filling the void for Spider-Man goodness in 2024, Beyond the Spider-Verse is arguably the most anticipated superhero movie in the coming years. In light of the delay, Marvel and Sony Pictures Animation have thankfully released a Miles Morales-centric short film that acts as the perfect set-up for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Verse’s The Spider Within Short Explained

Miles Morales sitting on his window sill in The Spider Within short film

The short film in question is titled The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story. The film is set between the events of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and centers on Miles’ poor mental health. Miles is shown wrestling between the responsibilities of his personal life and his heroic alter-ego, resulting in a panic attack that manifests itself as a vicious monster hellbent on hunting down Spider-Man. The Spider Within was written by Khaila Amazan and directed by Jarelle Dampier and was first premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2023.

Premiering on Sony Pictures Animation’s YouTube channel in March 2024, the film offers a profound look at both the responsibilities of Spider-Man but also the mental health issues that can affect teenage boys like Miles Morales. Featuring the expectedly stunning animation of the Spider-Verse films, The Spider Within shines an important light on a crucial topic that works within the world of Spider-Man, but is also a prevalent issue within the younger generation of the world today, as it is with Miles Morales himself.

Why The Spider Within Is The Perfect Prelude To Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse

A mural pays tribute to the late Jeff Morales (Brian Tyree Henry) in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Despite being set between the first two movies, The Spider Within perfectly sets up the story of the third film, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. The reason for this primarily stems from the exploration of Miles balancing his personal life with his Spider-Man duties. As has long been the case with every iteration of the Web-Slinger, this balance has been the crux of most Spider-Man stories. This includes Miles Morales, as evident in both Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man:Across the Spider-Verse.

This difficulty with balancing personal and heroic lives will likely continue for Miles in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. As such, The Spider Within‘s thematic story serves as a great prelude to this. Furthermore, The Spider Within focuses on the connection between Miles and his father, ending with Jeff and Miles talking about what is on the latter’s mind. With Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse set to hinge around the threat to Jeff Morales’ life, The Spider Within further building their connection can only be a good thing to foreshadow the third and final Spider-Verse movie.