Top Ten #18 - Characters in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Ranked

Top Ten #18 - Characters in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Ranked

Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse had no shortage of unique and dynamic characters, ranging from heroes, villains, and everyone in-between. This is my ranking of the top 10 characters from the film (100 percent subjective and based on my opinion). 

10. Kingpin: The main villain of the film, Kingpin AKA Wilson Fisk didn't quite live up to any expectations. He was a serviceable villain, but ultimately was put on the back burner due to the expansive nature of the movie. He does a given motivation, but I never quite found it compelling enough to care about him. Aside from that, the design of the character, no matter how comic accurate, was ridiculous and took me out of the movie almost entirely every time he was on screen. 

9. Peni Parker: The odd anime-style of Spider-Man was a surprise to me. I hadn't been paying much attention to the marketing, but I did know about Spider-Ham and Spider-Man Noir. But Penni Parker was a surprise, and not necessarily a good one. I myself am not the biggest fan of anime, so to see such a clashing animation style in a film that is exploding with colors and imagery was a little jarring, not to mention that her character served no real purpose other than to please anime fans. 

8. Aunt May: Surprise, surprise, Aunt May is in the film. To be fair, I shouldn't have been surprised because of course Aunt May would be in a movie with Spider-people. But I was surprised how large of a role that they gave her character. I found this version of Aunt May to be rather confusing because one moment she's entirely sentimental and kind, and then the next minute she acts like she's a CIA operative. It's rather strange. 

7. Peter Porker/Spider-Ham: A character that I expected I'd like a lot more, they didn't take full advantage of the ridiculous nature of a Spider-Pig. There was a gold mine of jokes that could have been mined, and to be fair, there's a very clever one at the end, but Spider-Ham, voiced impeccably by John Mulaney, didn't live up to his potential, in my opinion. 

6. Spider-Man Noir: Nicholas Cage is back! Who knew that he'd make his silver screen return as a version of Spider-Man - but to his credit, it works incredibly well. He doesn't have much screen time at all, but Spider-Man Noir fits Cage perfectly, and he didn't overact at any point in the film, which was welcome. I think Cage fit the personality of the character very nicely and was a welcome addition to the ensemble. 

5. The Prowler: Fans of the comics may understand why this character is so high on the list and why he might be more significant to this story. Knowing why from the beginning sets up a serious tension all the way through because you know the impending conflict that's going to occur. The Prowler is surprisingly given a lot of character development and relationship with the other characters, and I think the voice of Mahershala Ali was perfect for the role. 

4. Jefferson Morales: Here's a surprise; I think the father of Miles Morales, Jeff, was actually one of the strongest characters in the film. The movie takes time to flesh out his character and you really get to see what's going on inside his head as he grapples with his work life as a cop and his home life, dealing with Miles and coming to grips with who Miles is. And the voice actor behind him, Brian Tyree Henry, is so good at conveying the entire range of emotions that his character needs. The filmmakers actually place a lot of emotional emphasis on his character, and you can completely relate to him as a dad.

3. Miles Morales: The heart and soul of the film, while his character does feel a little stale, Miles is a true hero. He learns from his Spider-friends what it means to be more than himself and to be heroic, and that's why you care so much about him. His character arc is simple, and yes it's tried and true, but it's compelling and it works. Plus Shameik Moore does a great job at bringing the character to life, so that helps too. 

2. Gwen Stacy: Really, there isn't much to this character. She's just kind of there to counteract Peter's lethargic attitude and Miles' nervous demeanor with a bold confidence. But it's something about Steinfeld's voice that manages to capture the essence of a strong lead and give her a personality. Stacy is a character that, while not completely developed, has a beating heart and soul, and that's what makes her such a perfect addition to the group. 

1. Peter Parker: Even though it's not his film, Peter Parker manages to steal the show, at least for me. Parker, voiced perfectly by Jake Johnson of all people, is very different than we usually see him. He's not the usual confident version of himself that we find mentoring Peter. He's lethargic, he's tired, and he's beaten up, but it's through Johnson's voice work and Parker's character that he's able to get back up and be the hero that Miles needs. He's not really the hero that the world needed in the movie, but he's definitely the one Miles needed.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is in theaters now.