Because Spider-Man: into the Spider-Verse is primarily about Miles Morales and not Peter Parker, the film is very careful about how it tosses around Uncle Ben’s famous words about “great power” and “great responsibility” so as not to distract from the movie’s central narrative focus. But a new revelation adds more charm to the already delightful film.
Jake Johnson’s Peter B. Parker makes a point of keeping anyone from fully saying “with great power comes great responsibility,” but there’s a very brief moment when the phrase is uttered by a (presumably) dead Uncle Ben in an emotional flashback during the film’s opening montage. If you listen very closely, the line’s delivery will sound more than familiar to fans of Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man film from 2002.
Yesterday, Into the Spider-Verse executive produce Phil Lord took to his Twitter account to confirm that while he isn’t listed in the movie’s credits, actor Cliff Robertson does technically reprise his role as Uncle Ben in the films.
Yes! It’s the great Cliff Robertson https://t.co/ixahru6ZCt
— philip lord (@philiplord) December 27, 2018
As small as a moment is, it’s significant in a more meta sense given how Spider-Verse feels like the culmination of Sony’s efforts to keep making spectacular Spider-Man films while also understanding that the future just isn’t (entirely) about Peter.
We’re in for a whole new slate of Spider-People films going forward, and it’s small touches like this that are going to keep the original Spider-Man’s legacy alive as the cinematic Spider-Verse continues to grow.
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