"Little Nerd On Earth-19999": Sony Makes Massive MCU Spidey Retcon In Across The Spider-Verse Trailer

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Sony Pictures has released a new Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer, surprisingly retconning the name of the MCU's Earth and taking a shot at Tom Holland's Spider-Man. The highly anticipated sequel will feature multiple iconic variants of Spider-Man, including Oscar Isaac's Miguel O'Hara, Daniel Kaluuya's Hobie Brown (AKA Spider-Punk) and the return of Jake Johnson's and Peter B. Parker. and Hailee Steinfeld's Gwen Stacy. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will explore at least six different universes, each with different animation styles.
With Tom Holland rumored to appear in Across The Spider-Verse, the new trailer takes a shot at Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his Peter Parker from Spider-Man: No Way Home, with Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) saying: "Don't get me started on Doctor Strange and that little nerd back on Earth-199999."
That designation also retcons how the Marvel Studios officially named the MCU Earth in both Spider-Man: Far From Home and Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, after an initial tease by Dr. Erik Selvig in Thor: The Dark World. Multiverse of Madness' Illuminati sealed the deal by referring to Strange as 616. That Earth-616 designation itself retconned the 2008 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Vol. 5, which used the title to avoid confusion with the Marvel comics Earth (officially named Earth-616 at that point). Across The Spider-Verse seems to walk that change back, in turn fixing the confusing fact that Into The Spider-Verse already said Peter B Parker was from Earth-616.
Will Tom Holland's Spider-Man Appear In Across The Spider-Verse 2... Or 3?

The Across The Spider-Verse trailer calling out Tom Holland's MCU Spider-Man will add fuel to rumors that Tom Holland will appear. With countless Spider-Man variants confirmed in Across The Spider-Verse, it was inevitable talk would turn to not only Holland as the current live-action actor under Spidey's mask, but also Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. Adding further to that, the Across The Spider-Verse trailer features all 3 live-action Spider-Man actors, with voiceovers taken from Holland, Garfield and Maguire's movies as they discuss the sacrifices needed to be Spider-Man.
Intriguingly, Spider-Verse producer Amy Pascal has already refused to rule Tom Holland's appearance in Across The Spider-Verse out, with the teasing echoing the way No Way Home "hid" its Garfield and Maguire appearances:

“[Fans will] have to wait a couple of years to see what we do. But, with the multiverse going both ways, could Tom Holland’s Peter Parker head into the animated Spider-Verse? I am not going to comment on anything around that! But I can tell you that Tom Holland does love these [Spider-Verse] movies…”

On top of that, producer Christopher Miller offered his own coy response to questions of Holland's cameo:

"Let’s say... Anything is possible in the multiverse."

And, of course, Tom Holland himself revealed that he was planned to cameo in Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse at one point, making an appearance in the sequel (or its follow-up) feel even more likely:

"At one point, I was supposed to be in it. Yeah, there was going to be another Peter Parker. It was like a scene in a train station or something and it was going to be like an Easter egg. I was going to walk through the background, and say like, “Hey kid,” or something. [It] never happened; I’m heartbroken."

The danger of bringing Holland into Across The Spider-Verse is the potential to overshadow Miles Morales, who deserves his own chance to shine, but there's no denying how popular even a small cameo would be. And really, it would be a perfect opportunity to tease the possibility of Miles Morales himself coming to the live-action MCU, which has been a question since Into The Spider-Verse debuted. For now, it's a case of wait and see (unless Holland manages to break his MCU NDAs again).
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse releases on June 2, 2023
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