18 Easter Eggs And References You Missed From 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse'

It takes a lot of work to make an animated film, and that means the crew put in a lot of hours to make sure the final product matched their vision. All that work can be tough on their families too.

In a Q&A at a Los Angeles screening, co-director Bob Persichetti said he hid nods to his wife and kids in the graffiti that covered the walls in the train tunnels to let them know he was thinking of them during the long days and nights working.

At one point, Miles walks past the sign for a noodle shop called Romita Ramen. While it sounds like a great place to score some tonkatsu, it's also a nod to two artists who have had a huge impact on Spider-Man over the years: John Romita Sr. and John Romita Jr.

The older Romita took over art duties after Steve Ditko abruptly left the series in 1966, and he drew Peter Parker in the era where he became one of the biggest heroes in Marvel Comics. He created villains like the Rhino, Shocker, and Kingpin, and drew the very first appearance of Mary Jane Watson.

John Romita Jr., meanwhile, is also considered one of the greatest Spider-Man artists of all time, and had beloved runs on Amazing Spider-Man in the '80s, '90s, and '00s.

Into the Spider-Verse producers Chris Lord and Phil Miller started their Hollywood careers with the 2002 MTV show Clone High, a short-lived animated series that has become a cult favorite in the years since. While the original show only lasted 13 episodes, Lord and Miller gave themselves a "Sliding Doors" opportunity in their animated universe by hiding an advertisement for Clone College in Miles's Times Square.

In this universe, Clone High was successful enough to follow its characters into their college years.

Early in Into the Spider-Verse, when Miles looks for someone to talk to about his new powers, two names jump out as he scrolls through his contacts. Writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli created the character of Miles Morales for Marvel's Ultimate universe in 2011, and both of them appear in Miles's phone.

It's an appropriately meta touch for a movie produced by Chris Lord and Phil Miller, who've made hit meta-comedies like 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie.

Early in the film, Mile visits his uncle, Aaron. In Aaron’s apartment, there’s a TV in the background playing a clip from Community. Specifically, it’s from the episode “Anthropology 101,” which shows Donald Glover dressed in Spider-Man pajamas.

Glover actually played Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming and voiced Mile Morales in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series.

While he only has one vocal cameo, animation allowed the filmmakers behind Into the Spider-Verse to continue paying tribute to the late Stan Lee throughout the movie. Lee pops up in the background a ton, from shots of subway crowds to bystanders on the sidewalk.

Co-director Bob Persichetti told Collider, "If you just pause, he’s in a lot of them. That guy is all over New York. He’s a busy man."

Animator Nick Kondo revealed one of Lee's more notable cameo's toward the end of the film when Miles is swinging between train cars. Lee can be spotted in the window of one of the cars making the "thwip" gesture as Miles runs by.