Spider-Man, Marvel’s iconic superhero, has surprisingly been referenced within the new DC Universe (DCU). While it’s nearly impossible for Spider-Man to appear physically in this universe right now, his name has officially been included in the superhero world that James Gunn and DC Studios are building.
This detail appears in episode 6 of Peacemaker season 2, which aired on September 26. When traveling to a parallel dimension to find Christopher Smith, Adrian Chase, also known as Vigilante, encounters a variant of himself. The two then reenact the famous “Spider-Man pointing” meme and openly mention the Marvel superhero’s name.
In this scene, both Vigilantes express surprise at encountering their multiverse counterparts. They stand face to face, repeatedly pointing at each other and say, “We’re recreating this Spider-Man meme.”
This moment subtly confirms that Spider-Man, and possibly many other Marvel characters, exist in the DCU as fictional superheroes. It also shows that Spider-Man is famous enough to be widely recognized in this world.
In real life, the Spider-Man pointing meme originated from episode 19 of the 1967 Spider-Man animated series. In that episode, a criminal named Charles Cameo disguises himself as Spider-Man to steal paintings, only to be confronted by the real Spider-Man, creating the iconic and humorous scene of two Spider-Men facing off.
Over the past decade, this meme has become a viral sensation on social media and has even been officially included in Marvel’s works. From Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse to No Way Home, whenever multiple Spider-Man versions appear, this meme almost always makes an appearance. Actors Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire even recreated the meme during a promotional photoshoot for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
This could be James Gunn’s way of paying tribute to Marvel, as he previously worked with Marvel Studios on the Guardians of the Galaxy films. However, mentioning Spider-Man as a fictional superhero within the DCU effectively rules out any crossover between this universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Still, with the concept of multiverses and alternate dimensions, nothing is impossible in the superhero world. Only time will tell if Marvel and DC can pull off the greatest comic book crossover in history.