As popular as the Marvel Cinematic Universe is these days, there’s a particularly potent brand of hype surrounding the Sony side of things. This is primarily focused on the hit animated filmSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseand its upcoming sequelSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The unique and striking animation style favored by the fledgling franchise would be enough on its own, but there’s more to it than that.

Fans ofSpider-Verseare already familiar with the movie’s fixation on multiple dimensions and alternate versions of web-based heroes, and that character focus looks to be combined with the film’s stunning 2D-3D-hybrid art and animation to introduce a new villain this time around.Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Versewill see the cinematic debut ofclassicSpider-Manvillain The Spot, with the newcomer appearing almost tailor-made for the occasion. According to the movie’s directors, this connection is definitely intentional, and even appears to run deeper than that.

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In an interview with animation enthusiast news site Cartoon Brew,Across the Spider-Versedirectors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson discussed the new villain and how he fits intothe story of Miles Morales. “Pretty early on we knew The Spot was going to be our main villain,” said Santos. “Without an awesome villain, that you sort of can understand their through-line, you don’t really have a strong story for your main character. So he’s an awesome sort of opposite to Miles.” Powers added to this, saying, “By the way, that’s not a costume, that’s his skin… It’s not a guy in a polka-dot suit! That’s actually his skin. So you know, the arc of Dr. Ohnn, Spot, is one that does really complement, without giving away the story, the journey of Miles in this film really well.”

So it looks like Miles, as expected, still has some growing to do both as a person and as a hero, andAcross the Spider-Versewill address that while apparently also connecting that journey tothe story of The Spot. But that’s not the only significance behind the villain’s upcoming introduction. “And his living ink really is just, I think we’ve all been saying, it’s like an effect, it’s artistry come to life,” Santos continued. “It’s something that can only really happen in animation. If you can imagine Spot, like a dude in a sock suit, in a live-action Spider-Man film, it’s not going to work. It’s just not going to work. So he’s art come to life. He’s the inkwell spilled on the page. It all goes back to sort of comic books and comic book art.”

The prospect of a villain who could only work in the animation medium sounds pretty exciting and intriguing. There are tons of wacky and surreal characters out there who might be best suited for one particular filming style, like the darkly funnysometimes-hero-but-usually-villain Venom. But he’s had several live-action versions. Meanwhile, The Spot is essentially a living piece of art, something that would be tough to pull off in front of a real camera. So it will be interesting to see what the extremely talentedSpider-Verseteam cooks up.

Fans still have nearly a year to wait beforeSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Versereleases. But knowing about the fascinating new villain they have to look forward to, coupled with the knowledge that the next sequel,Beyond the Spider-Verse, is also in production, should help alleviate some of that prickly anticipation. This is post-2020, after all. Time no longer carries the same meaning it used to.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseis currently set to release in theaters on June 2nd, 2023.