Spider-Man: The Most Obscure Video Game Easter Egg In Across The Spider-Verse

This article contains spoilers for "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is currently setting the box office on fire and exceeding comic book fans' wildest expectations. The second chapter in a trilogy starring Spider-Man Miles Morales and his many, many multiversal counterparts, "Across the Spider-Verse" ups the ante in every way. The villain is scarier, the action sequences are bigger, and the surprising cameos from all the various Spider-People are even more obscure than in the first film. And that doesn't just go for appearances from previous animated and comic book Spider-Man characters, either, as the movie's most deep-cut character may be one who hails from the world of video games. And no, we don't mean the appearance from Insomniac Games' Spider-Man.

At one point in the movie, Miles gets to visit the headquarters of the Spider Society, a group of heroes run by Spider-Man 2099 who joined forces to protect the multiverse. One part of the facility is full of high tech holding cells, where supervillains are kept until they can be safely transported back to their home dimensions. These villains include the Renaissance universe's Vulture, a live-action variant of the Prowler (played by Donald Glover), and seemingly multiple versions of Doctor Octopus. But the most random of these baddies is the pixelated visage of Peter Parker's arch-nemesis, the Green Goblin, as he appeared in 1982's "Spider-Man" for the Atar 2600.

Given the fact that he's just a stack of green pixels and he's only on the screen for a split second, even the most eagle-eyed fans would be forgiven for missing this Green Goblin cameo. To be fair, even the people who saw him in the movie might not be able to place where they'd have seen him before, since the Atari 2600's "Spider-Man" isn't the most fondly remembered video game adaptation of the friendly neighborhood superhero.

In each level of the game, Spidey has to climb to the top of one skyscraper after another and defuse the Green Goblin's bombs. Upon reaching the summit, Spider-Man can't fight the villain outright, but must instead defuse one larger "super bomb" while staying out of the Goblin's reach. It's a far cry from the future throwdowns Spider-Man would have with his worst foe, and this entry has pretty much faded into obscurity. 

Until now, of course! Judging from his appearance in "Across the Spider-Verse," Atari Green Goblin is still up to his old tricks after four decades.