This article contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, now playing in theaters.
Across the Spider-Verse introduced Miguel O'Hara, also known as Spider-Man 2099, as the leader of the Spider Society and the primary defender of the Spider-Verse. He told Miles about canon events that happen to every Spider-Man over the course of their lives. One is the death of a police captain at the hands of his nemesis, which for Miles, would mean losing his father. Miles set off to prevent this, and Miguel embarked on a quest to stop him from tearing the canon to pieces.
Miles initially believed the Spot would be the one to kill his father. However, given his unwavering dedication to preserving the canon regardless of who it could hurt, Beyond the Spider-Verse may have Miguel O'Hara be the one to kill Jefferson. These decisions could open a floodgate for the multiverse while also solving the problems originating from the fact that Miles is living a life that wasn't initially his.
How Did Miguel Get to this Extreme?
As revealed in Across the Spider-Verse, Miguel lost his family, traveled across the multiverse until he found a universe where he had died, then replaced his variant. He had a family again. But doing this broke the canon, and the dimension unraveled, taking his family with it. From that point forward, he never messed with the canon again and did everything in his power to stop others from doing the same.
Perhaps it's losing his own family that makes Miguel want to stop Miles from saving his. He understands that he's bound to his life as a Spider-Man. His fate was sealed the moment the spider bit him. He's at peace with that, even if it means he must endure great tragedy. This puts him directly at odds with Miles because Miles was never supposed to become Spider-Man, and that reflects in his character. He's not okay with losing everything he loves for the sake of being a hero. However, this unwillingness to make necessary sacrifices could ultimately endanger the multiverse as a whole. Given his position as leader of the Spider Society, it then falls to Miguel to ensure that everything stays how it's supposed to. If that means being certain Jefferson dies, so be it.
What Would This Mean for the Multiverse?
In multiple ways, Jefferson's death could have massive consequences on the multiverse as a whole. For one, it could put Miles in an interesting position of whether he wants to stop being Spider-Man. At the end of Across the Spider-Verse, Miles already has to grapple with none of his friends being the person he thought they were. If this is already causing as much pain, Miles may consider quitting before anyone he loves gets hurt because of him.
However, having Miguel kill Jefferson could have its own disastrous results. He's supposed to fall at the hands of Spider-Man's nemesis, not another Spider-Man. For Miles, this means the Spot. However, Miles could defeat him, and then the responsibility for Jefferson's death would be on someone else, likely Miguel O'Hara. In trying to save the multiverse by ensuring that death happens, Miguel could break it further since he's not Miles's designated enemy. Despite the consequences this could have on both characters is akin to what multiverse narratives often look like with their teetering means of solving one problem while making another.
Across the Spider-Verse is now streaming in theaters.