The upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has been one of the most anticipated movies of the year, with fans eager to see how the animated epic follows up on the success of the 2018 original, Into the Spider-Verse. As the release date approaches, one of the co-directors behind the movie has teased the film's ending, The Direct reports.

Co-director Kemp Powers revealed that while Across The Spider-Verse is a movie on its own, it serves as the middle chapter of the story, setting up the grand finale in next year's Beyond the Spider-Verse. “Across The Spider-Verse is a movie on its own, but it definitely ends on a bit of a cliffhanger,” Powers told SFX magazine. “I think it’s a good cliffhanger. We hope that it’s a satisfying tee-up for what’s coming in the third film because you want people to be excited about what’s coming next.”

According to Powers, the team knew going into the movie that it was part two of a three-part story, which allowed them to tackle the story in a unique way. The team also drew comparisons to The Empire Strikes Back, with co-director Joaquim Dos Santos stating that he was “very satisfied” after watching it.

While a cliffhanger ending for Across the Spider-Verse is not surprising, it is shocking that those involved in the movie are openly spoiling the fact that there is a cliffhanger. The confidence that the creatives must have in their film to publicly brandish the fact that this movie is going to “[end] in a place where you need to see the third one” is a sign of how much they believe in their story and its ability to draw audiences into the next chapter of the saga.

If Beyond the Spider-Verse is the Endgame of the franchise, then Across will surely serve as the Infinity War. Fans of the franchise cannot wait to see how the story unfolds and how the next chapter will set up the grand finale.