A Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse prequel short has been released, starring Spider-Ham (and lots of terrible puns)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ranks highly on our best superhero movies list for good reason. Full of wit, charm, and cartoonish visuals that pop off the screen, it’s Spidey’s best big-screen effort. If you want more, there’s now a Spider-Verse prequel starring Spider-Ham – and it’s got more pig puns than you can shake a hot dog at.

Acting as a love letter to mid-20th Century animation – check out that Looney Tunes-style title card! – Spider-Ham: Caught in a Ham (which is also on the Spider-Verse Blu-ray) charts the adventures of the John Mulaney-voiced character before he got sucked into the multi-dimensional portal and thrust into the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Ham is swinging about and enjoying his day, complete with hot dog in hand, when he passes the ominously-named Evil Villain Lair. Inevitably, he gets dragged in, captured, and nearly honey glazed by the nefarious Dr. Craw Daddy.

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That is, until Spider-Ham turns the table by giving the villain some advice on picking a better baddie name. After all, he can count the likes of Nuclear Boar Head and WM-Bees among his rogues’ gallery, each pun more terrible than the last.

Oh, god, the puns. From hogwash (heh) to pulled pork (eww?), Spider-Ham shows he can wordplay with the best of ‘em.

The four-minute short eventually ends with a Scooby-Doo chase through a set of repeating doors and Dr. Craw Daddy meeting a hammer-shaped fate. Shortly after that, the Spider-Ham prequel directly ties into Spider-Verse as the cartoon hero gets pulled into the portal caused by Kingpin during the first act of the movie.

There you have it – the prequel you never knew you needed. Now, who wants a full-length Spider-Ham spin-off?

See who took number one spot in our complete list of the best Spider-Man movies (spoiler: Spider-Ham is in it)

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.