Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (opens in new tab) ranks highly on our best superhero movies (opens in new tab) 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.
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 (opens in new tab) (spoiler: Spider-Ham is in it)
