All Of The Spot's Powers And Abilities Explained
"Into the Spider-Verse's" Miles Morales is no stranger to fighting people who don't exactly have a spotless record ... yet he probably never expected any of his foes to get quite so literal about it. That changes in 2023's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," where Miles will tackle (and likely web up) Johnathon Ohnn, a.k.a. the supervillain known as the Spot. Originally an enemy of the Peter Parker version of Spider-Man, Ohnn becomes the Spot after seemingly failing to access the Darkforce Dimension, a realm full of pitch-black energy, so he can replicate the powers of Spider-Man's fellow crimefighter Cloak (of "Cloak and Dagger" fame). Instead, Ohnn gets a power set all of his own, as well as a fairly distinct physical appearance.
The Spot isn't exactly the most prolific of Web-Foes, yet he's certainly made his mark on the Marvel Universe, due to his distinctive look and superpowers. Given how he's more obscure than say, Sandman or Electro, however, perhaps it's worth taking a look at just what exactly the character can do — and why he could prove to be so formidable to Spider-Man and his allies.
Dimensional Portals
Seeing as the character has always posed a legitimate challenge to Spider-Man, it's probably not too surprising to learn the circles on the Spot's costume are more than just a stylistic choice. Each "spot" is actually a portal the Spot can use to teleport to just about anywhere he pleases, regardless of distance — he could even, in theory, transport himself to other inhabitable planets in the Marvel Universe, though he's yet to do so. To successfully teleport from one place to another, however, the Spot must usually make two portals: one he can enter through and another he can exit from. Stepping out of the same portal he came in is possible, but would just leave Ohnn right back where he started.
The announcement that he'll be the next major villain of the "Spider-Verse" film franchise suggests the Spot's powers might be getting a bit of an upgrade, as in the comics, he can only teleport to places within his own universe. Well, with one exception...
A world all his own
No matter how instantaneous his teleportation might appear, the Ohnn always stops in one place first before reaching his destination: Spotworld, the place he found instead of the Darkforce Dimension (though some claim they're the same place, or at least related). Also known as the "Dimension of Spots" or "Spotted Dimension," Ohnn accesses this uninhabited white dimension full of black portals or "warp holes," every time he uses his powers. Moreover, there's a warp hole in Spotworld for just about any location you can imagine, explaining how the Spot is able to appear just about anywhere.
It's actually Spotworld that turns Ohnn into the Spot, in fact, as his first visit into the realm transforms his body into essentially a human replica of the dimension as he's leaving it. Ohnn can stay within Spotworld for extended periods and bring other people into the dimension for as long as pleases. Curiously, none have undergone the same transformation when ejected from Spotworld, including Spider-Man, whom the Spot has dragged in there on quite a few occasions.
Nothing's beyond his reach
Why jump through a portal, however, when only a hand or leg will do? Even sticking a limb through one of the Spot's portals can cause said appendage to reappear through another portal several feet away from him ... without ever leaving his body. It's a pretty handy technique for when the Spot wants to punch somebody a distance away from him or grab a glass of water at the other end of a room... or money at the other side of a sealed bank vault door. It can also grant the Spot additional subterfuge, as he can hide within Spotworld while sending a fist or foot in someone's direction, thus protecting the rest of his body from harm. The Spot also has a certain degree of control over Spotworld, able to rearrange its portals how he sees fit, but can get a little lost in the realm if forced in there against his will.
Spot removal and attachment
While the Spot's body is covered in portals, you might have noticed that they're a little small for him to fit his whole body into. Not a problem, however, for to teleport, Ohnn actually pulls off the spots on his body, which he can then enlarge to the size he needs. Similarly, Ohnn can also make the spots he takes off smaller, which is ideal when he wants to put them back on again, or if he wants to stick tiny portals he plans to exit out of later onto things like walls and camera lenses. Though Ohnn won't be able to fit through any portal too small for his body, he can simply use a different portal to hop into Spotworld and then enlarge the miniature "spots" he plans to exit through from within his special realm.
That said, however, the Spot can't regenerate the portals he removes from his body, meaning he can actually run out of them unless he either retrieves the ones he's removed from himself or goes into Spotworld to snag himself a bunch of new ones. So handy as the Spot's powers may be, they still require a little strategy to ensure that Ohnn doesn't leave himself in a vulnerable position.
Resistance from harm
While the Spot doesn't have super-tough skin like Luke Cage or force fields like the Invisible Woman, he is actually somewhat "bulletproof," as bullets that hit the portals on his body go in one spot and out another, while a laser that goes in one spot is dispersed through all the others. The same applies for physical attacks, as seen on one occasion where Ohnn redirects Spider-Man's fist right into Spidey's own face, giving "look out, here comes the Spider-Man" an unexpected (and pain-inducing) new meaning. This means of defense does have a downside, however, as allies of the Spot can get hurt if they happen to be in the trajectory of the spot where the bullet, laser or physical blow emerges.
Still, there are more upsides than downsides to how the Spot's portals can protect him, and the same holds true when they're not attached to his body. In "Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man" #100, for instance, Ohnn smooshes several of his spots together into a giant portal, which shields him from harm by teleporting a net of webbing Spider-Man throws at him away. Yet that too has a caveat, for should the Spot have pulled too many spots off himself and can't reach any of the ones he's removed in time, he becomes about as easy to harm as any other human.
Transformation
You could easily be mistaken for thinking the Spot's unique look is a costume he wears, when in reality, it's more of an alternate appearance. Just because it's not made of fabric doesn't mean the Spot is stuck in that form, however. Though it takes considerable focus and effort on his part, Ohnn can revert to human form by collapsing his "costume" down into a single spot on his body, which he can then cover up with clothing. He can therefore pass himself off as a person without superpowers when he needs to, though he'd still probably want to keep a low profile, given that his identity is not a secret. Similarly, Ohnn can revert back to his spotted form, which is much easier for him, as his "Spot" look has essentially become his default appearance. All he has to do is relax and "boom": the Spot is back in business.
Teleporting others
Being portals, Spot's, well, spots don't just work on him. Anyone who goes through one of the warp holes can be transported somewhere else, which the Spot has used many times to his advantage. He can teleport fellow supervillains to safety and disorient superheroes by teleporting them to places they don't expect... like the time he made Spider-Man slam into a wall. The Spot's portals were particularly handy in the miniseries "Super-Villain Team-Up: M.O.D.O.K.'s 11," where they allowed several of the Spot's allies break into a supposedly impenetrable building called the "Infinicide" to steal its energy source on behalf of their employer, M.O.D.O.K. In theory, they would have also allowed them to escape... had the Spot not betrayed the "team," that is.
Another villain with the Spot's powers, the Coyote, has also used this technique to great effect, making Spider-Man's longtime friend Daredevil question his own sanity by teleporting the horned hero and his loved ones around without DD's knowledge. Suffice to say, anyone with the powers of the Spot is not one to be underestimated... even when they have you doing the teleporting.