Why Are Fans Linking Peni Parker To 'Neon Genesis Evangelion?' Japanese Manga Cameos In The 'Spider-Verse' Comics Explained

Peni Parker is one of the more endearing characters to emerge from the Spider-Verse canon, first appearing in Into The Spider-Verse alongside her trusty sidekick, the SP//dr robot. But Peni's second appearance in the sequel to the Spider-Verse movie shows her to be painted in darker colors, taking on a more jaded attitude.

Here's what fans have unearthed about Peni Parker's original universe and what could have caused her character to grow into the Gundam-wielding teenager she now is.

What Were Peni Parker's First And Latest Movie Appearances?

Peni Parker made her first appearance in the Spider-Man cinematic universe as a chipper and bubbly Japanese manga-inspired character from a 2135 A.D. version of New York. She is described as a spider-person with a psychic link to a spider that lives in a robot called SP//dr, handed down to her by her father.

Peni Parker returned in Across The Spider-Verse, but was shown to be older, painted in darker and dimmer colors and visibly shaken and upset. While the reasons for her now-jaded outlook on life were not explored in detail, fans of the movies discussed the likelihood of her reeling from "Spideyvangelion," a Spider-Man version of the apocalyptic event shown in Neon Genesis Evangelion.

What Is 'Evangelion' And Why Are People Linking Peni Parker To It?

Neon Genesis Evangelion is a wildly popular Japanese Gundam-inspired manga and anime franchise that is often discussed and referenced in meme culture, whether is Shinji in a chair or "I will enjoy my weekend to the fullest."

Peni Parker is being linked to Evangelion due to the similarities between the operation of mecha-suits as seen in both Peni's SP//dr bot and the Evangelion mecha robots. But further inspection of the source material for the Spider-Verse movies shows that Peni Parker's comic book counterpart is shown to be strongly situated in a universe populated with Japanese manga characters, possibly including Evangelion and Akira.

What Are Some Memes About Peni Parker's Link To Evangelion?

A popular discussion about Peni Parker's link to the much darker Evangelion anime world is the discussion of Peni's canon event, and how it must have been more dramatic and devastating than anything we've seen Miles Morales go through thus far.

For the full history of the "Peni Parker is an Evangelion character" theory, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.