What Is The 'Bagel Effect?' The Spider-Verse Theory About The Spot's Origin Story Explained

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is the second installment in the animated Spider-Man franchise starring Shameik Moore as Miles Morales. The film picks up where the first movie in the series lets off, and features a primary antagonist who made a brief appearance in the first movie. Here's the lore on The Spot's origin story and why some people are calling his first appearance an example of the Bagel Effect.

What Is 'The Bagel Effect'?

The "bagel effect" is the name given to a scene from the first Spider-Verse movie, where Miles Morales and Peter Parker escape from Kingpin's laboratory and chuck a bagel at someone's head on their way out.

The fleeting scene turns out to be a significant easter egg after the victim of the bagel attack is shown to be the main antagonist of Across The Spider-Verse, an interdimensional traveler named the Spot. Thus, the "Bagel Effect" was coined, likely a reference to the Butterfly Effect, implying that small actions (like throwing a bagel) can lead to major repercussions elsewhere.

What Are Some Memes About The Bagel Effect?

The first meme creator to bridge the association between the scientist getting hit by a bagel and the Spot was YouTuber^[2] BeedleEz.

As the Bagel Effect theory spread amongst fans, it gained a following on social media and sparked many other memes. Some examples can be seen here:

For the full history of The Bagel Effect, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.