The sound comes from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse from 2018, where it signals the Prowler, Miles Morales's uncle Aaron Davis in his villain form. Composer Daniel Pemberton gave the character a distorted elephant-like roar mixed with synth bass, meant to feel inhuman and terrifying. Clips of that sting were lifted from the film and shared on soundboards and TikTok, where creators began using it out of context for anyone making a menacing entrance. Its instant recognition keeps it popular for edits and memes.