Of all the surprises contained in “Spider-Man – Across the Spider-Verse” (and there are many), there is in particular THIS cameo which surprised everyone. And who announces Tom Holland’s next adventure in the MCU?
WARNING – The article below contains spoilers for “Spider-Man – Across the Spider-Verse” as it discusses one of its surprises. So please go your way if you want to know nothing before discovering the animated film.
Respective interpreters of Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker in the original version, Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld and Jake Johnson are not the only ones to return to service in Spider-Man – Across the Spider-Verse. There is also Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Velez, in the role of the parents of the hero, or Mahershali Ali who returns in Aaron Davis, his uncle.
But don’t forget Donald Glover either. In New Generation, the actor and singer appeared on a TV, wearing Spider-Man pajamas, in an image taken from a season 2 episode of Community. Which was then a nod to the #donald4spiderman campaign launched a few months earlier, so that the actor, an unconditional fan of Spider-Man, takes over from Tobey Maguire in the cinema.
NBC Donald Glover in “Community”
It didn’t work out, of course, as the role went to Andrew Garfield in the 2012 Marc Webb reboot. and relaunched with the election of Barack Obama. And that’s how Miles Morales was born in August 2011, thanks to Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, who admitted to being inspired by Donald Glover and the 44th President of the United States.
Today, Donald Glover makes a new cameo in Spider-Man – Across the Spider-Verse: at Spider-Hero HQ as a flesh-and-blood variant of Aaron Davis, imprisoned with a outfit of Ranger, super-villain who becomes the uncle of Miles Morales in the comic books as well as in New Generation. And this is where things get fun and intriguing.
Because Donald Glover precisely embodied Aaron Davis in Spider-Man Homecoming. Facing Peter Parker, yes, but his presence opened the door to introducing Miles Morales into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A possibility Across the Spider-Verse seems to be reminding us of today, amid a few nods to the MCU, with what could be a real clue to what’s to come.
Sony Pictures Releasing France
Donald Glover in “Spider-Man Homecoming”
We know it: Tom Holland will return in a fourth Spider-Man at the cinema, Zendaya too, and the president of Sony Pictures Amy Pascal has said that a feature film around Miles Morales will see the light of day. And that’s why Donald Glover’s cameo seems anything but anecdotal, because it can serve as a teaser and a bridge between Across the Spider-Verse and a future project. But which one?
A Spider-Man 4 that will see the arrival of Miles Morales? A solo film on the latter, which would not necessarily be an origin story so as not to duplicate what has been (very well) done in animation? A mixture of the two? Knowing that Across the Spider-Verse can also take place after the events of the feature film and show us what Aaron has become following his transformation.
Will we be entitled to another clue (and therefore another Donald Glover cameo) in Spider-Man – Beyond the Spider-Verse, third installment of the animated trilogy? Answer in April 2024.