The Star Wars Actor Who Inspired The Best Spider-Man
Donald Glover, known best as Troy from Community, Lando from Star Wars, or Childish Gambino the musician, has earned his status as a multi-hyphenate celebrity. But what some fans may not know is that we can thank Glover for the existence of the greatest Spider-Man, Miles Morales. The person responsible for creating the Spider-Man variant drew his inspiration for the web-slinger from Donald Glover’s character in Community.
We Have Donald Glover To Thank For Miles Morales
Donald Glover spent much of his early Hollywood career campaigning to play Spider-Man. He referenced it in his songs and dressed in Spider-Man pajamas in the second season of Community. At that time, Hollywood didn’t seem too keen on hiring an African American to take on the Marvel role, but others, including the comic book writer who created Miles Morales, took notice. In fact, it was when Brian Michael Bendis saw the actor dressed in Spider-Man’s famous tights that he came up with the idea for the character.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man Supreme
Miles Morales made his Marvel debut in 2011’s Ultimate Spider-Man comics. Crafted to look similar to Donald Glover, the Brooklyn teen made history as the first prominent character of color to portray a spider-person. More than a decade later, Mile’s popularity has soared so high that many consider him to be the greatest Spider-Man, even over Peter Parker. This is largely thanks to the popularity of Sony’s animated Spider-Verse films, Into The Spider-Verse and Across The Spider-Verse.
At 41 years of age, it’s highly unlikely that we will ever see Donald Glover don the Spider-Man suit in the MCU. However, the Atlanta actor has held standout roles in Marvel projects, including once portraying Miles Morales.
Donald Glover And Marvel
For Peter Parker’s first feature-length entry into the MCU, Donald Glover took on the role of Aaron Davis in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. While it was just a small cameo, Marvel fans knew the significance since Aaron Davis is the name of Miles Morales’s Uncle, aka the villainous Prowler. For 2023’s Across the Spider-Verse, Glover surprised fans with a live-action cameo version of Davis, this time a variant of the character donning the full purple Prowler suit.
And while we never got to see Donald Glover portray Spider-Man in a movie role, the actor did voice Miles Morales for one episode of the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warrior.
A decade after showing interest in becoming everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, it would seem that studio execs regretted never giving the actor a chance. Imagine what could have happened in Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man movies if Donald Glover had been behind the suit (heck, we could have possibly gotten a complete trilogy out of it).
Even though Donald Glover can’t cross off playing Spider-Man in a Marvel movie, we’re certain he’s proud of his accomplishments over the years. After proving himself in Community, he went on to win multiple awards for his work not only starring in Atlanta, but also serving as the series creator, producer, and director. Next up, the actor will rejoin the galaxy far, far away, this time starring in and writing an upcoming Star Wars film.
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