When Marc Webb’s ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ was first announced in 2010, a campaign known as #donald4spiderman made its way around the internet before Andrew Garfield inherited the web-slinging mantle from Toby Maguire. Fans who retweeted this hashtag were behind the idea that ‘Community’ star Donald Glover should play Peter Parker in the then-upcoming Sony film. While the movement was initially unsuccessful, Brian Michael Bendis introduced half black, half Hispanic teenager Miles Morales into the Marvel Ultimate Universe as the new Spider-Man in 2011. Fans pushed once again for the actor/writer/rapper to play this wall-crawler in the live action films, but producers shot down rumors that Miles would be appearing in the franchise in the near future. But now it looks like the performer also known as Childish Gambino will finally get his opportunity to play the iconic Marvel superhero, thanks to Disney.
The third season, which carries the subtitle ‘Web Warriors,’ will be based on the upcoming ‘Spider-Verse’ storyline from the comics and will find Drake Bell’s Peter Parker chasing the Green Goblin through multiple dimensions and meeting alternate Spider-Men such as Iron Spider, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Man Noir, and the Amazing Spider-Girl, in addition to Miles. To catch the first glimpse at the actor finally getting a crack at playing one of his favorite superheroes, watch the clip below:
On the casting of Glover as Miles Morales, former ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ comic book editor and current vice president of Marvel Television’s animation division Stephen Wacker praises the actor’s performance:
“[Miles] meets someone who is his hero, and that comes across completely in Donald’s performance. He’s got a real warmth that suits the character really, really well. If you’ve read Miles Morales comics, Donald’s voice nails what you’ve been reading. He’s a kid you can root for, who you want good things for, who suffered some loss of his own, and we’re seeing him come to terms with his new powers and how to use them.”
Finally, the actor himself comments on this monumental role for him since he’s been a fan for such a long time:
“That’s the great part about the Spider-Man costume: He can be anybody. Spider-Man could be a girl. Spider-Man could be an old man. You don’t know. So I just tried to be as me as possible, because you’re always just going to bring it back to yourself when you watch the show. Spider-Man is the best because you just don’t know who he is, and he’s funny and he’s poor. I understand Spider-Man a lot on that level. He’s just trying to make it.”
It may have taken four years for #donald4spiderman to work, but many fans (including Donald Glover) are probably glad that it’s better late than never. So now that it’s actually happening, are you excited for the acclaimed entertainer to play Miles Morales on ‘Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors’? Let us know in the comments.
Source: USA Today