Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Star Wasn’t Aware of Their Character’s MCU Connection

Heads up! Full spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are below. Proceed with caution if you’ve yet to see the movie. The Marvel multiverse is alive and well. Not only is the Marvel Cinematic Universe exploring the idea of multiple realities co-existing, but other franchises, such as Sony’s Spider-Verse property, are starting to dip their toes into the storytelling device as well. In fact, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is one of the largest examinations of the idea movie-goers have ever seen. In Across the Spider-Verse, Donald Glover returns for a quick cameo role as the Prowler, reprising a role he technically played in Spider-Man: Homecoming.

In the animated feature, Glover’s Prowler is thwarted by Spider-Punk, a character voiced by Black Panther star Daniel Kaluuya. As Kaluuya now reveals, he had no idea Glover was in the movie when recording his lines.

“No, I was not aware of that. (Laughs.) That was pretty cool,” Kaluyya said in a recent chat with THR. “Afterwards, I was like, ‘Oh shit, I fucking caught Glover’s Prowler.’ They may have mentioned it, but there was so much happening and I was so overwhelmed. So I don’t think I processed it until I watched it, but that’s a pretty cool Easter egg to be involved in.”

When Glover last appeared in the MCU, he was simply playing a character named Aaron Davis, the alter ego of the Prowler identity. To date, no further live-action Spider-Man properties have expanded on the character, despite Glover being one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

Miles Morales returns to the big screen with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse now playing in theaters after premiering on June 2nd. Miles (Shamiek Moore) reunites with fellow heroes Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) for another web-swinging adventure through the multiverse, finding himself at odds with the Spider-Society led by Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). Other new heroes include Spider-Woman Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), and Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), while new villain the Spot (Jason Schwartzman) also enters the fray. The sequel to Sony Pictures’ hit 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, and written by the team of Chris Miller, Phil Lord, and Dave Callaham.