Donald Glover in the Spider-Verse

Donald Glover has made a lasting impact on the Spider-Verse. Yes, he’s featured in multiple Spider-Man films, but his influence reaches much further than you might think. So, let’s explore the history of Miles Morales and Donald Glover across time, storytelling mediums, and the Spider-Verse itself.

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#Donald4Spiderman

Donald Glover’s first “crossover” with Spider-Man wasn’t even in a Spider-Man film or series. In fact, we have to go back to a social media campaign to truly understand how the two became intertwined. Glover started a campaign to get the opportunity to audition for the role of Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man. This happened before Andrew Garfield was ever cast.

It’s not uncommon for social media to have an impact on actual casting decisions. After all, fans campaigned to cast John Krasinski as Reed Richards for years. And finally, he got the role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As a writer, musician, and artist, Donald Glover certainly understood the power of social media. Fans were all on board. Even Stan Lee voiced his approval!

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Troy Barnes in Community

At the time, Glover was a main character on NBC’s series Community. The #Donald4Spiderman campaign was in full swing by the time season 2 of Community premiered in September 2010. As a nod to the hashtag, Glover’s character Troy Barnes wore a full-body Spider-Man costume for pajamas. It was an inside joke that only made fans more hopeful. Beyond that, the short clip inspired an influential comic book creator.

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Miles Morales’ Creation

In an interview with USA Today, writer Brian Michael Bendis talked about the creation of the brand new Spider-Man, Miles Morales. He explained that Glover heavily inspired the look of character. Bendis even referenced Troy Barnes in Community, saying, “He looked fantastic! I saw him in the costume and thought, ‘I would like to read that book.’ So I was glad I was writing that book.” Just like that, Glover was a part of Miles Morales. And soon, he would get to play the part.

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Miles Morales’ First Animated Appearance

Miles Morales had already made his comic book debut. Soon, he was set to make his first animated appearance in Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man animated series. Donald Glover was the perfect voice actor for the role. He voiced Miles Morales for the third season of the show. That made Glover the very first actor to  ever portray the character. Technically, he was the first Miles Morales.

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Uncle Aaron in the MCU

Soon, though, Glover would take on an equally important role. In Marvel’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, he played Aaron Davis. As most Miles Morales fans know, Aaron Davis is Miles’ uncle. Sure, Aaron hasn’t always been a hero. Bu he’s always been an inspiration to his nephew. There were even deleted scenes in Spider-Man: Homecoming where Uncle Aaron called Miles on the phone! Fans were curious what that meant for Donald Glover. There was no way we could predict what would happen next.

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Into the Spider-Verse

At the beginning of Into the Spider-Verse, Miles sneaks out. He climbs to the window of Uncle Aaron’s apartment. When Aaron lets him in, they chat about school, life, and girls. The TV plays in the background while Miles dukes it out with a punching bag. Look closely, and you’ll see the scene from Community where Donald Glover is wearing his Spider-Man costume. Truly, it felt like an Easter egg for the geekiest of geeks. Then, it got better.

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Across the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales follows Ghost-Spider to Nueva York, the home base of the Spider-Society. There, we get to see all sorts of anomalies and variants. It’s there, waiting in one of Spider-Man 2099’s traps, we see him: The Prowler. However, this Prowler is the live-action Uncle Aaron, depicted by Donald Glover himself.

Finally, he’s suited up and side by side with Miles Morales. You could hear audible gasps from the audiences in theaters. Unfortunately, it’s unclear whether this Uncle Aaron is from the MCU or not. Nevertheless, it was an incredible reference to years of comic book and movie history.

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So, did you catch all the Donald Glover references in the Spider-Verse films? Do you think he’ll be featured in Beyond the Spider-Verse?

Join the conversation with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or at side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!