Who plays Miles Morales’ mom in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?’

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has an influx of captivating new characters (a lot of them being alternate versions of Spider-Man from different realities, sure), but that doesn’t mean the old ones have been forgotten. In fact, several faces from Into the Spider-Verse have returned for this new adventure, adding a sense of familiarity to the sequel. Among them, naturally, are Miles Morales’ parents, Jefferson Davis and Rio Morales.

While the previous film had a much bigger emphasis on Miles’ relationships with his father and uncle, in Across the Spider-Verse, his mother gets the chance to shine. Rio can be considered the true heart of the movie, as her bond with Miles closely resembles that of Peter and Aunt May. Of course, there’s the difference of her being this Spider-Man’s actual mother, but where feelings are concerned, Aunt May played just as big of a role in Peter’s life as Rio does in Miles’.

Needless to say, the exploration of Miles and Rio’s dynamic in this sequel is being very well received, and subsequently, sparking curiosity about who is lending their voice to Rio in the film.

Who voices Rio Morales in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?

In the second installment of the Spider-Verse trilogy, Miles’ mom is voiced by Luna Lauren Velez, who played the same role in Into the Spider-Verse. Much like her character, Velez is of Puerto-Rican descent but was born in the U.S. on Nov. 2, 1964, where she was raised and has worked as an actress and producer. She landed her very first role in 1983, in the musical Dreamgirls, and five years later, she made her Broadway debut, playing the Witch in Into the Woods.

In the ’90s, Velez left live theater behind in favor of on-screen productions, and over the years, she has made appearances in a long list of TV shows and movies. Besides the Spider-Verse franchise, Velez is best known for playing Luisa in The First Purge, Dr. Gloria Nathan in HBO’s Oz, Maria LaGuerta in Dexter, Elena in Ugly Betty, and Nina Moreno in New York Undercover. Unfortunately, the Spider-Verse films are the only examples of Velez’s voice-acting work, but hopefully, we’ll get to see her explore this talent in future projects.

Those who haven’t heard her on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse can do so right now in theaters across the world.