Warning: the following article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
There are so many cameos in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse that it can be tough to catch them all on the first viewing. The animation style is so dense and inventive that going back and noticing little details you missed is part of the fun. There is, however, one cameo that stopped fans in their tracks, and it nearly didn’t make the cut.
Seriously, we’d suggest averting your eyes if you’re yet to see the film – we’re going deep into spoiler territory, and fast. Final warning!
In an interview with Variety, directors Kemp Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson weighed in on the decision to include a live-action cameo from Donald Glover. There are actually a few live-action sequences in Across the Spider-Verse, which sets the film apart from its predecessor, but Glover’s cameo is the biggest surprise given his importance to the Miles Morales character.
Glover was vocal about wanting to star in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), and he even wore a Spider-Man costume in the Community episode “Anthropology 101.” Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis was inspired to create an African-American version of Spider-Man after seeing the episode, and this in turn led to the creation of Miles Morales. Glover never got a chance to play Miles on the big screen, but he did voice the character in Ultimate Spider-Man. He also played Miles’ uncle, Aaron Davis, in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), which led to his cameo in Across the Spider-Verse.
Glover has a packed schedule, given his sterling reputation as a musician, actor, and showrunner. Still, the Spider-Verse team stayed optimistic about their chances of shooting an original scene with him, and it came together at the last possible moment.
“It was shot at a studio in New York,” Powers recalled. “[Co-producer] Chris Miller flew to be there in person, and [co-producer] Phil Lord and I were on the video feed giving direction. We got it in at the 11th hour. As a matter of fact, even in audience preview screenings, it was a little cardboard cutout of Donald Glover.”
Dos Santos told the outlet that the emotional impact of seeing Glover was worth the wait, and that fans would appreciate the inclusion of a person who is so vital to the lore of their favorite superhero. “We knew it was still going to land, though, because the idea of it still got people geeked,” he noted. “That’s when you know you have something.”
If Glover returning as Aaron Davis wasn’t enough, Across the Spider-Verse gives fans their first look at Glover as the character’s alter ego, the Prowler. The film’s costume designer, Trayce Gigi Field, posted an IG photo with Glover in villain attire and the caption: “Building the Prowler Supersuit w/the help of the amazing @lemyhime was the coolest.”
While Glover hasn’t discussed his role in Across the Spider-Verse, fans are theorizing that his cameo could be a teaser for the live-action Miles Morales film that Sony is reportedly developing. It would be a cool way of tying another version of Spider-Man into a film that’s already packed with Spider-people, but even if it doesn’t lead to future appearances, it’s a much-appreciated inclusion.