Last week, Marvel star Hailee Steinfeld took the internet by surprise when she announced her engagement to Buffalo Bills quarterback, Josh Allen, via Instagram. While most congratulated the actress on the big news, a few people weren’t quite as thrilled, and it seems her co-star, Shameik Moore, might be one of those people.
It’s long been an open secret that Moore, Mile Morales himself, has had a crush on co-star Steinfeld, who voices Gwen Stacey in the Spider-Verse movies. The actor’s behavior in interviews is undoubtedly flirtatious in nature, although it seems it was never really reciprocated, leading fans to conclude that the actor was crushing on his co-star. After the news broke about Hailee’s engagement, some jokingly suggested someone check up on the Spider-Verse star.
However, it wasn’t long until the man himself would make a cryptic post to X which many believe could be alluding to Steinfeld and Allen’s engagement. In his post, the actor talks about moving on, meeting new people and embracing new opportunities.
The timing is awfully convenient, and it’s easy to see why people would associate the strange message with the recent news regarding Steinfeld and Allen. Naturally — the internet being the internet, people began dragging the actor online, calling Moore corny and embarrassing.
ur tarnishing miles morales name with ur corniness pls stop https://t.co/lHXA4LfXOG pic.twitter.com/mjzSQ3IegC
— yuuta ogoatsu (@gobbIiz) November 30, 2024
Others made Spider-Man themed jokes, using reaction GIFs from previous movies and cartoons.
A few noted that every other Spider-Man actor had, at some point, entered a real life relationship with their on-screen love interests from their respective films — perhaps Moore was hoping his time would come.
The only Spider-Man to fumble IRL😭 https://t.co/Z28j73tpbh pic.twitter.com/75q0vNISfk
— Lex (@AlexSheen0) November 29, 2024
Moore responded to the backlash implying that his initial post was nothing more than a poorly timed coincidence, but the people weren’t buying it.
Also crazy what yall decide to engage with when I post.
— Shameik Moore (@shameikmoore) November 29, 2024
Since then the actor has responded a few more times to try to deny that the first post was ever about Hailee, but to no avail. The denizens on X continue to mock the star.
He also seemingly tried to play dumb in a post where he claimed he had no idea about Hailee’s engagement — the post has since been deleted.
Oh this just gets funnier and funnier https://t.co/A0rwtg59Tm pic.twitter.com/mqksGLdYMB
— PattyNest (@PattyNest) November 30, 2024
Fans of the Spider-Verse movies have also expressed concern that this drama could result in further pushbacks for Beyond the Spider-Verse, a film which has already been delayed for far too long. Although, it’s difficult to see why this would have an effect on the sequel’s release.
Many have drawn attention to Moore’s behavior in interviews where his flirtatious comments seem to make Steinfeld uncomfortable on numerous occasions. This has led many to label Moore as “cringy” with some saying he gives off “nice guy” energy, with his post to X being the final straw for many.
He has also made some questionable posts in the past.
While Shameik has never outright confirmed his feelings for his co-star, it seems fairly obvious his behavior and his posts were more than just friendly banter. Whether he still feels that way now and whether that post really was about Hailee isn’t exactly clear, but it looks like the internet has made up its mind regardless.