Miles Morales has a date with the MCU, but who will bring him to life? Twitter users had some thoughts on the subject.
Since the advent of social media, those opinions are louder than ever. When it comes to fancasting their favorite Marvel characters, Twitter has lots to say on the subject.
One of the most opined topics in all the MCU has been the future live-action Miles Morales. The star of comics, games, and cartoons, he is the hottest prospect in all of Marvel. Fans have been waiting for him to arrive on the silver screen since 2017 when Aaron “Prowler” Davis, played by Donald Glover — who actually voiced Miles in the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon —mentioned his nephew in Spider-Man: Homecoming.
That “nephew” is none other than the Ultimate Spider-Man, Miles Morales. That scene set off a wave of speculation for Miles to arrive in the MCU, and the excitement has intensified with every new Spider-Man movie. Yet, here we are, five years later, and there’s been nothing on the Miles front.
Created by famed comic writer Brian Michael Bendis and first appearing in 2011’s Ultimate Fallout #4, Miles Morales debuted in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, designated as Earth-1610. The comics told of a world in which Spider-Man was killed by the Green Goblin. Meanwhile, Miles had been bitten by a radioactive spider created in an Oscorp lab experiment. With Peter Parker dead, the teenage Miles stepped into the role of Ultimate Spider-Man.
Despite the changes happening outside the Marvel-616 main continuity, the decision to put a new hero in the Spider-Man role was met with controversy. Traditional fans saw it as Marvel Comics rejecting the fan-favorite Peter Parker in favor of a hip, new character aimed at teenage readers. However, Miles proved he was much more than merely a substitute Peter Parker. He grew into his own distinct character and won over legions of fans in the process.
Since then, Miles has gained plenty of mainstream exposure, and it has made Spider-Miles more popular than ever. He had a major role in Playstation’s hugely popular Spider-Man video game from 2018, and he was given a starring role in the spinoff title, Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Then there was the hit animated movie, Into the Spider-Verse, which truly put him in the public spotlight. Starting next year, we’ll see the cartoon Miles again in Across the Spider-Verse and Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Along with being a favorite of the silver screen and game consoles, Miles has starred in multiple comic book series, and he has been incorporated into Marvel’s main timeline of Earth-616. Fans also have spotted him in a number of recent cartoon shows, including Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Spider-Man, the aforementioned Ultimate Spider-Man, and Marvel Superhero Adventures. It has firmly planted Miles into the public consciousness, and now he is a live-action movie star waiting to happen.
There’s no question that Marvel Studios will bring him to the MCU, and it will be a major moment when it happens. For now, we have to patiently wait for Kevin Feige to make the big announcement. In the meantime, fans have been making their predictions for the live-action Spider-Miles, and Twitter had some interesting suggestions. Take a look.
Jaden Smith
While we wouldn’t necessarily call this a popular choice, Jaden Smith/Miles rumors date back to Homecoming. He is a natural choice for the role, and he has been starring in films since he and Jackie Chan made the 2010 Karate Kid remake. At 24-years-old, theoretically, he could pull off being a high schooler.
For his part, Jaden and his famous father, Will Smith, have been suggesting that Jaden will be the live-action Miles all year. In January, Jaden stirred the pot on Twitter. When asked about the Spider-Miles gossip, he replied with a selfie of himself in a Spider-Man mask.
Two months later, Will told Poptime that Jaden was “preparing himself physically and mentally to get a place as one of the characters who will make history for the first time in the saga of a movie that many already know and ask for.” Will’s awkward, cryptic sentence can be interpreted many ways, but most fans added his statement to Jaden’s tweet and assumed it all means that Jaden is the MCU’s future Miles. Marvel has said nothing on the subject, so we can take it all with a grain of salt. For that matter, it could simply be Will and Jaden trying to launch a fan campaign.
Shameik Moore
The voice of Miles Morales in the ever-popular Into the Spider-Verse animated movies, Moore could slide into the live-action role with hardly a hitch. Since most viewers connect his voice to Miles, it would tie the Sony cartoons with the MCU, and that is always a boon for fans. In fact, an entire story could be written describing how he stepped out of the animated world and into live-action. Thanks to the Multiverse, anything is possible, and audiences have learned to accept even the most absurd of concepts.
As much fun as it would be to see Moore physically suit up as Spider-Miles, the only issue is his age. The actor is 27 years old and in the comics and cartoons, Miles is about 15. Marvel could pull a Stranger Things and pretend that no one will notice the age difference, but that would be hard to get onboard with. Otherwise, this would be the perfect casting.
Nadji Jeter
Another familiar name for Miles fans is Nadji Jeter. While Moore may have the market cornered on voicing Miles for the silver screen, Jeter has established himself as the video game Spider-Miles. Since 2018, he has voiced the character for five different games, most notably Sony’s Spider-Man franchise, including the sequel due out next year. He also lent his voice as Miles for the ’17 Spider-Man cartoon series. That’s not all on his video game resume as Last of Us fans will recognize him as the voice of Sam.
Jeter has been featured in live-action roles, but he has yet to find that star-making role. Being cast as Miles for the MCU would definitely put him on the mainstream radar. Like Moore, the only issue is his age. Unless Marvel Studios plans to age Miles into his 20s, the 26-year-old Jeter likely would not pass as a teenager.
Caleb McLaughlin
Fresh off the massive success of Netflix’s Stranger Things 4, Caleb McLaughlin is a trending name among Miles fancastings. While he may be 20 years old, he is accustomed to playing a teenager on television, and he played 15-year-old Lucas in ST4. Although the same cannot be said for the rest of the show’s cast, McLaughlin at least looked the part of a teenager.
The official word is that Stranger Things 5 will be the final show’s final season, so the actor’s schedule should be wide open after that. With the Stranger Things fans firmly behind him, McLaughlin would be a popular choice.
Miles Brown
Twitter has some interesting opinions on the Miles Morales casting, and this could be a winner. Rapper, dancer, and actor Miles Brown is best known for playing Jack on the sitcom, Black-ish. At 17, he is the right age to play the teenage Miles Morales. It also would allow him to grow with the role, something Marvel Studios had in mind when Tom Holland was cast as Peter Parker. Put it all together, and Baby Boogaloo could be on the verge of MCU stardom. Plus, his forename feels like destiny to us.
Dallas Dupree Young
Last year, WarnerMedia announced that Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña will play Jaime Reyes in DC’s Blue Beetle movie. Since then, CK fans have been looking for other superheroes among the cast, most notably Dallas Dupree Young. Judging by Twitter, Young’s fans believe they have found the perfect Miles.
Marvel Studios lives and dies by the action-comedy formula, and Young has shown his prowess for both in Cobra Kai. He also happens to be 15 years old, and that would put him exactly in the Miles age range. Twitter users are quick to point out that Sony Pictures produces Cobra Kai, and they are hoping the studio sees Young’s superhero potential.
