The muted reaction to that jaw-dropping ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ cameo proves what the MCU still has to learn

Warning: Inconsequential spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse to follow.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is finally here, and the world is absolutely basking in what we all knew would be peak comic book ecstasy. Indeed, after Into the Spider-Verse dazzled us like never before all the way back in 2018, it seemed like only a matter of time before Across the Spider-Verse would state its case as an absolute lynchpin in the superhero zeitgeist, and, as it turns out, it was. 

Nevertheless, it always seemed that Across the Spider-Verse wasn’t able to shake the unavoidable associations with the Marvel Cinematic Universe; indeed, despite everyone knowing that the spotlight would be swinging firmly towards Miles and Gwen, the speculation on MCU cameos from Tobey, Andrew, and Tom appeared to dominate the conversation in the days leading up to the film’s release

So what did Across the Spider-Verse do? It turned that association into a strength, and it paid off in the best possible way it could. Beyond the archival footage of the live-action Spideys we got in the film, Across the Spider-Verse went a step further and dropped an absolute bombshell of an MCU cameo in the form of one Donald Glover, decked out in a Prowler outfit as he’s being held prisoner by the Spider-Society.

But don’t get it twisted; it wasn’t the cameo itself that made for the payoff; it was the reaction to it, or relative lack thereof, that proved an important point about not only Across the Spider-Verse, but comic book films as a whole.

In any other context, the fandom would be losing its mind over this nod to Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s Prowler tease way back in 2017, and while my screening saw its fair share of gasps when Glover appeared, the internet doesn’t seem nearly as interested in this headspinner of a cameo as it usually would be.

Indeed, the relatively quiet fanfare surrounding the nods we did get to the MCU (and, as stated, they weren’t insignificant) only proves exactly the sort of power that the Spider-Verse trilogy is packing; namely a delectable grasp on storytelling fundamentals, a worship-worthy commitment to their artstyle intentions, and above all, taking absolutely no chances in proving just how much heart they put into every single beat, frame, and finer detail. No cameo could ever top that. 

All this to say that the overwhelming praise being flung at Across the Spider-Verse, all while barely offering up any noise about Donald Glover’s cameo at the time of writing, is a testament to the fact that this animated trilogy is more than capable of standing on its own without borrowing heavily from its more illustrious, Disney-owned sister franchise. 

Moral of the story? A great, heartful movie trumps even the best cameo-heavy rollercoaster 10 times out of 10.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters.