As expected, the freshly released Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse featured plenty of cameos, easter eggs, and hints to the ever-expanding Marvel content. Fans can expect to see an abundance of Marvel Cinematic Universe nods but also references to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, traditional Marvel comics, and more. One of the best moments in Across the Spider-Verse is the unexpected cameo of the live-action Prowler variant. Who’s the man portraying the notorious villain? And how’s that connected to the MCU? Spoilers ahead!
Who is the live-action Prowler in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
Donald Glover is the live-action variant of the Prowler in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Miles Morales meets several new characters in his latest adventure, including several live-action characters. Fans don’t get to know much of the whys and hows of Glover’s Prowler besides seeing him imprisoned by the Spider-Society. The live-action Prowler is just one of the many villains that ended up in the wrong universe after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse events. Miguel O’Hara and the other Spider-People were looking to send Glover’s Prowler back home, but things took an unexpected event after Miles turned on his fellow Spider-Men.
Glover had already appeared in a superhero movie when he portrayed a character named Aaron Davis in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. On that occasion, Davis was nothing more than an informant with no superpowers, and, except for the name, nothing implied he was Miles’ uncle Aaron. Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t explain whether Glover’s Prowler is the same person as the one appearing in Homecoming, and the chances of Glover portraying the same character are as high as the ones for him portraying a different one. Sony owns the rights to the Spider-Man villains, and it wouldn’t be too surprising if a new deal with Marvel Studios might be reached to see Glover’s Prowler in the MCU.
Considering how popular the cameo has already become, fans might expect to see more of Glover’s Prowler in the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse scheduled for release on March 29, 2024.
