After much speculation and many fan theories, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige officially confirmed his intention to bring Miles Morales to the MCU. In a recent interview with Omelete, he said, “He’ll be in the third ‘Spider-Verse,’ and I’m hoping that shortly after that, we can introduce him to the MCU in a live-action format.” The two animated Spider-Verse films were wildly successful, with Into the Spider-Verse going on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Film in 2019. With the combined gross of both films shooting well over $1 billion (the sequel garnered more than the first), it’s no secret there is a demand for the character.
There is a third installment currently slated to release in 2027, but quite a bit of Marvel flicks to hit theaters before that. Although Feige said we’d get to see Miles after the third film, he could be throwing us off track as he has been known to harbor some secrets. This theory would leave so many options on the table, but the bigger question is what do we want to see from the Afro-Puerto Rican hero in live action? What actor should portray him? What characters do we want to see him cross paths with? Will this crossover to live-action actually work or does it have the potential to be cheesy? We give our take on all these questions and more!
Perhaps the biggest question is who should be cast to play Miles and, while it seems easy, there can be some issues with this task in particular. As of late, many moviegoers are calling for roles to be cast with actors who share the same descent as the character. While we absolutely loved Jennifer Lopez in Selena, fans were outraged that the actress is Puerto Rican portraying a Mexican-American. With that being said, there are a ton of talented actors to play Miles, but would audiences really care what the talent’s background is?
Those fiery conversations don’t typically come up until the role is cast, and since finding a Black and Puerto Rican mixed actor might be a bit of a challenge, it’s possible an extensive search might be conducted if they want to satisfy this requirement. While it would be ideal to give the part to someone who fits that background, there is a chance they won’t go that route, so who would be some worthy actors to bring Miles to life? A few come to mind, starting with the obvious choice being Shameik Moore, the current voice of the animated character. During his press run for the films, he sparked conversation surrounding how much of a great fit he would be if a live-action was going to be put into production. He looks the part and has the charisma it’ll take to put a real face to the name.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, he was asked how he’d feel if someone else was cast as Miles. “Okay, my honest answer is that I would have to probably have a moment to myself in the mirror and accept. But then secondly, it would be me knowing that everything happens for a reason and that that person has a responsibility that is placed on them. That kind of responsibility won’t fall on the wrong person. So it’ll be meant to be.”
Fans on social media have toyed with the idea of The Penguin star Rhenzy Feliz being a solid choice as he has a fresh career and could find a permanent home within the MCU since (spoiler alert) the DCEU decided to kill off his character too soon.
So what now? The decision to include Miles in the MCU is fantastic news, but just how exactly will it be put into the storyline? I think what we all want to know is what other Spider-Men will he interact with and what will he be tasked with accomplishing. Tom Holland’s version seems like the perfect option to pair Miles with as they are both on the younger side and it would actually be kind of bittersweet to see Parker sort of teach Miles the ropes (or webs) when it comes to being part of a team the way Tony Stark taught him.
So much is still unclear, but there are quite a bit of villains that would be great to see play out against Miles. Although he was already in the animated version, Prowler was a perfect villain, especially since he hasn’t been overly recycled. While Miles does go head to head with some notable names like Mysterio and Venom, I can’t stress enough how badly comic book projects need to introduce new characters. Prowler was intimidating and had a deeper connection to Miles, so seeing it play out in live-action would be a great choice, but he also has other villains.
Now what could be highly likely is the inclusion of Miles in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to release in 2026 with Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. The powerful villain once targeted Miles, so this could be quite the story arc if they choose to pursue it. This would go against Feige’s comments about including Miles after the third Spider-Verse film, but it would align perfectly with our idea that Feige likes to throw us off his tracks. Time will tell, and 2026 really isn’t that far away.
