Donald Glover's Prowler Cameo in Across the Spider-Verse Sparks a Multiverse Mystery

Donald Glover's cameo as an alternate universe Aaron Davis, the Prowler, is the biggest surprise in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and it left me with real questions about what universe this Prowler came from, how he was captured, and what it all means. I need a minute to think about this one, but let's get through it, because as he told us in the film, it's rude to stare.

How Glover's Prowler Turns Up in the Spider Society's Nueva York Headquarters

The cameo comes up during a tour of the multiversal anomalies being prepped for the Go Home Machine at Spider Society HQ in Nueva York, given to Miles by the character showing him around. Glover appears in live action alongside the animated Miles Morales, wearing an original Prowler costume with the chunky spiky gloves and the Prowler logo in purple on the chest. He mutters "hey" and then "it's rude to stare."

Hobie Brown says he caught that one himself, and Prowler responds that it probably says "I slipped." Gwen Stacy then snaps at Hobie that she did all the work. So like Adrian Toomes' Vulture in the opening sequence, this Donald Glover Prowler was another recent anomaly who glitched into the wrong universe, and he was captured by Hobie Brown and Gwen Stacy working together.

Glover's Long History Playing Aaron Davis and Voicing Miles Morales

Glover played Aaron Davis in the MCU's Spider-Man: Homecoming, a not yet suited up Prowler, though Prowler was listed among his criminal aliases when Peter Parker looked him up in the mask's heads up display. When Peter confronted him, Aaron Davis referenced having a nephew who lives in the neighborhood, and a deleted scene revealed that nephew's name was Miles.

Glover had previously cameoed in 2018's Into the Spider-Verse, appearing on a TV in Uncle Aaron's apartment. That itself referenced an episode of NBC's Community where Troy wore Spider-Man pajamas, a nod to a 2012 fan campaign to get Sony to cast Glover as their next Spider-Man. Sony went with Andrew Garfield instead, though 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man still gave Peter Parker a poster of Glover on his bedroom wall. In 2014, Glover voiced Miles Morales in the Disney XD series Ultimate Spider-Man, so he has really been associated with this character for a long time, and his inclusion here is meant to honor that history.

The Filmmakers Reveal How They Talked Glover Into the Cameo

In a Rolling Stone interview, one of the film's creative team said the cameo was "a personal reach out to Donald" and that he would "commit to nothing" by doing it. Glover reportedly agreed, saying he wanted to surprise his kids. The costume designer for the series had already built a Prowler suit in a matter of weeks.

When asked about the decision to include Glover in live action rather than animating him in a different style, the filmmakers said they never considered doing an animated version of Glover that wasn't true to the universe his character came from. So it sounds like there was something specific in mind about exactly which universe this version of the Prowler comes from.

Is This the Same Aaron Davis From Homecoming? I Don't Think So

It's hard to say for certain, but when I watch Glover's performance in Homecoming versus his performance in Across the Spider-Verse, he's definitely going for a different vibe. That's not to say the Homecoming Aaron Davis couldn't have changed in the years since, since Homecoming took place before the Blip, and New York became a rough place for a few years after Peter Parker was dusted, so it's possible someone like Aaron Davis could have gone down a darker path and become a fully suited up villain.

But to be clear, Across the Spider-Verse suggests all the recent anomalies resulted from Earth-1610 Kingpin's collider and the spider from Earth-42 biting Miles, not any Infinity Stone event, not Loki, and not the multiverse being ripped open in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness or Spider-Man: No Way Home. It was the events of the 2018 Into the Spider-Verse film that caused this Aaron Davis Prowler to end up in the wrong universe, wherever he ended up, before Hobie Brown and Gwen Stacy teamed up to catch him after he "slipped."

Blurring the Lines Between the Animated Multiverse and the MCU

The filmmakers have gone into further detail about the boundaries between their animated multiverse and the MCU and its live-action universes, including Miguel O'Hara's reference to Doctor Strange, glimpses of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire's Peter Parkers, and the universe of Tom Hardy's Venom, which are by association connected to the MCU. In that Rolling Stone interview, one filmmaker said, "we are always trying to assert that things that you think are sealed off from one another are not," adding that the movie's point of view is that the boundaries audiences have been told exist aren't really there. They said that included the Garfield and Maguire glimpses, and that Kevin Feige gave his blessing for things like the Doctor Strange reference in the Tom Holland Spider-Man films.

But the fact that Glover's cameo reportedly wouldn't commit him to anything, combined with Glover doing a clearly different take on the character, and remembering that Garfield and Maguire were doing their best to embody their past takes on Peter Parker, makes me think this isn't the Aaron Davis from the MCU. Treating him as the MCU's Aaron Davis would commit Glover to bigger expectations of an actual MCU future. It's also worth noting that Homecoming's Vulture and Shocker didn't have comic accurate suits, whereas the Prowler suit Glover wears in Across the Spider-Verse is far more comic accurate, or at least a live-action version of what the animated Aaron Davis wears.

Why I Think This Prowler Comes From a Future Live-Action Miles Morales Universe

A specific live-action Aaron Davis may come from a live-action universe centered around a live-action Miles Morales. Amy Pascal has confirmed a live-action Miles Morales movie is in the works, and I think Across the Spider-Verse might have actually shown it to us. The scene labels this universe Earth-688, and it is set at Mrs. Chen's Bodega from the Venom films.

The Venomint Gum Clue That Reframes Earth-688

My first assumption was that this was the universe of Venom and Carnage, but a pack of gum makes me rethink it. Spot is shown picking it up, and it reads "Brock's Venomint." Why would investigative reporter Eddie Brock, played by Tom Hardy, have a brand of gum named after his symbiote? I get it for practical reasons, since his breath probably stinks after eating people, so it's definitely handy to have around.

But I think this, not the MCU, is the reality Aaron Davis Prowler came from, and it's the one where Sony plans to introduce their live-action Miles Morales. That could be why Mrs. Chen would be so unfazed by seeing an animated Spot pop into her universe, because this universe already would have been affected by live-action to animation and vice versa multiversal glitches. I think Sony is going to want a separate live-action universe to introduce their Miles Morales in, because they'll want distinct control over the character and only share him with the MCU through future mutually beneficial crossover events like Avengers: Secret Wars.

Who Should Play a Live-Action Miles Morales?

So the question now is who should play a live-action Miles Morales. Shameik Moore wants it to be him, but I get the feedback that Miles Morales' Puerto Rican heritage is a big part of his character, and that can't really be ignored.

What do you think this Earth-688 clue really means for Sony's live-action plans?