Summary
- The rule established in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse states that animated characters will stay animated even in a live-action universe.
- This rule means that Spider-Verse’s Miles Morales can never appear in live-action and the MCU has to recast the character.
- The voice actor for Miles Morales in the Spider-Verse films, Shameik Moore, is too old to portray a teenage Miles in the MCU, further supporting the need for a recast.
The transition of Miles Morales to live-action in the MCU would break a rule Marvel introduced in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The film was a sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and massively expanded the world of its predecessor. The introduction of the Spider-Society saw a much deeper exploration of the titular Spider-Verse and opened the door to hundreds of possibilities.
The various Easter eggs found in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were a testament to this, with countless variants of the Web-Slinger appearing throughout the movie. One of the specific possibilities of the Spider-Verse though could have big implications on a potential transition for Miles Morales between animation and live-action. In order to achieve this, Marvel would have to break a rule established within Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Why Spider-Verse’s Miles Morales Can Never Be Live-Action
The rule in question is that Spider-Verse‘s animated characters would stay animated even in a live-action universe. This was exemplified by Spot, the film’s villain. At one point in the film, Spot is testing out his new abilities and transporting himself between different universes. One of the Spider-Man universes in Across the Spider-Verse was that of Sony’s Venom films, with Spot talking to Mrs. Chen, the store clerk from Tom Hardy’s movies. Despite Mrs. Chen appearing as her usual self, Spot was still animated in a scene that blended live-action and the distinct style of the Spider-Verse movies’ animation.
Another scene that also blended live-action and animation was the cameo appearance of Donald Glover’s Aaron Davis. Davis was revealed as a prisoner in Spider-Society, played by Glover in a pay-off of his appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming. The scene also had Glover in his normal live-action format, conversing with the animated Miles. This establishes that Spider-Verse‘s Miles could never appear in live-action as he would stay in the animated format of his original universe.
The MCU Has To Recast Miles Morales
This therefore means that the MCU has to recast Miles Morales, rather than transition Spider-Verse‘s variant into the MCU timeline. Naturally, this rule introduced in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is one obstacle stopping Sony’s Miles variant from crossing over to the MCU. Another is the actor who voices Miles, Shameik Moore.
While Moore’s voice is perfect for Miles in the Spider-Verse films, the actor is a little too old to bring a teenage Miles to life in the MCU. Moore turns 30 in 2025 and an MCU version of Miles would need to be around 15/16 years old. This all points to Miles being recast in the MCU which will hopefully come with the planned Spider-Man 4 starring Tom Holland, avoiding the rule established by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in the process.