Donald Glover Is Spider-Man on Disney XD Series (VIDEO)
After a lifetime idolizing the web-slinger as his No. 1 superhero, rapper and Community star Donald Glover will be voicing Spider-Man. Not Peter Parker, however, but Miles Morales -- the 13-year-old kid who takes over for Spidey after Peter's untimely demise (depicted in a well-publicized comic book arc in 2012, although -- as with most comic book deaths -- Parker didn't stay dead).
Glover will voice Morales in an upcoming episode of Disney XD's Ultimate Spider-Man animated series next year. Reportedly, the story will bring Parker (Drake Bell) into contact with Morales during a dimension-hopping chase after the Green Goblin, who is traveling from one dimension to another to collect the DNA of the various Spider-Men across parallel universes. That means confrontations with Iron Spider, Spider-Man 2099, and, yes, Miles Morales himself.
This is a culmination for Glover, who campaigned in 2011 for the role of Peter Parker in the Spider-Man film reboot. Although he lost out on the role to Andrew Garfield, Glover's passion inspired Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis, who used Glover as the partial inspiration for Miles Morales. So Glover will now get to play the character he inspired after failing to get the role of Spider-Man the first time around. Frankly, that's pretty damn awesome.
And Glover thinks so too, noting that it still hasn't really set in. Not only getting to voice Morales, but being the inspiration for the character in the first place.
"I don't think it's hit me necessarily yet how big of a deal that is," said Glover. "I'm very grateful for that, and it's cool to read the comic now."
However, while Glover is honored to be voicing Morales, he's still hoping that he'll one day get to put on some Spider-Man tights.
"I still have hopes to do something like that one day. I don't look at this as second place. Spider-Man, he's such an icon — you have to do something with him."
If you're not sold on Glover just yet, check out a clip from the episode below. The man just sounds right. I can't wait to get more of his take on Spidey, and would love for him to have an expanded role in the future of the series. Donald Glover is an immensely talented man, and his enthusiasm for Spider-Man is infectious.
Via: USA Today
Credit: Vivian Zink/NBC