Marvel fans have been clamoring for Spider-Man in the Marvel Comics timeline, Miles was introduced as a high school student who gains spider-powers in the Ultimates continuity. One of the reasons he became so interesting to fans? He wasn’t Peter Parker.
Peter Parker is a beloved character, but he’s also got decades of history and multiple film and cartoon attempts behind him. Peter is also a Caucasian science nerd, which isn’t exactly unusual when it comes to the superhero world. Miles, by contrast, still has plenty of backstory to explore, comes from a African American and Puerto Rican background, and has some complicated family dynamics, since he’s related to a villain or two.
When Sony and Marvel announced that they were rebooting the Spider-Man franchise on the big screen to fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was plenty of outcry from fans that the studios should give Miles a chance in the spotlight, perhaps with his voice from the animated series, Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, making him playing an unlikely candidate to ever step into the Spidey tights.
Sony is still releasing an animated feature for Miles Morales though, and with the launch of fans could be seeing the character in live-action sooner than we think. With Glover out of the running and Miles’ popularity on the rise, we’ve collected 15 Actors Who Could Play Miles Morales.
15. Shameik Moore
Like Donald Glover, Shameik Moore already has a connection to Miles Morales. He’s been cast as the voice of Miles for Sony’s animated feature starring the character, which should land in 2018. If the producers trust him to get the voice of Miles just right, we know he can bring the character’s personality to life in live-action as well.
The downside? He’s on the older end of the actors on this list, and if Sony and Marvel are interested in getting a teenager to play the role for years, as they’ve done with Tom Holland, he might be out of luck.
Like a lot of the actors coming up on the list, Moore is primarily known for his work in a handful of projects, sporting a resume that has yet to feature that one career-defining role. In his case, those roles are in the critically acclaimed canceled by Netflix, Moore will definitely have a little time in his schedule for the demands of a superhero movie.
14. Jordan Fisher
Jordan Fisher’s first roles came to him from tween projects on television. After appearing in an episode of iCarly for Nickelodeon, Fisher became a Disney staple. He recurred on Liv and Maddie most recently, but also cut a rug in the Teen Beach movies. Having that dance experience is a plus for a character who spends a lot of time jumping, climbing, and simply running around with a mask on his face.
Fisher has also worked both sides of the genre spectrum, appearing in dramas like Teen Wolf and the musical Grease: Live as well. He’s got the experience to bring teenage Miles to life in the halls of a high school, or on the street going up against bad guys in a dramatic action sequence.
Fisher did just recently make his Broadway debut in Hamilton. His run in the hit musical ended in March, but with the actor also pursuing a music and stage career, nailing him down to a movie schedule might prove difficult.
13. Khylin Rhambo
The awesomely named Khylin Rhambo has only been acting professionally for a few years, but in that time, he’s been racking up TV experience as one of the leads in The First Family and now, as one of the principal players in Teen Wolf. Rhambo ed the series in 2014 as Mason, the very human best friend of the newest werewolf on the show. Since then, he’s become quite the fan favorite.
While Rhambo doesn’t have the same experience with stunt work or dance choreography that many actors on this list do, he does have plenty of experience working with CGI characters and environments. In addition to acting opposite his share of monsters for multiple seasons on Teen Wolf, his big screen break came in Ender’s Game, where he was a commander of the students in training.
Since Ender’s Game, Rhambo has been locked into a TV schedule, and he definitely deserves the chance to break into big screen projects.
12. Roshon Fegan
Unlike a lot of actors who broke into the business in their teen years, Roshon Fegan has been steadily working in some capacity since he was just 18 months old, when he started appearing in commercials. Since then, his resume has grown to include movies, TV, music, and dancing.
Though he has a huge body of work behind him, most TV audiences will recognize Fegan thanks to a long stint on the Disney Channel. Not only did he appear in the Camp Rock movies, but he also popped up in Shake It Up, Kickin’ It, ANT Farm, and was then selected as a celebrity contestant for Dancing With the Stars. He’s mostly appeared in musicals and comedies up to this point, though he is expanding his acting reach with roles in a few thrillers, like What Still Remains.
Though he doesn’t share the Puerto Rican heritage of Miles Morales, Fegan does have mixed roots; he’s part Filipino, so he knows what it’s like to be immersed in two very different cultures. Fegan also already has a small connection to the Spider-Man franchise, having appeared in the 2004 movie Spider-Man 2 as a child amazed by the web-slinger. It was his first movie role.
11. RJ Cyler
RJ Cyler earned plenty of critical praise for his part in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, but it’s his turn as Blue Ranger Billy in Power Rangers that really proves the actor has what it takes to take on the role of a superhero.
Power Rangers, at least in its TV universe, has always been campy and fun, but the movie reboot turned the team of teenagers with attitude into teenagers with real character, struggling with their new roles as superheroes. Cyler’s Billy was the only one who was genuinely excited to be a superhero, though he also experienced some of the most tragic moments in the film as he brought the first self-professed hero on the Autism spectrum to the screen.
Would Cyler be able to play a comic book character and a new franchise with the planned Power Rangers franchise on his dance card as well? Possibly. The planned sequels are, however, in danger of being halted if revenue from tie-in products don’t make enough of a profit.
10. Skylan Brooks
One of the youngest actors on the list, Skylan Brooks has nearly a decade of experience in the business behind him. A lot of that experience comes in the form of short films, but he’s recently made a splash with Netflix audiences in The Get Down. There, he’s the more even-keeled of the group of friends at the center of the story. Level headed and helping everyone else sort through their problems, he’s been able to play the grounding force on the show. It’s time he got to shake things up.
The downside here? Brooks has a fear of heights! He told Just Jared Jr. in an interview last year that elevated walkways make him nervous, and so does living in a four-story building. While he wouldn’t have to swing from the tops of actual buildings (that’s what CGI is for), someone who climbs walls would need to be comfortable getting off the ground.
9. Marcus Scribner
If you’ve never heard of Marcus Scribner, it’s probably because you're not much of a sitcom person. While the 17-year-old actor has taken on other roles in TV and movies, he’s best known for his role as Andre Jr. on Black-ish.
The sitcom has a depth to its storytelling usually reserved for hard hitting dramas, as it tackles what it means to be Black in America for the oldest and youngest generations, highlighted by the critically acclaimed episode “Hope,” in which the family discusses police brutality against African Americans. As a result, its stars, including Scribner, are asked to toe an interesting line when it comes to drama within the context of a comedy, and he’s definitely a standout.
Scribner has already won an NAA Image Award for Outstanding Performance by a Youth for his role in Black-ish and been nominated for several more thanks to his work on the show and in voiceover roles. He’s definitely a star on the rise, and a major project like a superhero film would help him reach a worldwide audience.
8. Ashton Sanders
Ashton Sanders has been interested in acting since a young age. When he was 12, he started attending a performing arts camp, and his love of the art translated into critical acclaim and several accolades for his role as a young gay man struggling with his sexuality in Academy Award winning film.
For Moonlight, Sanders tapped into his own experiences with bullying and relationships with those who suffered from addiction to bring Chiron to life. He’s going from dramatic indie to thriller in Captive State, and given his love for taking on new roles and learning about new areas of the art of the acting game, a superhero role would give him a chance to strut his stuff in a new direction.
7. Justice Smith
After racking up a few roles on the small screen, Justice Smith got his big break with his fourth acting credit, Paper Towns. The movie, based on the John Green novel of the same name, saw him as one of the best friends of Nat Wolff’s main character. With his next project, The Get Down, Smith was no longer in a ing role, but the actor at the center of the story, and he’s proven that he can carry a project on his very capable shoulders.
Not on Smith’s side is the fact that he doesn’t have a lot of experience when it comes to action or working in CGI-heavy environments, but that’s all about to change, as Smith has a potential franchise already on the way. He’s currently working on the that damn Indominus Rex will get to him first.
6. Tyler James Williams
Though he’s been acting professionally since he was just eight years old, Tyler James Williams really made a name for himself as the young version of Chris Rock on Everybody Hates Chris. He went on to do everything from comedy to Disney musicals before landing a recurring role on The Walking Dead and proving himself in a dramatic setting as well.
In 2015, when rumors were running rampant that the next live-action Spider-Man could be Miles, Williams spoke at length about Black superheroes with Flicks and the City, where he revealed just how much he knew about the character and that he'd be interested in taking on the role, and even learning some Spanish on the side to fully bring Ultimate Spidey to life. Two years later, he’d still be a good fit for the part.
Most recently, Williams had taken on the role of the tech genius member of the team in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. With the series cancelled following its second season, though, he has Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit on the way.