Marvel Announces Andy Samberg's Role in 2023 Movie

By Russ Milheim Posted:
Andy Samberg Marvel

Andy Samberg is now confirmed to be a big part of an upcoming Marvel film. 

The film in question is a highly anticipated animated adventure that's right around the corner: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

The news was first outed by The Lonely Island's Instagram, of which Samberg is a member. The story captioned "Jorm and Andy are 'in' this!!" over top of the poster for the movie; however, none of this came with any sort of confirmation from Marvel.

Andy Samberg Is Scarlet Spider

Scarlet Spider, Andy Samberg announcement
Marvel

On the official Twitter account for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Marvel announced that Andy Samberg would be voicing a key character in the upcoming sequel.

Samberg will bring to life the iconic Scarlet Spider, also known as Ben Reilly.

Ironically, while the character of Reilly is a fan-favorite today when he was first introduced in a two-year-long comic storyline (that began in October 1994), he was an instrumental part of the widely-despised Clone Saga event.

In the story, mad scientist Miles Warren, also known as the Jackal, created a handful of clones of Peter Parker to go up against Spider-Man himself. These clones all had Parker's memories, so for a time, they all believed themselves to be the real deal.

Ben Reilly was one of the clones who first realized what he was. After the convoluted event ended, Reilly went and created a name for himself, coining his new persona as the Scarlet Spider.

A Clone Joins the Spider-Verse Party

Scarlet Spider was first glimpsed in some marketing materials for Across the Spider-Verse in October 2022. His logo then showed up in January of this year.

When it comes to actual footage, the most fans have of Samberg's Spidey is a single still. So, needless to say, Sony's keeping his role hush-hush.

With so much secrecy, one can't help but think that Scarlet Spider will play a big role in Miles Morales' story this time around. Perhaps he'll be another outcast of the many Spidey Variants—something that could tie to his convoluted cloning history.

As for what he'll act like, odds are Samberg was chosen for a reason, and his trademark humor will undoubtedly remain intact.

Across the Spider-Verse lands in theaters on Friday, June 2.

Release Date
June 02, 2023
Platform
Theaters
- About The Author: Russ Milheim
Russ Milheim is the Industry Relations Coordinator at The Direct. On top of utilizing his expertise on the many corners of today’s entertainment to cover the latest news and theories, he establishes and maintains communication and relations between the outlet and the many studio and talent representatives.