Black Panther actor Daniel Kaluuya is confirmed to be absent from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but it seems that the MCU actor has landed another role in an upcoming Marvel movie in 2023.
Marvel has a major slate in 2023, with the MCU about to kick off Phase 5 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Aside from the big projects from Marvel Studios, Sony Pictures will also expand its Spider-Man franchise by unveiling the highly-anticipated sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which is titled as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Kaluuya has had a big 2022 after starring in Jordan Peele's Nope, thus leading to him missing out on the opportunity to return to the MCU as W'Kabi in Wakanda Forever.
Despite that, a new report has revealed that Kaluuya is returning to his Marvel roots in a surprising animated role.
Black Panther's Daniel Kaluuya Joins Spider-Verse 2
The Hollywood Reporter shared that Black Panther star Daniel Kaluuya has joined the voice cast of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse as Hobart "Hobie" Brown, a.k.a. Spider-Punk.
Kaluuya joins an all-star cast that includes returning actors Oscar Isaac, Bryan Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Hailee Steinfeld, and Shameik Moore as Miles Morales.
In Marvel Comics, Hobie Brown is a homeless teenager who becomes a hero to the oppressed citizens of New York in his universe.
Official Spider-Verse 2 merchandise has already spoiled Spider-Punk's appearance. In addition, this iteration of the Marvel hero will be British instead of American from the comics.
How Spider-Punk Fits in Spider-Verse 2's Story
Daniel Kaluuya's latest Marvel stint as Spider-Punk in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse presents many exciting possibilities for the story and the sequel's growing Spider-Man cast. Given that a threequel (Beyond the Spider-Verse) will also release in 2024, Kaluuya may return as Hobie Brown in that project as well.
Past rumors already indicate that Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire's Spider-Men might appear in the ensemble movie, but nothing has been set in stone yet. Still, seeing Spider-Punk interact with other notable Spider-Men from different universes will definitely be a sight to see.
It is unknown how Spider-Punk will factor into the plot of Spider-Verse 2, but there's a high chance that Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen will recruit him to fight its scary new villain, the Spot. Given that Oscar Isaac's Spider-Man 2099 is also aware of the other Spider-Men in the Multiverse, the hero from the future could also be the key in recruiting Spider-Punk for the movie.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is set to premiere in theaters on June 2, 2023.
