Coming out of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, one of the biggest questions fans have is if there was an actual romance between Hailee Steinfeld's Gwen Stacy and Daniel Kaluuya's Hobie Brown.
Marvel and Sony's latest animated epic was not only a stunning jaunt across the wall-crawling Multiverse but also a gripping Spider-Man romance.
And leading in, Spider-Verse 2 had been teased as exactly such. Producer of the film Amy Pascal previously called the film a "love story between Miles and Gwen," focusing on "an emotional journey [fans would] feel in [their] heart."
But as is the case with young love, nothing is ever easy. While a connection between Miles and Gwen was hinted at, the older and cooler Spider-Punk was there to complicate matters by drawing the eye of Steinfeld's teenage web-head.
Did Gwen & Hobie Hook Up in Spider-Verse 2?
In a recent interview, Spider-Punk/Hobie Brown star Daniel Kaluuya addressed whether Hobie and Gwen were hooking up in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Kaluuya told The Hollywood Reporter that he thinks "something was happening" when it comes to a romance between the two web-slinging heroes. He added, "I think they have a genuine friendship," but "how deep that goes is between Gwen and Hobie:"
"Gwen and Hobie, I think something was happening. (Laughs.) She left a lot of stuff at his house. They’re part of this band, and one of the reasons why Hobie was there was to have Gwen’s back. He wouldn’t be rolling around with the [Spider Society] otherwise, but he felt that Gwen was not well. So I don’t think Gwen used Hobie for that. I think they have a genuine friendship, but how deep that goes is between Gwen and Hobie."
The Spider-Verse 2 actor pointed to Gwen being a big reason his character, who is traditionally anti-establishment, joined the Spider Society seen in the film:
"It was to have Gwen’s back. At the end of the film, he gives a gesture to Gwen again. He just has her back, you know what I mean? Someone’s gotta watch somebody, and he wants to hide how much he cares. He watches over people that are coming from the same type of place that he feels he comes from. So, him being in the Spider Society is a lot of that."
The Future of the Gwen/Hobie Romance
Whether it was explicitly shown on-screen or not, it seems as though there was some sort of romantic connection going on between Spider-Gwen and Hobie in Spider-Verse 2.
However, that relationship moving forward remains a big question mark.
Given that various creatives behind the Spider-Verse franchise have teased the trilogy will ultimately be about "the romantic possibilities for [Gwen] and Miles," it seems unlikely that the Gwen/Hobie romance continues.
With one more movie in the wall-crawling epic set to release and Gwen on the search for her friend Miles by the end of Across the Spider-Verse, it will be fascinating to see if there is any sort of conversation between Hobie and Gwen about - at least the romantic part of - their relationship coming to an end.
No matter what, it seems as though Hobie cares deeply about Gwen whether they are hooking up or not. So if and when the two 'break up', there's a pretty high chance Daniel Kaluuya's animated hero sticks around to help out his friend.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is playing in theaters now.
