‘Across the Spider-Verse’ Almost Didn’t Include Spider-Punk

The Big Picture

• Spider-Punk almost didn’t make it into Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but the creative team was determined to include him in some capacity.
• Daniel Kaluuya’s infectious energy and ad-libbing abilities made Spider-Punk a more involved and significant character in Miles Morales’ story.
• Spider-Punk reminds Miles Morales to forge his own destiny and not blindly follow the rules of the Spider-Society, proving to be an important and supportive friend.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is loaded with more than 250 Spider-People, making it hard to imagine why any character that creators Phil Lord and Chris Miller wanted in the film wouldn’t make the cut. This makes it especially hard to imagine a character as important and effortlessly cool as Spider-Punk (voiced by the effortlessly cool Daniel Kaluuya), the anarchic British web-slinger almost didn’t make it into the movie. However, the creative forces behind Across the Spider-Verse actually had some valid reasons for nearly omitting the character. Thankfully, they had an even better reason for making him an integral part of Miles Morales’ (Shameik Moore) story. So, why was it so tricky to get Spider-Punk on the big screen?

Phil Lord and Chris Miller Didn’t Know How To Include Spider-Punk

Spider-Punk — also known by his civilian name Hobie Brown — is a fairly new addition to Marvel Comics, having been introduced in January 2015 in Amazing Spider-Man #10. We meet this version of Spider-Man from Earth-138 as a homeless teenager and, like all the other Spider-People, he is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains extraordinary powers. However, rather than playing the part of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Hobie opted to be your Friendly Neighborhood Anarchist instead, fighting the totalitarian regime controlled by the villainous Ozzy Osborn (not to be confused with the Black Sabbath singer.) Spider-Punk seems like a no-brainer-addition to the Spider-Verse movies, but writer-producer Phil Lord and the creative team behind Across the Spider-Verse struggled to incorporate him.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lord revealed that while Spider-Punk was at the top of their list when trying to choose which characters to bring into Across the Spider-Verse, it was hard to decide which Spider-People to use, and which ones to save for the upcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Spider-Punk also presented a unique challenge in that it was hard to introduce a character that was even cooler than Miles Morales, but the filmmakers were determined to include Hobie in some capacity. When they met Daniel Kaluuya, however, they knew that he was their Hobie Brown, and that he had to have a significant role in Miles’ story. Spider-Punk’s role was rewritten to be more involved with the plot, informed by Kaluuya’s infectious energy and ad-libbing abilities, and Spider-Punk turned out to be just the unlikely mentor that Miles needed.

Daniel Kaluuya Helped Make Spider-Punk an Important Part of Miles’ Story

In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales is introduced to the Spider-Society, an elite force of Spider-People from all over the multiverse, who ensure the completion of “canon events” to preserve the integrity of the Spider-Verse. Basically, there are certain things that happen to every Spider-Person in order to progress their story, and if one of these things is disrupted or doesn’t happen, it could cause said Spider-Person’s universe to collapse. This brings up some interesting questions about destiny and free will, particularly when Miles learns that his father’s death is an impending canon event.

Now, if there’s one guy who cares about forging your own destiny and sticking it to the man, it’s Mr. Hobie Brown. When Miles first gets wind of Spider-Punk, he’s immediately apprehensive because he hears about him through his crush, Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld). Gwen seems rather taken with the raucous rocker (she even crashes hangs out in his universe from time to time), and Miles is not into it. We soon meet Spider-Punk in the flesh when he shows up at Alchemax just as Miles is trying (and failing) to break through a barrier to stop The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) from reactivating the multiverse-melting super collider. Spider-Punk swings onto the scene shredding his own theme song on an electric guitar, decked out in a leather vest, studded bracelets, and a mile-high mohawk. While all the bravado gives the illusion of an arrogant showboater, Hobie turns out to just be that cool, and he actually gives Miles some helpful advice about using his electric powers with his whole hands rather than just his fingertips.

Spider-Punk Reminds Miles Morales To Make His Own Destiny

The more we get to know him, the more we see that Hobie brings so much more than good vibes and great hair. When Miles meets Spider-Society leader Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), Hobie tells Miles that the best part of being a Spider-Man is having your independence and that Miles doesn’t need to be involved with the society. He even goes as far as to tell him: “Don’t enlist until you know what war you’re fighting,” effectively warning Miles to be careful about trusting Miguel too soon. Miles forges ahead anyway, but when he learns that his dad (Brian Tyree Henry) is going to be killed soon after being promoted to police captain, he immediately tries to leave so that he can save his father’s life, canon events be damned.

When the Spider-People encroach on Miles and Miguel traps him in some sort of shield ball, Hobie wordlessly reminds Miles to use his electricity powers, which allows Miles to break free. Hobie quietly laughs in approval and announces his resignation from the Spider-Society as Miles makes his escape. This moment is particularly significant for Hobie because he knows that disrupting too many canon events could have disastrous consequences for the entire multiverse, but he still thinks that Miles deserves a shot at saving his dad. While Miguel’s desire to preserve the Spider-Verse is understandable, asking Miles to let his dad die is an impossible ask, and Hobie recognizes that.

Spider-Punk Is One of the Most Important Characters in ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’

Furthermore, we can see that despite his tendency to brush his feelings aside, Hobie has been deeply hurt by the trauma of his own canon events. While every other Spider-Person (including Miles’ close friends) believes that Miles just has to accept that pain as well, Hobie thinks that Miles has the right to determine his own destiny, even if he is unable to do that for himself. Hobie’s intervention allows Miles a head start, and he eventually escapes back to (what he thinks is) his universe, refusing to let anyone else write his story for him. When it’s revealed that Miles has been sent to the wrong universe, Hobie is among the Spider-Crew who team up to save him, and it’s even revealed that after Gwen’s expulsion from the Spider-Soceity, Hobie traveled to her dimension to leave her the universe-hopping wristwatch that she needs to rescue Miles.

At the end of the day, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is all about our choices and how they define us, and this message was expertly explored through the inclusion of Spider-Punk. Through his refusal to conform and his desire to help Miles embrace his inner anarchist, Hobie Brown proves himself as a great addition to the Spider-Verse and an even better friend — even if his unique brand of kindness is hidden in a web of sarcastic comments and punk sensibilities.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

Watch on Netflix