The following contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, now playing in theaters.
Like its predecessor, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse expands its cast of arachnid-themed heroes with new multiversal characters, expanding the scope, style and, at times, genre of Miles Morales's adventure. Among them is Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk of Earth-138, a rebellious rocker who uses his electric guitar to battle against a fascist regime. Although a recent entry into the Spider-Man lore, Hobie has nonetheless become a fan-favorite thanks to his unique look, backstory and references to one of the most influential genres in rock and roll.
To voice the character, Across the Spider-Verse brought in Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya, who updates the role with his Camden accents and adds a laid-back charm and swagger that makes the character one of the movie's standouts. Although his impact on the movie is relatively small, Spider-Punk's presence in Across the Spider-Verse leaves a strong impression and sets the stage for him to heroically step into the spotlight in the third film.
Daniel Kaluuya Voices Spider-Punk in Across the Spider-Verse
Before swinging into Across the Spider-Verse, Daniel Kaluuya began his acting career in his native London, having prominent roles in British TV series like Skins, Psychoville and Black Mirror's second episode, "Fifteen Million Merits." His big break came in 2017 when he starred as Chris Washington in Jordan Peele's directorial debut, Get Out. The film catapulted both of them to a new level of stardom, netting Peele the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and earning Kaluuya a nomination for Best Actor.
From there, Kaluuya acted in movies like Black Panther, Widows and Queen & Slim. His performance as activist Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah was met with universal acclaim and earned him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2021. While many of Kaluuya's current roles see him use an American accent, he uses his natural Camden vernacular to voice Spider-Punk in Across the Spider-Verse, a tribute to London's influence on the punk scene. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Kaluuya described the role as "literally a dream" and said co-director Kemp Powers encouraged him to incorporate his own slang and "bring everything you can to it."
Who Is Spider-Punk?
Spider-Punk made his debut in 2015's Amazing Spider-Man #10 in a short story by Dan Slott and Olivier Coipel. The story introduced readers to Hobie Brown (who, in the main Marvel universe, briefly acted as the high-tech thief the Prowler before becoming an ally to Spider-Man), a homeless teenager who gains superpowers from the bite of a spider irradiated by President Norman Osborn's toxic waste dumping. Adopting a rebellious look and an anti-authority attitude, Spider-Punk led the people of New York in an uprising against Osborn and his troops, eventually killing the tyrant-in-chief by decapitating him with an electric guitar.
The character proved popular enough with readers that he went on to star in his own miniseries by Cody Ziglar and Justin Mason. Titled "Banned in DC" after a single off of Bad Brains' self-titled debut album, the story saw Hobie team up with punkified versions of Captain America, the Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Ironheart and Daredevil to take out the remnants of the Osborn Administration. Ziglar would go on to succeed Saladin Ahmed as the writer of Miles Morales: Spider-Man with Federico Vincenti on pencils.
Spider-Punk doesn't have the largest presence in Across the Spider-Verse. His wariness of authority means he's not actually a member of Miguel O'Hara's Spider Society and leaves Nueva York before they turn on Miles. However, he still proves to be a staunch ally to Gwen Stacy, providing her with a homemade interdimensional portal generator and joining her crusade to protect Miles in the film's final moments. Hobie proves himself the hardest-rocking rebel in the multiverse, setting the stage for a killer encore in the forthcoming Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
To see Spider-Punk come to life, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters.