Spider-Man has had three standalone films in the MCU, with a fourth one—Spider-Man: Brand New Day—on the way. He has also appeared in one Captain America movie and two Avengers features. All those installments have allowed Marvel Studios to explore a significant amount of characters from the Wall-Crawler's vast world. Nevertheless, there is one major player in his mythos who has yet to be adapted for live-action: Miles Morales.
The hero has found great success starring in Sony's animated Spider-Verse franchise. 2018's Into the Spider-Verse made $394 million worldwide, and its sequel, 2023's Across the Spider-Verse, nearly doubled that, raking in $690 million. So far, though, the hero has remained exclusive to animation and video games, the latter through Insomniac's Spider-Man franchise.
Naturally, fans have been eager to see his live-action debut, which has, in turn, prompted a lot of speculation regarding who could play him. Now, a big actor has revealed he'd like to take on the role: Stranger Things' Caleb McLaughlin. As part of the show's Season 5 press tour, the Stranger Things cast participated in a game set up by Time that required them to write down things about their co-stars to prove how well they knew each other.
One of the questions was McLaughlin's dream role. Sadie Sink wrote "Miles Morales." The actor, on the other hand, wrote down "Avatar." However, upon Sink telling him she believed Miles was his dream role, he stated:
"I mean, that's a dream role, but Avatar, I would want to be in Avatar."
The actor is clearly not campaigning for the part, but it's interesting to know he would suit up as the hero should the opportunity present itself. It's also an amusing coincidence that Sink was the one to bring up Miles, given her mystery role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Fun fact for those unaware: Miles Morales is already in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Peter interrogated the Prowler, a.k.a. Aaron Davis (Donald Glover) about the Vulture's plans. Davis stated he wanted the villain's weapons off the streets, on account that he had a nephew who lived in the area. Thus, Miles is somewhere out there in the franchise.
Unfortunately, it will be a while before that reference pays off. In July 2025, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige sat down with reporters for an extensive interview on the state of the company (via Variety). He was asked where Miles could make his live-action debut, to which he replied: "That is nowhere."
Feige revealed Marvel Studios had "been told to stay away" from Miles Morales by Sony, until the studio finished its Spider-Verse trilogy with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, releasing in 2027. Even if Miles isn't in the cards given current corporate plans, it wouldn't be surprising for the House of Ideas to cast McLaughlin in another role, given his high profile in the industry following Stranger Things.
As mentioned, Miles will make his way back into the big screen with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, releasing on June 18, 2027. But before that, Peter Parker will return to live-action in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, hitting theaters on July 31, 2026.
What do you think about Caleb McLaughlin as Miles Morales? Who'd be your pick to play the character? Drop your thoughts in the comments!