Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse introduced Miles Morales’ Uncle Aaron as the existing Prowler in Earth-1610. But what many seemed to miss is that the Prowler also exists in the MCU.
Read on here to find out more about MCU’s The Prowler!
WARNING: This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, so READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Does The Prowler Canonically Exist in the MCU?
You might not know this because of how short The Prowler appeared in the MCU, but he made his debut in the MCU way before Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
If you can remember, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man had a brief meeting with one of the Vulture’s (Adrian Toomes) gang members in Spider-Man: Homecoming. It was in the parking area of the ship that The Prowler boarded on.
The Prowler was played by none other than Donald Glover, where he was talking casually with Peter Parker as he tried to save the people on the ship. It was played off for comedy, but still, The Prowler was introduced then and there.
In this brief conversation, as Spider-Man left the scene, there was a deleted scene in which we could hear Donald Glover’s character, Aaron, talking to his nephew Miles over the phone.
So, yes, The Prowler does canonically exist in the MCU, but we have yet to see him suited up and all-in action, unlike how Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse did.
Although, it is worth mentioning that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse featured a short cameo from Donald Glover’s The Prowler encapsulated in the Spider Society headquarters to give a nod to the actor.
See, Glover, apart from being the MCU’s The Prowler, was also the inspiration behind the creation of Miles Morales.
READ MORE: Is Gwen Stacy Trans in the Spider-Verse?
How is MCU’s the Prowler Different from Spider-Verse’s the Prowler?
To be fair, since Donald Glover’s The Prowler had a limited time slot on the big screens, it is difficult to see his strength and unique abilities compared to the Spider-Verse’s versions.
In a lot of ways, though, Glover’s the Prowler is similar to the Spider-Verse’s. They are both named Aaron Davis, they care so much about their nephew Miles Morales, and they both work for a crime organization for a living.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s The Prowler showed Uncle Aaron in a much darker light, willing to take the lives of anyone his boss, Kingpin, orders him to take out under his command.
In fact, Aaron was more than happy to obey the orders to take out the new Spider-Man of Earth-1610 aka Miles in disguise.
It was only when Aaron discovered Miles was the Spider hero that he ended up leaving his job, resulting in his death by Kingpin’s gun.
Spider-Verse’s The Prowler, though without superhuman powers, used high-tech weaponry to help him in hand-to-hand combats along with his signature claw.
While Aaron’s first instinct was to protect and prioritize his nephew in Into the Spider-Verse, he was a lot more ruthless in the comics.
Aaron’s first reaction upon figuring out that Miles had been Spider-Man all this time was to threaten to expose his identity to his parents. Of course, this ensued a fight between uncle and nephew.
The fight ended with Prowler’s gauntlet equipment malfunctioning, leading to his death.
As for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Earth-1610 Miles meets Earth-42 Miles. As it turned out, in a reality without any existing Spider-Man, Earth-42 Miles became the Prowler in his world, especially after losing his father.
ALSO READ: Does Miles Morales Die in The Spider-Verse?
Will We See The Prowler Again in the MCU?
Donald Glover’s brief cameo as the captured Prowler in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse may have paid a huge nod to his underused role in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but could we possibly see him again in the MCU?
Well, considering Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 is leaning more on focusing with Venom as the main villain, a Spider-Man movie with Glover’s the Prowler seems too far-fetched to think about now.
However, this doesn’t mean we won’t get to see the Prowler officially in the MCU with his complete suit and weapons on the big screens. After all, the MCU’s Multiverse opens to a lot more possibilities than we can imagine.
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