Stranger Things Star Sets Sights on Becoming Marvel’s Next Spider-Man

After years of fan casting, Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin is throwing his name in the ring to play Miles Morales, signaling he’s ready to bring the Spider-Verse hero into live action as Marvel’s next Spider-Man.

Another week, another superhero casting wish list entry. This time, it is not rumor mill noise. Caleb McLaughlin is very publicly saying he wants the suit.

Caleb McLaughlin plants his flag for Miles Morales

The 24-year-old actor, best known as Lucas on Stranger Things, is openly gunning to play Miles Morales in a live-action Spider-Man project. In a recent interview, he did not hedge or dance around it.

"I would love to play Miles."

McLaughlin connected it to what the character means and where he is from. He grew up in the Bronx, and Miles is a New York kid through and through.

"I think Miles represents something bigger than myself; it represents something bigger than most people."

He added that seeing the Spider-Verse story hit close to home for him as a New Yorker.

Why fans keep circling his name

This is not a new pairing in the internet imagination. Since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse broke out in 2018, fans have been clocking how naturally McLaughlin seems to fit Miles: similar energy, age range, and those New York roots. The chatter popped again recently when he posted videos of some intense gymnastics training on social media. Not a bad skill set if your job description includes wall-crawling.

The bigger Miles picture

• Miles Morales first showed up in 2011, created by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli.
• Shameik Moore voices him in the animated Spider-Verse films, which turned into a phenomenon that includes an Oscar win and a hit video game.
• All of that success has cranked up expectations for a live-action take within the MCU.
• As of now, Marvel Studios has not announced anything official on a Miles-led movie.

What we do have is a leading fan favorite saying out loud that he is ready to audition, with the hometown backstory and the training videos to back it up. If and when Marvel flips the live-action Miles switch, McLaughlin is making sure his name is at the top of the call sheet.