Spider-Punk’s role in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was rewritten after Phil Lord and Chris Miller met and got to know Daniel Kaluuya.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Across the Spider-Verse writers and producers Lord and Miller explained that Spider-Punk/Hobie Brown was nearly cut from the movie; however, after meeting Kaluuya, they decided to rewrite the role and make him an integral part of the story.
“He was in and out of the picture for a little while because we weren’t sure which elements we were going to stick in this part and which were going to migrate to the next movie,” Lord said. “When we met Daniel Kaluuya, we realized that he had to be Hobie Brown, no matter the cost. And Hobie had to be in the movie because that personality needed to be part of the story.”
Miller added, “Some people were like, ‘Is there a way to simplify this? There are so many characters. Do we really need Spider-Punk?’ But once we got to know Daniel, we rewrote the part so it became more necessary.”
Spider-Punk: Who is Marvel’s fascist-hating Spider-Man?
Created by Dan Scott and Olivier Coipel, Hobart “Hobbie” Brown made his Marvel Comics debut in 2014’s Amazing Spider-Man #10. Originating from Earth-138, Hobbie is an anarchic Spider-Man frequently taking a stand against fascists alongside a plethora of superheroes from his world, including Captain Anarchy, RiotHeart, and Kamala Khan.
In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Punk is a member of the Spider Society and is close friends with Gwen Stacey. When Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 attempts to stop Miles Morales from returning to his home world in order to save his father, Spider-Punk lends Miles a helping hand before quitting the organization.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse releases on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 5, 2023.
