Actor Daniel Kaluuya starred as Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. In a recent interview, Kaluuya revealed what he thought of the relationship between Spider-Punk and Gwen Stacy.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Kaluuya said that he believes “something was happening” between Hobie and Gwen (played by Hailee Steinfeld), and that Hobie only participated in the Spider Society in the film because he was close with Stacy.
“Gwen and Hobie, I think something was happening,” he laughs, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “She left a lot of stuff at his house. They’re part of this band and one of the reasons why Hobie was there was to have Gwen’s back. He wouldn’t be rolling around with the [Spider Society] otherwise, but he felt that Gwen was not well. So I don’t think Gwen used Hobie for that. I think they have a genuine friendship, but how deep that goes is between Gwen and Hobie.”
Early in the film, there is some tension between Hobie and Miles, but eventually the pair become friendly, with Hobie even helping Miles later in the film. According to Kaluuya, Hobie sees that Miles will do right no matter what, and respected that what Miles did made people angry.
“He saw that Miles does what’s right no matter what, especially in that [Mumbattan] sequence. Hobie saw that it pissed people off, and he kind of liked that. Miles also didn’t back down. He didn’t apologize for doing what he did. He was like, ‘Nah, I wanna do this. I’m gonna keep on doing this.’ So Hobie saw that rebellious spirit, he identified with him and he wanted to support and help him. He looked at him and thought, ‘This kid is alright,’ after he probably heard certain things about him. So Hobie knew that Miles would unravel the system or the status quo within the Spider Society.”
What is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
“Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” reads the synopsis. “After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.”
The film is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. It features the voices of Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy, Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, Issa Rae as Spider-Woman, Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk, Karan Soni as Spider-Man India, Oscar Isaac as Spider-Man 2099, Jason Schwartzman as The Spot, Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis, Luna Lauren Velez as Rio Morales, Greta Lee as Lyla, Andy Samberg, and more.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is produced by Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, and Christina Steinberg with Alonzo Ruvalcaba. Aditya Sood and the first film’s director, Peter Ramsey, are executive producing.
