Is Stranger Things Star Caleb McLaughlin Playing Miles Morales? The Spider-Man Rumors Explained

Ever since Miles Morales swung into the Marvel Universe, the fan casting mill went into overdrive to churn out potential options and rumors. Everyone from Donald Glover to Jaden Smith were imagined as Spider-Man at some point. After the instant success of Netflix's "Stranger Things," Caleb McLaughlin joined this prestigious club.

For years now, McLaughlin's name has been linked with the part of Miles, with pages and pages of discussions scattered across various forums about why he would be the perfect choice to bring the webslinger to life in a live-action film. In 2019, a fan shared art of what the actor could look like as Miles on Reddit, and the image generated a ton of positive reactions from the commentators. "I really want him to play Miles Morales," another Redditor wrote, "he's awesome in 'Stranger Things.'"

As a matter of fact, the only concern was that if it didn't happen sooner rather than later, McLaughlin would age out of playing the teenage Miles. Even so, Hollywood has never been shy of casting adult actors as teenagers — look at "The O.C." as a perfect example, since a few of the leads were already in their mid '20s when they played 16-year-old characters. Only one question remains, though: Is the MCU ready for Miles Morales?

Even though the "Stranger Things" series finale provided plot holes that are hard to ignore, the show is over. It's done and dusted. Without the series commitment, Caleb McLaughlin could have some extra time on his hands to play, say, Miles Morales. Ultimately, though, it's up to the actor if that's even one of his goals.

The good news is that McLaughlin has said he'd be down to play Miles a few times already. In February 2026, during the premiere of his film "Goat," the actor told Variety all about his adoration of the character and why he'd welcome the opportunity to play him. "I would love to play Miles," McLaughlin said, adding, "I think Miles represents something bigger than myself; it represents something bigger than most people. Also, being from New York and then just seeing the 'Spider-Verse' story, I just feel it's really, really connected and I feel like a lot of people understand what that means."

McLaughlin also shared videos of him doing acrobatic work on his Instagram account. Watching him in motion, there's only one thought that comes to mind: Yeah, that's Spidey right there.