Spider-Man Joins Marvel Cinematic Universe: Who Should Play The Next Peter Parker?

If you’re a Marvel fan who has been living under a rock, you should know that Sony and Marvel Studios have cut a deal to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In the past 13 years, two actors have played the role across five movies made by Sony. With Marvel now at the helm, the hope is that the third time will be the charm for the web-slinger on the big screen.

Marvel revealed it will launch a new Spider-Man, meaning Andrew Garfield, who was supposed to reprise the role for a third movie, will likely hand Peter Parker over to someone else. Spider-Man will be introduced in a yet-unnamed MCU movie – potentially “Captain America: Civil War.” This will serve as a side entrance for the character and we’ll get to mostly skip the origin story as Spidey swings into theaters for a stand-alone movie in July 2017. Critics and fans generally agreed that Garfield did a good job playing Parker in 2012’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” and its 2014 sequel (Tobey Maguire starred in the original 2002-2007 “Spider-Man” trilogy), but now the studio will go in a new direction in order to keep the character fresh.

Below are some of our top choices to play the iconic role when Marvel Studios finally gets its creative hands on Spider-Man.

Drake Bell

You may remember him as Drake from the popular Nickelodeon show “Drake & Josh.” The 28-year-old actor and musician has the look to play Peter Parker and, oh yeah, definitely the voice.

Many Marvel fans may not know that Bell is currently voicing “Spider-Man” on Disney’s “Ultimate Spider-Man” cartoon. He has an established relationship with the character and understands how to balance Spidey’s nuanced wisecracking in the face of danger with the hefty dramatic weight that comes from being a young superhero. In addition, Bell’s casting as the live-action Peter would attract a slew of children who are fans of the cartoon. He’s got the look to play Spider-Man whether Marvel Studios decides to make the character a high school student or age him up to college and beyond.

Ansel Elgort

The 20-year-old star of “The Fault in Our Stars” rose to fame in 2014. His career is just hot enough to not get washed away by the likes of superstars in the MCU like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, but he’s also fresh enough to bring something new to the role. Elgort demonstrated his dramatic chops (and charm) in the adaptation of John Green’s hit novel and showed his action hero side in “Divergent.” If chosen to put on the Spider-Man costume, he’d bring some new popularity and youth to the franchise.

Donald Glover

You may know him as rapper Childish Gambino or Troy from “Community” but you also could know him soon as Peter Parker. A few years ago, prior to the casting of Andrew Garfield, the 31-year-old Glover’s fans started a Twitter campaign to have a black man play Parker. Although the campaign failed to get the comedian-actor-singer cast in the role, The Nerdist reports that he became the inspiration for Miles Morales, a character from the comic books who takes over the role of Spider-Man after Parker gets killed off. While it’s been confirmed that the MCU Spider-Man will be in fact be Peter Parker, there is absolutely no reason that the character cannot still be played by a black actor. Glover’s comedy background would make him perfect for Spidey’s wit and, like Bell, he could play either an older or younger hero with ease.

Cameron Monaghan

As CinemaBlend Points out, Monaghan has a decent TV track record, with credits that include “Malcolm in the Middle” and his current role on Showtime’s “Shameless.” However, what really tees him up for the role of Peter Parker quite nicely are his recent film roles. He appeared in “The Giver” last year and has the perfect body type and attitude for Spidey. The 21-year-old would bring a significantly different energy to the role -- and Marvel has to be looking for something different for the third Spider-Man in less than a decade.

Freddie Highmore

This one is a bit of a long shot since the actor is busy completely nailing it on “Bates Motel” and might have difficulty scheduling a meaty role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Still, the 22-year-old has shined in bringing the subtle insanity of Norman Bates to the small screen for two seasons. He’s got the dramatic side down, but Highmore might have difficulty adjusting to the humor of Spider-Man. However, he would be perfect for the character’s trademark awkward teen years and enthusiasm for science.

Tyler James Williams

Again, there’s no reason other than tradition that Peter Parker must be a white man. Williams’ career has been blowing up over the past few months, with a new role in AMC’s smash hit “The Walking Dead” and getting cast in CBS' upcoming “Criminal Minds” spinoff series. The 22-year-old has the look for the role and his youth would be a welcome addition to the Avengers team. However, the TV jobs that qualify him for the part might also cause a scheduling conflict with the big-screen project.