Voice acting is a weird business. Usually, you’ve got these massive Hollywood stars phoning it in from a booth in Burbank just to get a paycheck, but the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse cast felt different. It felt alive. Honestly, if you look at the sheer density of talent packed into this thing, it’s a miracle the movie didn't collapse under its own weight. It’s one thing to have Shameik Moore back as Miles, but then you throw in Oscar Isaac as a brooding, traumatized vampire-Spider-Man? That's just showing off.
Most people think of animation as "just" voices. They're wrong. In Across the Spider-Verse, the performances had to keep up with an art style that shifts every few seconds. If the actor didn't sell the emotion, the visuals would just be noise.
The Core Team: Miles, Gwen, and the Multiversal Mess
Shameik Moore is the heart. Period. He plays Miles Morales with this specific kind of teenage cracking in his voice that feels so authentic it hurts. You’ve probably noticed how Miles sounds slightly more confident than he did in Into the Spider-Verse, but he’s still clearly a kid trying to impress his parents while hiding a world-ending secret. Moore captures that "I’m drowning but I’m doing a backflip" energy perfectly.
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Then there’s Hailee Steinfeld. She’s everywhere lately, from Hawkeye to Bumblebee, but her Gwen Stacy is arguably her best work. In this sequel, Gwen gets the spotlight. Steinfeld brings a certain raspiness and a deep-seated loneliness to the character that sets the tone for the entire first act. When she’s arguing with her father, Captain George Stacy (voiced by the veteran Shea Whigham), you forget you’re watching a neon-colored comic book movie. It feels like a gritty indie drama about a broken home.
The New Heavy Hitters in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast
Okay, we have to talk about Oscar Isaac.
As Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099), Isaac is terrifying. He doesn't play Miguel like a villain, even though he spends half the movie trying to tackle Miles through several dimensions. He plays him like a man who has seen the end of the world and is willing to be the "bad guy" to stop it from happening again. It’s a heavy, muscular performance. You can almost hear the strain in his neck muscles through the speakers.
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On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have Daniel Kaluuya as Hobie Brown, aka Spider-Punk.
Hobie stole the movie. Let’s be real.
Kaluuya used his natural Camden accent and basically ad-libbed a bunch of the punk-rock philosophy that made the character an instant icon. The animators actually had to change the way Hobie moved—his frame rate is different from the rest of the characters—to match the chaotic, rebellious energy Kaluuya brought to the recording booth. He’s the coolest person in the multiverse, and he knows it.
The Supporting Players Who Stole the Show
- Jason Schwartzman as The Spot: He starts as a "villain of the week" joke and turns into a cosmic horror nightmare. Schwartzman’s nervous, stuttering delivery in the early scenes makes the later, more menacing version of the character even creepier.
- Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker: He’s back, but now he’s a "dad." He’s wearing a pink bathrobe and carrying a baby named Mayday. Johnson still has that effortless, cynical-but-sweet charm that made him a fan favorite in the first film.
- Issa Rae as Jessica Drew: A pregnant Spider-Woman on a motorcycle. Rae brings a grounded, no-nonsense authority to the Spider-Society that balances out the madness.
- Karan Soni as Pavitr Prabhakar: Spider-Man India. He brings so much frantic, joyful energy to the Mumbattan sequence. If you didn't leave the theater wanting a chai (not "chai tea," as Pavitr would say), were you even watching?
Why the Casting Strategy Changed for the Sequel
The first film was an experiment. The second was a blockbuster. Usually, that means the studio replaces the "indie" actors with whatever TikTok star is trending that week. Sony didn't do that. They doubled down on character actors.
Look at the casting of Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Vélez as Miles' parents. These aren't just background characters; they are the emotional anchor of the entire franchise. The scene where Rio Morales (Vélez) gives Miles a speech on the rooftop is arguably the most important moment in the movie. It’s not about superpowers. It’s about a mother seeing her son grow up and hoping the world doesn't break him.
The Deep Cut Cameos You Might Have Missed
The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse cast is actually much larger than the credits suggest because of the "Spider-Society" hub. We're talking hundreds of Spider-people.
Did you catch Andy Samberg? He plays Ben Reilly (Scarlet Spider), and he spends his entire screen time narrating his own existential angst like a 90s comic book. It’s a hilarious meta-commentary on how brooding comics used to be. Then you’ve got Amandla Stenberg as Spider-Byte and even Donald Glover showing up in a live-action cameo as the Prowler—a massive nod to the fan campaign that originally helped inspire the creation of Miles Morales back in the day.
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How to Appreciate the Craft Behind the Voices
If you're looking to really understand why this cast is special, you have to look at the "ensemble record" sessions. Unlike most animated films where actors record in total isolation, directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson tried to get actors in the room together whenever possible.
When Miles and Gwen are hanging upside down from the Williamsburgh Bank Tower, Moore and Steinfeld were often playing off each other's timing. That’s why the overlapping dialogue feels so natural. It’s not "clean" audio; it’s messy. It’s human.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Aspiring Voice Actors
If you want to dive deeper into the world of the Spider-Verse or just appreciate the work more, here is what you should do:
- Watch the "Social Media" BTS Clips: The cast has shared dozens of videos from the recording booths. Notice how much physical movement they use. Oscar Isaac isn't just standing still; he’s lunging at the microphone.
- Listen to the Script's Rhythm: Pay attention to the silence. Some of the most powerful moments in the film have no dialogue. The actors had to "voice" the breaths, the sighs, and the hesitations.
- Check Out the "Spider-Society" Credits: Look up the voice actors for the minor Spider-variants. You'll find legendary voice talent like Yuri Lowenthal (who plays Peter Parker in the Insomniac games) and Josh Keaton (from the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon).
- Compare Miles’ Voice Growth: Re-watch the first 10 minutes of Into the Spider-Verse and then the first 10 minutes of Across the Spider-Verse. Shameik Moore intentionally aged his voice, deepening the register slightly to show Miles’ transition into late adolescence.
The magic of the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse cast isn't just in the famous names. It’s in the fact that every single person—from the leads to the person voicing "LEGO Spider-Man"—treated the material with absolute sincerity. It’s a masterclass in how to use voice to build a universe that feels bigger than the screen.
Next time you watch, turn off the subtitles and just listen. You’ll hear a lot of subtle character work that you probably missed the first time around while you were busy looking at the pretty colors.