With great power comes great responsibility—and a desire to play one of the most iconic comic book movie roles in recent history. But suppose you’re an actor who’s already stepped into the MCU twice, alongside big names like Paul Rudd and Michelle Pfieffer, and have a popular horror franchise under your belt. In that case, it isn’t all that surprising that you’d be ready and willing to fill big shoes.
And that’s exactly what Madeline McGraw is hoping to do. “I would do anything to play Spider-Gwen in a movie or any Spider-Man character. That is literally my dream. That is easily one of my dream roles. I am just such a big Spider-Man fan, and that whole universe draws me in so deeply,” she told the Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview. And it just so happens that there’s an opening for Gwen Stacy should we ever see her in live-action. Played by Hailee Steinfeld in the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Gwen would need a new face should she pop up in a new medium, since Steinfeld plays another MCU live-action character already—Kate Bishop, in Hawkeye.
Does McGraw Have What It Takes To Pull Off Gwen Stacy?
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures
She’s no stranger to the MCU, having already played Hope Van Dyne, the daughter of Ant-Man, in both Ant-Man And The Wasp, as well as Marvel’s What If. She’s also starring in the horror blockbuster The Black Phone 2. The filming of the first Black Phone film was actually pushed back by almost a year to accommodate McGraw, with director and co-writer Scott Derrickson insistent that she play the role of Gwen after her initial audition left him so impressed with her performance. “I honestly couldn’t believe that someone would do that for me, especially when Scott was willing to literally risk losing Ethan [Hawke] just so I could do the movie. I will forever be grateful for Scott,” McGraw said about her introduction to the Black Phone franchise.
It looks like she’s definitely got the chops to pull off a live-action Gwen Stacy should the role ever be something that Marvel decides to bring to life, as well as the stunt experience, having done her own stunts in The Black Phone 2. And with all the changes on the horizon for the MCU, now is a great time to get the Ghost Spider on the big screen and bring in a fresh face to play her.
What are your thoughts on a live-action Spider-Gwen? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going.