Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse introduces us to countless new Spider-People for fans to fall in love with, from Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk to adorable baby Mayday, but one that really means a lot to people is Pavitr Prabhakar, as based on Spider-Man India from the comics. The cool and confident variant becomes part of Miles Morales’ Spider-allies in the Sony animated sequel, which is currently wowing just about everyone, and he instantly makes a big impression.
The success of Pavitr with audiences means even more when you consider he’s voiced by Karan Soni. Soni has been part of the Marvel multiverse for years already, as Wade Wilson’s pal Dopinder in the Deadpool films, so it’s great to see him finally graduate from driving a superhero around in his cab to actually playing a superhero himself. What’s more, it’s heartening that Soni’s big debut as a Spider-Person is coming right at the beginning of Pride Month.
Soni is openly gay and, in addition to being a gifted actor — Spider-Verse fans should check him out alongside fellow Spidey Jake Johnson in superb sci-fi indie comedy Safety Not Guaranteed — Soni also has experience behind the camera too. He partnered up with his real-life partner, filmmaker Roshan Sethi, to co-write 2021’s 7 Days, a COVID-themed romcom in which Soni likewise plays the male lead opposite Geraldine Viswanathan. Soni’s strong acting and scriptwork on the piece make it well worth a watch.
Soni has been part of the industry and a familiar face on our screens for years, then, so it’s about high time he got the honor of playing such a high-profile and instantly popular role as a variant of one of Marvel’s most legendary heroes. Especially when there are somehow still far too few openly gay actors playing superheroes on the big screen. So this well-deserved success coming as it does just as Pride Month starts is the icing on the cake.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is in theaters now. Let’s hope we have much more of Soni’s Pavitr to come in March 2024’s Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.