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This Magnificent Baddie was Headlined on February 2023. | ||
| “ | Hello, Mr. Fisk. I've got the security tapes from the tunnel right here. If the kid's out there, I'll find him. [takes off mask] You know me, sir; I don't ever quit. | „ |
| ~ Prowler vowing to find the new Spider-Man (actually his nephew, Miles) and unwittingly revealing himself as Aaron to the latter. |
| “ | Nowhere left to run. | „ |
| ~ Prowler with Miles at his mercy. |
| “ | You're the best of all of us, Miles. You're on your way. Just... keep going... just keep going. | „ |
| ~ Aaron's last words as he encourages Miles. |
Aaron Davis, known by his alias, the Prowler as a supervillain, is a major antagonist in the 2018 animated superhero film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Based on the comic book villain of the same name, he was Officer Jefferson Davis' estranged brother and protagonist Miles Morales' charismatic and caring uncle who made a living secretly working as a mercenary for the ruthless crime lord Wilson Fisk, known as the Kingpin. After Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider and is bestowed the role of Spider-Man after his dimension's Peter Parker is killed by Kingpin, Prowler pursues the boy relentlessly, not realizing his target is actually his nephew.
He is voiced by Mahershala Ali.
What Makes Him Magnificent?[]
- He acted as a very charismatic and hip yet empathetic uncle to Miles, allowing the boy to live a more carefree, rebellious life than what his strict and overbearing father, Jefferson allows and even giving him advice on how to win girls over.
- Despite him and Jefferson being estranged after choosing polar opposite paths in life, Aaron didn't resent his brother at all, defended him when talking to Miles and was audibly sad that he and Jefferson no longer got along like they did in their youth.
- In the end, when he shockingly realized the boy he was hired to kill was actually Miles, Aaron disobeyed Kingpin and saved Miles, which costs him his life at the hands of his boss.
- In his last moments, Aaron apologized to Miles for being a mercenary, trying to kill him and "letting him down" and encouraged his nephew. Later in the film, Aaron's last words of encouragement would help Miles overcome his self-doubts and save the day, with Miles even using the "tap on the shoulder and say 'hey'" technique Aaron had taught him to defeat Kingpin.
- Miles and Jefferson would forgive Aaron for his double life and even draw a graffiti on the police station's wall as a memorial to him.
- As Prowler, he is an incredibly efficient and deadly enforcer to the Kingpin and, when given an order, he will be completely unfettered in completing the mission.
- Furthermore, unlike all the other villains in the movie, who repeatedly gloat and taunt while fighting the Spider-people (save for the feral Green Goblin), Prowler remains mute for most of his screen-time, remaining fully serious and focusing on his mission, and only gloats once with a brief "Nowhere left to run" after cornering Miles.
- Even if they're estranged, Aaron managed to conceal his identity as a super criminal despite his brother being the chief officer of the NYPD.
- Owing to extensive training in the martial arts and his equipment, he is an excellent fighter and is able to put up a great fight against the experienced superhero, Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man.
- Before Peter Parker could insert the USB and deactivate Kingpin's Super Collider, Prowler attacked him and allowed Green Goblin to regain consciousness and apprehend Spidey.
- When Kingpin ordered him to kill a boy (actually Miles) who had witnessed Peter's murder, Prowler immediately ran after him and activated his heat vision to chase him throughout the Underground, fearlessly dodging trains in his pursuit of Miles.
- He obtained the tunnel's security tape to identify the boy he chased and track him down.
- He recognized that an invisible Miles was in his apartment when the boy accidentally touched his houseplant and made it move.
- He activated his heat vision to see Miles even if his powers made him invisible and quickly got into his motorbike and chased the boy again.
- After seemingly disappearing in a road accident, Prowler allowed a scared Miles to get away and run back to his allies, while stealthily following the boy so as to find the Spider-people's hideout and retrieve their USB.
- During the battle at Aunt May's house, he offered Miles one last chance to hand over the USB and be spared.
- He finally captured Miles on Aunt May's rooftop and prepared to kill him, only stopping when the boy took off his mask and revealed his identity.
- After realizing his identity, Aaron discreetly put the mask on him to hide his identity from Kingpin and refused to kill him, getting fatally shot by Kingpin.
- Apologised to Miles regarding his acts as Prowler and encouraged him to stay as his best self.
- As Aaron, he's incredibly endearing and even provides one of the film's most popular memes in the form of the famous "shoulder tap" scene.
- As Prowler, he's an incredibly menacing antagonist and provides some of the most intense scenes in the movie while chasing Miles, which is all helped by an excellent score by Daniel Pemberton.
- He owns a very cool-looking motorbike which compliments his awesome costume.
- His incredible prowess is foreshadowed from the start by both his training equipment and his agility in skipping over a gate.
- His slim but muscular build, sculpted features and deep, charismatic voice cause many to see him as attractive. In the movie, he claims to really be successful with girls.
- He's kept likeable by his allies being much less sympathetic, from the arrogant sadist Doc Ock to the tragic but monstrous Kingpin.
What Makes Him a Baddie?[]
- He aided Kingpin by preventing Spider-Man from deactivating the Super Collider, even though Peter told him, Kingpin and Tombstone that it could open a black hole in Brooklyn and have catastrophic side effects.
- Even if he didn't know he was his nephew, Miles, he still pursued what he knew was a kid with the intention of killing him.
- He caused a road accident involving a truck and two cars at the end of his second chase with Miles. Even if close inspection shows that all the air-bags had activated, Prowler still endangered those people and there's a high chance some of them were injured.
- He is heavily implied to have killed many people
Trivia[]
- He is the only villain in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to be a Magnificent Baddie.
- He is the only Magnificent Baddie to come from Sony Animations.
- Prowler is also one of only three MBs to come from a Phil Lord & Chris Miller work, alongside Rex Dangervest and The Pusher.
- He's one of the two versions of the Prowler to be an MB (alongside his Insomniac counterpart).
External Links[]
- Prowler at the Villainous Benchmark wiki
- Prowler at the Villains wiki
- Prowler at the Sony's Spider-Man Universe wiki
- Prowler at the Sony Pictures Animation wiki
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