Here's what you need to know about the new superhero in town, Pavitr Prabhakar

We’re all for watching Indians being represented on the global stage and finding a spot in world cinema. Of late, characters and actors of Indian descent have made it to popular OTT series—Netflix's Never Have I Ever and Bridgerton Season 2 are some of the recent examples. And this time around, a desi character has made it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and we couldn't be happier—Pravitr Prabhakar, Spider-Man: India in the recently-released Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, hails from Mumbattan (that’s what you get when you club Mumbai and Manhattan). While we were introduced to several inter-dimensional Spider-People in the 2018 film Into the Spider-Verse, none have seemed more fascinating than Prabhakar. 

Before we get into the present, let’s take a step back and tell you about the past—his origin story. 

His first appearance in the comics

Prabhakar debuted in Marvel Comics' 2004-05 miniseries Spider-Man: India, which took place on Earth-50101, and saw him gain spider-like powers similar to Earth-616's Peter Parker. While he resides in Mumbai in the comics, in the movie he comes as the saviour for the people of Mumbattan. In November 2004, we saw Prabhakar, a poor boy leave his village with his Aunt Maya and Uncle Bhim. Just like Parker, he, too, is bullied at school and his only friend is Meera Jain (inspired by Mary Jane Watson). Another common factor between the two Spider-Mans is the death of their uncle—Prabhakar refuses to help a woman being attacked by a group of men, only for his Uncle Bhim to step in instead and get stabbed in the bargain—and them fighting villains to save their girlfriend and aunt.

However, unlike Parker, who gets his power after being bitten by a radioactive spider, Prabhakar accidentally meets a yogi, who grants him the powers of a spider to take on the world.  

His powers

Much like Parker, Prabhakar can cling to surfaces and scale walls effortlessly. He also has Spider-Sense. His strength, stamina, and speed have gotten better and is a genius who creates wrist-mounted web shooters and synthetic webbing. 

What’s his costume like? 

Pavitr’s costume is as Indian as it gets. He dons a bright blue dhoti and trousers and his wavy hair is visible outside his mask. We also see a splash of pink in his attire. He also wears a bracelet that helps him control his powers. 

Who created Prabhakar?

Here’s a bit of trivia for you. Prabhakar was the brainchild of renowned Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, who had shared a mood board and sketches with Stan Lee in a meeting. Those sheets of paper were buried until writers Jeevan Kang, Sharad Devarajan, and Suresh Seetharaman gave life to the character in the 2005 Marvel comic series titled Spider-Man: India.

What's Prabhakar doing in this movie?

Miles Morales catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash over how a new threat must be handled, Morales finds himself pitted against the other Spiders, including Pavitr Prabhakar. It’s here where Morales must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

We’re most impressed about how well India and its culture is represented in certain scenes. For instance, the architecture in a few frames and rickshaws on the streets that prompt Prabhakar to remark about traffic in the city (If you’ve ever visited Mumbai, you would know its love-hate relationship with traffic). He also indulges in street food; it can't get any more Indian, can it? 

Will you see him again?

Following his power-packed performance in Across the Spider-Verse and the response to it, Prabhakar's Spider-Man character is expected to appear in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. The 2024 sequel could develop his character even further and reveal more about him.

Who dubbed for Pavitr Prabhakar?

In the film, Prabhakar's voice over is done by Karan Soni, an Indian-American actor who you might recognise from the Deadpool movies. In the Hindi version, Prabhakar is voiced by Shubhman Gill, who has shown his proved to be as good a performer in the recording studios as he is on the cricket field.