Marvel fans, get excited: the first Latino lead for a Marvel superhero film is here, and it’s rapper Bad Bunny.
The 28-year-old Puerto Rican announced that he had joined the cast of upcoming film El Muerto, playing the titular role. It is expected to be released in 2024.
Though El Muerto is less well known in superhero circles, he is a wrestler who gets his powers from his Lucha Libre fighting mask and has appeared in several Spider-Man stories previously.
This film will mark the latest foray into the extended Spider-Man universe, following Spider-Man: No Way Home and Venom, as well as the critically-panned film Morbius.
Bad Bunny – whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio – spoke about his upcoming star turn at the Sony presentation at CinemaCon Las Vegas, calling it “amazing” and “incredible.”
“I love wrestling. I grew up watching it and now I’m a wrestler,” he said. “This is why I love this character. I think it’s the perfect role for me, it will be epic.”
You may well have already seen Bad Bunny on screen: alongside being a rapper, he has appeared on Netflix show Narcos: Mexico and will be appearing in the upcoming Japanese thriller Bullet Train alongside Brad Pitt.
He has also recently appeared at several WWE events, including WrestleMania 37 and Royal Rumble.
This week, he announced the title of his upcoming album. Called Un Verano Sin Ti, it will follow YHLQMDLG, Las Que No Iban a Salir and El Último Tour del Mundo, which were all released in 2020 and made him one of the most streamed artists on Spotify in previous years.
As the news broke, fans took to social media to share their excitement for the rapper’s upcoming role. “I’ve never heard of El Muerto before but what I’ve read of his backstory sounds fascinating,” one wrote.
“I’ll wait to see more before I judge fully, but I’ve been wanting more obscure characters to get movies, so I’m leaning on the side of being cautiously optimistic for now.”
Another agreed, writing: “Bad Bunny has some ring experience so I’m all for it.”
Keep your eyes peeled.
