Community season 2 featured a clever Easter egg that connected Donald Glover to Spider-Man, and it spawned significant side effects. Glover starred in Dan Harmon's comedy, playing the role of Troy Barnes, a former high school quarterback who transformed into his true self after attending Greendale Community College. As a member of the core study group in focus, Troy served as a primary character until Glover left Community in season 5. Before his departure, the series poked fun at a viral social media campaign surrounding Glover, which greatly altered his future.
In total, Glover appeared in 89 episodes of Community between 2009 and 2014. Before joining the NBC series in a lead role, the actor worked on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and 30 Rock. By starring in Community, Glover acquired a larger fan-following, which was already on the rise with his music career under the name Childish Gambino. Not only were viewers drawn to Troy's sensitive and goofy personality, but they also loved his friendship with fellow study group member Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi). Aside from briefly dating Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs), Troy formed a unique bond with Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase). Following Pierce's death, Troy accepted the opportunity to sail around the world to acquire his old friend's vast fortune, bringing an end to his arc.
By the end of Community's debut season, Troy was kicked out of his house. After considering moving in with his best friend, Abed, Troy agreed to move into Pierce's mostly empty mansion. In Community season 2's premiere, titled "Anthropology 101," each member of the study group was featured in a montage as they got ready for their first day of the new school year. When Troy's turn came around, he was still living in Pierce's mansion. When he awoke in his room, he was shown to be wearing Spider-Man-themed pajamas. While this could have been a nod to Troy and Abed's love of pop culture, it was more so a reference to a Twitter campaign at the time, calling for Glover to be cast as Peter Parker in The Amazing Spider-Man. Though Andrew Garfield acquired the gig, Glover's future would later cross paths with Marvel Studios.
The Significance Of Donald Glover's Spider-Man Easter Egg In Community
Despite the outcome of the fan campaign to push for Glover's casting in the upcoming Spider-Man project, comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis took notice of the actor in his Spidey pajamas. The scene in Community would be one of several sources to directly inspire Bendis to create the now-iconic character of Miles Morales, a biracial teen that took over the mantle of Spider-Man after the death of Peter in 2011. Interestingly enough, the episode was directed by MCU vet Joe Russo, and Glover went on to be cast in Spider-Man: Homecoming following his time on Community. The actor played Aaron Davis, a figure alluded to as the uncle of the MCU's Miles Morales.
A year later, Sony released Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the first animated feature film in the Spider-Man franchise. It followed Miles as he took over the role of Spider-Man as he joined other versions of the hero from other dimensions. As a callback to Glover's influence on the character, Into the Spider-Verse featured Community's Troy in his Spider-Man pajamas on a TV in the background of a scene, bringing the Easter egg full-circle. It's unclear if Glover will appear in future MCU titles or upcoming Spider-Man projects, but the door is surely open if he's interested.