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Student journalist, hospital escapee, superhero? The roles of Tyler James Williams

The Miles Morales Spider-Man was a rumored Marvel film project before a leaked shortlist nixed it

With screen actor Tyler James Williams responding positively to the possibility of playing the Miles Morales incarnation of Spider-Man in future, we pick six stepping stones from the "Everybody Hates Chris" actor's varied career -- including time as another comic-based superhero.

-- Sesame Street --

Best known for "Everybody Hates Chris," which started airing in 2005, Tyler already had a foundation in mainstream TV entertainment before that with 12 episodes of "Sesame Street" between 2000 and 2006, as well as a Christmas special with Elmo.

-- Batman: The Brave and the Bold --

Three episodes' worth of Warner Bros' DC Comics animated series had Tyler voicing one half of hybrid superhero Firestorm, created when a fusion accident combined the mind of a high school sports coach (Bill Fagerbakke, Patrick in "SpongeBob SquarePants") with the body of a bright teenager (Williams). The new hero teamed up with Batman, Captain Marvel and others during his stint on the show in 2010.

-- Let it Shine --

TJW's first credit for Marvel Entertainment owner Disney, "Let it Shine" had the "Everybody Hates Chris" star as a shy and introverted young man with a powerful secret. No, it's not that he's Spider-Man -- in "Let it Shine" he's a talented lyric writer whose secret identity is rap artist Truth; updating the themes behind classic French romance "Cyrano De Bergerac," he attempts to get close to childhood friend Roxanne who has become a singer and record label owner. Two more Disney productions followed: an episode of Disney XD cartoon "Lab Rats," and a cameo in "Muppets Most Wanted."

-- Go On --

Matthew Perry of "Friends" fame headlined this single season NBC comedy about a sports talk show host who is encouraged to attend group counselling sessions. As with "Let it Shine," a symbiosis suggested itself between Perry's disruptive Ryan King and Williams's introverted Owen Lewis, with King becoming Lewis's volunteer mouthpiece, and Lewis helping King learn how to listen.

-- Dear White People --

An offbeat comedy laced with incisive social commentary, Justin Simien's Spirit Award and Sundance Film Festival winner had Williams in a co-starring role as Lionel Higgins, the student who finds himself out of step with cultural expectations while joining the college newspaper in an investigatory capacity.

-- The Walking Dead --

Appearing as new survivor and hospital escapee Noah, Williams stepped into AMC's zombie apocalypse for 10 of Season 5's 15 episodes, proving his status as a dramatic actor in addition to the lighter comedy craft he was already well known for.