By this point, the avid Marvel fan knows there are several superheroes with spider powers, whether they be Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, or, on one occasion, Spider-Ham. Even if you’re not into Marvel that much, you’re sure to have heard that Peter Parker isn’t the only spider themed hero out there, as the multiverse is becoming a popular concept in movies recently. There are several timelines throughout the comics, so that all the different storylines can be developed independently without the need to figure out how they tie together, which has led to many variations of the same heroes.
Miles Morales is just one out of many of the alternate Spider-heroes out there, but recently, he has become a rather popular superhero. As Miles begins to appear more and more frequently across all Marvel related properties, for those who have never read the comics, it might be confusing as to who Miles is and how he became Spider-Man in the first place. Take a look here to learn about who Miles Morales is in the comics, then take a closer look at Miles in the Academy Award-winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and all the other appearances he has made recently.
Comics Miles
Miles was created in 2011, ushering in controversy for the creators, who continued to make him regardless. Even in the comics, Miles isn’t like what we typically think of in a Spider-Man superhero. In his universe, there was already a Spider-Man, as Peter Parker had already taken up the role. However, Peter ends up dying at the hands of a villain, leaving the city defenseless against all of his villains which are now running rampant through the streets. When Miles is bitten by a spider and finds that he has similar powers to Peter, he takes on the mantle for himself and works on defending the city as any Spider-Man would.
Now, the spiders that bit Peter are very different from the ones that bit Miles. In fact, the one that gave Miles his powers was an experiment by Norman Osborn. He was trying to replicate Spider-Man’s powers, and it would seem his experiments were some sort of success, seeing as they did give Miles his powers. Once bitten by the spider Osborn was experimenting with, Miles gained several powers, including some outside of the typical Spider-hero’s. The most striking of these are his ‘venom’ abilities, and his camouflage. He doesn’t actually have venom, but can strike at opponents with a sort of energy or electricity that he named venom powers. His camouflage lets him turn himself and anything he is wearing completely invisible, which definitely comes in handy against the super-villains of the city
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The spider bite isn’t the only difference between Peter and Miles either. One of the big ones is how they took up the mantle — Miles was more reluctant to become a hero, needing convincing and growing with it as he became Spider-Man. He also has some family issues, as his uncle, Aaron Davis, is a career criminal, running around the streets as the villain known as The Prowler. It makes for some difficult choices in Miles' life, but he becomes a better Spider-Man because of it.
Miles Morales: Into the Spider-Verse
Miles really grew in popularity once Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released. The animated film introduced a new sensibility from all the Spider-Man movies, trying to imitate the drawing style of a comic book as they brought several Spider-heroes to life. Even with all the other Spider-heroes around, Miles is still the main character, as the movie takes place in his universe and shows us his origin story and how he grows into the Spider-Man mantle. If you haven’t read the comics, or have no interest in reading them, but are still interested in Miles, watching this movie is a good substitute to learn about how Miles becomes Spider-Man. Even so, there are a few differences.
Every Spider-hero loses someone close to them that spurs them into taking up the mantle, knowing they could have prevented that death if they had just used their powers instead of trying to hide them. For Peter Parker, it’s always been his Uncle Ben. However, in the comics, Miles witnessed Peter’s death at the hands of Green Goblin, and that is what drove him forward. While this still exists in the movie, Miles is having issues trying to fill the role and figure out his powers until his uncle is also killed. He had been close to his uncle, so it hit him hard.
The Spider-Verse also gives him plenty of mentors and examples of other Spider-heroes to help him learn how to become Spider-Man. The other Peter that comes into his universe even gives Miles one of his web shooters and teaches him how to swing with it. In the comics, Miles had to learn all on his own, and the only person who may have influenced him when growing into the mantle was his universe’s Spider-Woman.
Other Miles Morales Appearances
Of course, as Miles becomes more and more popular, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse isn’t his only appearance outside of comics. Another popular media you can find Miles in is the series of video games for the PS4, beginning with Spider-Man. The series was then followed by a smaller in-between game, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, with a full sequel is in production, currently set to release in 2023.
The first game follows Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, who has already been Spider-Man for a long time. In it, we see the first glimpses of Miles Morales and even get a few chances to play as him before he gets the spider bite, becoming Spider-Man for the in-between game. However, they do significantly change his origin story — for one, Peter is still alive, so they are working together. They also kill Miles' father, and they do that before he’s been bitten. He’s still the same Miles though, ready to fight by Peter’s side with his venom and camouflage for the sequel.
Disney has also used Miles in a few of their Spider-Man properties. There have been several Spider-Man animated series for kids, and Miles has made his appearance there. While originally only a small role was planned for him in Ultimate Spider-Man, he became a part of the main cast. Miles has yet to make an appearance in the MCU either, but due to the presence of his uncle and a deleted scene from Spider-Man: Homecoming that mentions his name, we do know that Morales is confirmed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Time will only tell if Miles appears in anything else, but as he continues to stay popular, and as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequels continue to be in the works, it’s almost certain he’ll be around for a while.