Spider-Man : Into the Spider-Verse: Who is Miles Morales?
In the year 2011, (with the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man) Peter Parker , the Ultimate Spider-Man met his demise. Someone needed to step up and so someone did. The replacement came in the form of the young Miles Morales. In the fourth issue of Ultimate Comics Fallout miniseries, fans got a glimpse of the Miles Morales’ Spider- Man’s costume. They did not know who it was under the suit or the origin of the new hero. Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, the writers of the Miles Morales Spider- Man later debuted the hero. An Afro-Latino teenager, Miles is the second Spider-Man to appear in Ultimate Marvel. Let’s discuss what we know about Miles Morales, his origin story and his super powers.
Origin Story
Oscorp scientist Dr. Conrad Markus uses Parker’s blood to recreate the formula that created Spider-Man. The Prowler (Aaron Davis, played by Childish Gambino in Spider- Man: Homecoming ) steals the formula. One of the spiders created by Markus crawls into the Prowler’s duffel bag when he is stealing the formula from the lab. Miles Morales, Prowler’s nephew and a grade-schooler , is bitten by the spider during a visit to Aaron’s apartment. This is the origin story of Miles Morales’ Spider- Man.
Guys-who-say-they’re-not-the-Avengers, assemble!
-Miles Morales (Earth-1610)
The story pretty much goes into the same Miles Morales discovering that he could climb walls and sense immediate danger using his spider-sense. He did have two other powers that the original Spider- Man did not possess, but we will talk about it later in the article. Seeing the way mutants are treated in the modern world, Miles felt reluctant in accepting his newfound powers, and with it, great responsibilities. With Peter Parker’s death, and after an impressive fight with Electro, Miles decided to do the right thing. He donned a black and red version of the Spider Man suit.
Fan Reception Of Miles Morales
The character of Miles Morales gained popularity for the same reason that Peter had gained popularity back in the day. The character was relatable and extremely intelligent and witty. There was a huge difference in opinions when the character was first introduced however. Being an Afro-Latino teenager, some fans felt the decision was an attempt by Marvel Comics to be politically correct. Some also felt that the introduction of a minority Spider-Man was simply a publicity stunt to attract more readers. This was also seen when Iceman from Marvel Comics and Batwoman from DC were written to be LGBT superheroes. Deadpool is famously known to be Pansexual. But Miles Morales gave the minority a voice and young kids a ray of hope. As did Black Panther.
Superpowers of Miles Morales’ Spider- Man
Miles Morales was bitten by a slightly different spider, genetically speaking, compared to Peter Parker. He does possess the superpowers that Peter Parker did. These include superhuman strength, great eye sight, ability to cling on to walls, shooting spider webs and a spider-sense. However, Miles’ spider- sense is not as strong as Peter’s as it only alerts him of immediate danger. Miles Morales also possesses two new superpowers. One, is the ability to camouflage himself, including his clothing, to match his surroundings and the other is called Venom Strike.
Now, the venom strike is not actual venom but a feature in his gloves that deflects energy through any material which both the Spider- Man and his enemy is in contact with, this includes his webbing. Miles can also up the ante by using what he calls a ‘Mega Venom Blast’ which is a more powerful version. When using this, Spider- Man’s eyes glow with yellow energy. This energy explodes outwards in a radiant burst and can deflect multiple attacks from enemies.
