Why Do People Love Miles Morales So Much?
Before Iron Man became the face of Marvel, Spider-Man was by far the most popular Marvel superhero. Spider-Man has many fans, and as proof of his popularity, his solo movies have all made a lot of money. There are many reasons why people love Spider-Man, and the kid behind the mask, Peter Parker, is usually one of them.
That said, like other comic book characters, other people have become Spider-Man, and one of them is Miles Morales. Like Parker’s Spider-Man, Morales’ Spider-Man also has many fans for similar, but different reasons.
Miles Morales is a fresh take on Spidey
So far, there have been three live-action portrayals of Parker as Spider-Man. The first was in Sam Raimi’s trilogy, with Parker being played by Tobey Maguire.
The second was in the two Amazing Spider-Man movies, with Spidey being played by Andrew Garfield. And now, the third is with Marvel’s Spider-Man, who’s played by Tom Holland.
While each take on Parker has been slightly different, they’ve all been adapting from the same source material. Parker is a kid or a young man who lives in Queens with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
However, fans have become so aware of Parker’s backstory that when Marvel made its Spider-Man, Marvel decided to not even show Uncle Ben dying again, since the other two adaptations already did that.
As fans on Reddit said, with Morales, everything is similar, but different. Morales has an uncle too, but instead of being a good uncle, his uncle is a bad guy.
Plus, since Parker is the first Spider-Man, most stories involving him take place when he’s an adult. Morales is younger and newer as a character, so Morales is usually written as a high schooler. This change of setting is what makes Holland’s Spider-Man work, and it’s what makes Morales work too.
Not just a Spider-Man clone
Another reason why fans love Miles Morales’ Spidey is that he’s not just the same Spider-Man that Parker was. Off the bat, Morales is Black and Latino, and that makes him the first Black kid to become Spider-Man. However, the differences between Morales and Parker are more than just physical.
One difference between the two is the fact that Morales grows up in a world where Spider-Man already existed. Just like other comic book characters who eventually take the mantle of another character, Morales has to deal with the fact that he’s not the same Spider-Man that everyone already knows. This makes him, as a character, more interesting and complex.
Plus, as other fans on Reddit said, Morales has different superpowers, too. Morales got bit by a radioactive spider, like Parker did, but Morales can also turn himself invisible, and he can also hit his enemies with a sort of venom attack. These powers allow him to do things that Parker’s Spider-Man can’t do, and thus, it allows the writers to create different and fresher stories for him.
Miles Morales could become the Spider-Man of a different universe
Due to that whole Marvel and Sony deal on Spider-Man, some fans even think that Morales could be a great way to have Spider-Man show up in the two cinematic universes without making things confusing for fans. Both Parker’s and Morales’ portrayals of Spider-Man are popular, so both companies can benefit from that.
For example, Sony already made Into the Spider-Verse, which was a critically acclaimed animated movie that featured Morales as Spider-Man.
Plus, Sony’s gaming division is making a Spider-Man game for the PlayStation 5 that stars Morales, and this game will likely be successful, too. Morales is a still a very new character though, so his popularity may only continue to rise.
