Miles Morales
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Spider-Man (Miles Gonzalo Morales
Ahmed, Saladin Saladin Ahmed (born October 4, 1975) is an American comic book writer and a science fiction/fantasy poetry and prose writer. His 2012 book ''Throne of the Crescent Moon'' was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and won the Locus Award fo ...
(w), Garrón, Javier (a). ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' #1 (2018) Marvel Comics (New York).
) is a
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
and the third predominant
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
to appear in
American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...
s published by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
, created in 2011 by writer
Brian Michael Bendis Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an Americans, American comic book writer and artist. Starting with crime fiction, crime and hardboiled, noir comics, Bendis eventually moved to mainstream superhero fiction, superhero work. While a ...
and artist
Sara Pichelli Sara Pichelli (born 15 April 1983) is an Italian comics artist best known for co-creating and first illustrating the Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Miles Morales version of ''Ultimate Spider-Man''. After starting her career in animation, Pichelli en ...
, along with input by Marvel's then-editor-in-chief
Axel Alonso Axel Alonso () is an American comic book creator and former journalist, best known as the former editor in chief at Marvel Comics, a role which he held from January 2011 until November 2017.Marston, George (November 17, 2017)"AXEL ALONSO Out, CB C ...
. Born as a modern reimagining of the popular character, Miles Morales debuted in '' Ultimate Comics: Fallout'' #4. Originally from the alternate
Ultimate Marvel Universe Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
Earth-1610 before being
transported ''Transported'' is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is considered a lost film. Plot In England, Jessie Grey is about to marry Leonard Lincoln but the evil Harold Hawk tries to force her to marry him and she ...
to the main
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Earth-616, he was bitten by a model spider specially and genetically engineered by Oscorp Industries biochemist, Dr. Conrad Marcus, who used the Oz Formula at the behest of
Norman Osborn Norman Virgil Osborn is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, he first appeared in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' #14 (July 1964) as the first and best-known incarnation of th ...
to create "enhanced spiders" in an attempt to duplicate the abilities of the original Spider-Man of the Earth-1610
Ultimate Universe The Ultimate Universe is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics beginning in 2023; the imprint is overseen by writer Jonathan Hickman. It reimagines several classic Marvel characters in a new fictional continuity, after Hickman and ...
. The Afro–Puerto Rican teenage son of an
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
father and an Afro-Puerto Rican mother, Miles Morales is the second
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
to appear in
Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
, an imprint with a separate continuity from the mainstream Marvel Universe called the Ultimate Universe (
Earth-1610 Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
), first appearing in ''
Ultimate Fallout ''Ultimate Comics: Fallout'' is a American comic book, comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in July 2011 as part of the second re-launch of the Ultimate Marvel, Ultimate Universe. The story its ...
'' #4 (August 2011), following the death of the Ultimate Peter Parker. He was featured in the '' Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man'' comic book series, and after Marvel ended the Ultimate imprint in 2015, Miles was transported to the main
Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...
(
Earth-616 In the fictional Multiverse (Marvel Comics), Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity (fiction), continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. Origins of the term The designation "Earth-616" has its origins in ...
), beginning with stories under the
All-New, All-Different Marvel All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline "Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched wi ...
branding that debuted that same year, with Miles' original Earth-616 counterpart, the villainous Ultimatum, introduced in ''
Spider-Men II ''Spider-Men'' is a five-issue, 2012 superhero comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics, featuring Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, and Miles Morales, the second and current Ultimate Marvel version of Spider-Man, who appear together ...
'' in 2017. While the race of Rio Morales herself was left ambiguous in the comics, writer
Cody Ziglar Cody Ziglar is an American television and comics writer, director, producer, and comedian. His writing credits include ''Futurama'', ''Rick and Morty'', and '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'' and he is the current writer on the '' Miles Morales: Spide ...
established in the 2024 ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man Annual'' that Rio's family were Puerto Rican themselves, as depicted in '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse''. Reaction to the character was mixed. Some, including Spider-Man's co-creator,
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
, approved the creation of a positive role model for children of color. Others expressed displeasure at the replacement of Peter Parker, with ''
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'',
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, and Culture Map Houston reporting that some fans viewed the decision as an attempt by Marvel Comics to exhibit
political correctness "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...
, and that the introduction of a minority Spider-Man was simply a
publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utiliz ...
to attract more readers, a charge Alonso denied.
Alexandra Petri Alexandra Attkisson Petri (, born March 15, 1988) is an American humorist, newspaper columnist, and 2025 recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. In 2010, she became the youngest person to have a column in ''The Washington Post''. Petri ...
of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' called for the character to be judged on the quality of his stories, which garnered positive reviews. As a result of the character's popularity, Miles Morales has been adapted in numerous media outside comics. The character was not the lead protagonist in the ''
Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...
'' animated television series, but was later added to the main cast, as an alternate Spider-Man from another universe voiced by
Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick ...
in season three and
Ogie Banks Ogie Henry Banks III (born June 13, 1973) is an American voice actor, best known for his roles as Clawd Wolf in '' Monster High'' and Luke Cage and Miles Morales Spider-Man (Miles Gonzalo MoralesAhmed, Saladin (w), Garrón, Javier (a). ' ...
in season four, later named Kid Arachnid.
Nadji Jeter Nadji Anthony Jeter (born October 18, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for providing the voice and motion capture for Sam in the action-adventure video game ''The Last of Us'' (2013) and Miles Morales in several Marvel projects since ...
first voiced the character, later named Spy-D, in the
Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
animated series ''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' (2017–2020), and went on to reprise his role in the ''
Marvel's Spider-Man ''Marvel's Spider-Man'' is a series of Superhero fiction, superhero Action-adventure game, action-adventure video games developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) for PlayStation consoles and Windows. Base ...
'' (2018–present) video game series developed by
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, and '' Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order'' (2019). The character is the star of the animated ''Spider-Verse'' film franchise produced by
Sony Pictures Animation Sony Pictures Animation Inc. (also referred to as Sony Animation Studios and abbreviated to SPA) is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and found ...
, with
Shameik Moore Shameik Alti Moore (born May 4, 1995) is an American actor and musician. He made his lead acting debut in '' Dope'' (2015), and is best known for voicing Miles Morales / Spider-Man in the animated film '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2 ...
voicing the character in the
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-winning feature film '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2018), as well as its sequels '' Across the Spider-Verse'' (2023) and ''
Beyond the Spider-Verse ''Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse'' is an upcoming American animated superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales, Miles Morales / Spider-Man, produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures, and to be dis ...
'' (2027), in which
Jharrel Jerome Jharrel Jerome (born October 9, 1997) is an American actor. He made his film debut in Barry Jenkins's drama film ''Moonlight'' (2016), and gained prominence for his portrayal of Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries '' When They See U ...
voices Miles' Earth-42 counterpart, the villainous Prowler.


Publication history

The concept of an African American
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
was first discussed a few months before the November 2008 election of
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
as
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
.
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
' then-editor-in-chief
Axel Alonso Axel Alonso () is an American comic book creator and former journalist, best known as the former editor in chief at Marvel Comics, a role which he held from January 2011 until November 2017.Marston, George (November 17, 2017)"AXEL ALONSO Out, CB C ...
describes the catalyst, "When we were planning 'Ultimatum,' we realized that we were standing at the brink of America electing its first
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
President and we acknowledged that maybe it was time to take a good look at one of our icons." This new Spider-Man would replace Parker as Spider-Man only in
Ultimate Marvel Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, later known as the ...
, an imprint whose storyline is set in a universe separate from the mainstream Marvel universe, in which Marvel's characters were reimagined for a 21st-century audience. The replacement of Ultimate Peter Parker was considered as a possible part of the 2008–09 "
Ultimatum An ; ; : ultimata or ultimatums) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a coercion, threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the ...
" story arc that restructured much of the Ultimate Marvel universe, but those early thoughts were abandoned because the story for that character had not yet been developed. When Marvel's editorial staff decided that the Ultimate universe's
Peter Parker Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of ...
would be killed in the 2011 storyline " Death of Spider-Man", the character Miles Morales was created. Although Morales is the first black Spider-Man, he marks the second time a Latino character has taken the Spider-Man identity. Miguel O'Hara, who is of Mexican and Irish descent, was the title character in the 1990s series ''
Spider-Man 2099 Spider-Man 2099 is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Peter David and Rick Leonardi in 1992 for the Marvel 2099 comic book line, and he is a futuristic re-imagining of the origin ...
''. Miles Morales was created by writer
Brian Michael Bendis Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an Americans, American comic book writer and artist. Starting with crime fiction, crime and hardboiled, noir comics, Bendis eventually moved to mainstream superhero fiction, superhero work. While a ...
and Italian artist
Sara Pichelli Sara Pichelli (born 15 April 1983) is an Italian comics artist best known for co-creating and first illustrating the Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Miles Morales version of ''Ultimate Spider-Man''. After starting her career in animation, Pichelli en ...
. Bendis's thoughts about the character, and the way he looked in his first appearance, were heavily influenced by African-American actor
Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick ...
's appearance in Spider-Man pajamas in "
Anthropology 101 "Anthropology 101" is the second season premiere of the American television series ''Community''. It was originally broadcast on September 23, 2010 on NBC. In the episode, the study group attends their first series of classes in Anthropology 1 ...
", the second-season premiere of the television comedy series ''
Community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
''. Bendis said of Glover, "He looked fantastic! I saw him in the costume and thought, 'I would like to read that book.' So I was glad I was writing that book." In creating the visual look for Miles, Pichelli followed her usual practice of approaching the design by giving thought to the character's personality, including the background that influenced it, and the distinctive traits that he would exhibit, such as the clothing he wears, his body language and expressions. Pichelli also designed Spider-Man's new costume, a mostly black outfit with red webbing and a red spider logo. Pichelli had worked on four issues of ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' before she was approached to work on the new title with Miles Morales. Pichelli, who works with a Cintiq 12wx graphic tablet, added more
screentone Screentone is a technique for applying textures and shades to drawings, used as an alternative to hatching. In the conventional process, patterns are transferred to paper from preprinted sheets. It is also known by the common brand names Zip-A-T ...
s to her illustrations to give what she called "a more 'pop' feeling to the book", which she felt would be fitting to the series. Morales was born and raised in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, the then-13-year-oldTowers, Andrea (February 1, 2016)
"See a sneak peek inside ''Spider-Man'' #1"
. ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
''.
son of an African American father and an Afro-Puerto Rican mother. Axel Alonso has described Miles as an intelligent
nerd A nerd is a person seen as overly intellectual, obsessive, introverted, or lacking social skills. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly t ...
with an aptitude for science similar to his predecessor, Peter Parker. The character made his debut in the fourth issue of the ''
Ultimate Fallout ''Ultimate Comics: Fallout'' is a American comic book, comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in July 2011 as part of the second re-launch of the Ultimate Marvel, Ultimate Universe. The story its ...
'' miniseries, which was released on August 3, 2011. He later starred in the relaunched ''Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man'' series, written by Bendis and drawn by Pichelli, in September 2011. In contrasting Miles with Peter Parker, Bendis has depicted different conflicts and anxieties for the character. Right after acquiring his superhuman abilities from a spider bite at the home of his uncle, Aaron, whom Miles admires but does not initially know is a career criminal, Miles' father, Jefferson, explains to Miles that before Miles was born, Jefferson and Aaron were thieves who spent time in prison, and that while Jefferson reformed when he got older, Aaron has not. According to Bendis, this gives Miles cause to wonder if the traits that lead to criminal behavior are hardwired into his DNA, leading him to question whether he is essentially a good person or not, and what his future holds for him. These issues further haunt Miles after he becomes disillusioned with Aaron, and Aaron dies from an accidental explosion triggered during a battle between the two of them, saying, "You are just like me" to Miles before dying. In 2012, Morales appeared in the miniseries ''
Spider-Men ''Spider-Men'' is a five-issue, 2012 superhero comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics, featuring Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, and Miles Morales, the second and current Ultimate Marvel version of Spider-Man, who appear togethe ...
'', in which he encounters the Spider-Man of the mainstream Marvel universe. In June 2013, the character appeared in the climax of ''
Age of Ultron "Age of Ultron" (abbreviated AU) is a 2013 comic book fictional crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics that involved the conquest of the Earth by the sentient robot tyrant Ultron. The storyline consisted of an eponymous, 10-issue core ...
'' #10, which was also written by Brian Michael Bendis. Though mostly set in the mainstream Marvel universe, or
Earth-616 In the fictional Multiverse (Marvel Comics), Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity (fiction), continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. Origins of the term The designation "Earth-616" has its origins in ...
as it is known in dialogue, the story depicts major changes to the
space-time continuum In physics, spacetime, also called the space-time continuum, is a mathematical model that fuses the three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional continuum. Spacetime diagrams are useful in visualizing ...
as a result of the time travel on the part of characters, resulting in Miles witnessing the coming of the mainstream Marvel
Galactus Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, he is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of the p ...
, an entity that consumes planets, to Earth. Despite its initial press and critical reception, ''Ultimate Comics Spider-Man'' was not a huge hit in the
direct market The direct market is the dominant distribution and retail network for American comic books. The concept of the direct market was created in the 1970s by Phil Seuling. The network currently consists of: * three major comic distributors: ** Luna ...
. By August 2013, sales on the title had slipped, and sales for the other two Ultimate titles, ''Ultimate Comics X-Men'' and ''Ultimate Comics The Ultimates'', had dropped to numbers at which mainstream Marvel titles are canceled. That November, ''Ultimate Comics Spider-Man'' ended its run with issue #28, and the other two titles ended along with it, to make way for the miniseries ''Cataclysm: Ultimate Spider-Man'', one of the books in the crossover storyline "Cataclysm", in which the heroes of the Ultimate universe face the threat of the Earth-616 Galactus, and Miles is transported to the mainstream Marvel universe.
Johnston, Rich Richard "Rich" Johnston is a British comics creator, columnist, and founder of the comics news site ''Bleeding Cool''. ''The Comics Journal'' described Johnston as having claimed to be "the oldest extant comics news reporter on the Internet." ...
(August 15, 2013)
"All Ultimate Titles Cancelled In November And Replaced With Cataclysm... And Miles Morales Is Headed To The Marvel Universe"
.
Bleeding Cool ''Bleeding Cool'' is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston in 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, also called ''B ...
.
Following "Cataclysm", Miles starred in a new title called ''Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man'', again with Bendis as writer, as part of Ultimate Marvel Now, an initiative with which Marvel relaunched the Ultimate Marvel line. Miles Morales was also made a member of the eponymous team in ''All-New Ultimates'', a series written by Michel Fiffe and drawn by Amilcar Pinna. Both series ran for 12 issues.Schedeen, Jesse (January 14, 2015)
"All-New Ultimates #12 Review"
. IGN.
The twelfth and final issue of ''Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man'' concluded with a cliffhanger that led directly into the 2015 "
Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter ...
" storyline. Marvel ended the Ultimate Marvel imprint with the "Secret Wars" storyline, in which the Marvel Universe was merged with other alternate universes, including the Ultimate Universe. Following "Secret Wars", Miles was made a character of the mainstream Marvel Universe, and a member of the titular team in ''
All-New, All-Different Avengers The Avengers are a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby. The team made its debut in '' The Avengers'' #1 (cover-dated September 1963). ...
''. He also headlines his third solo series, titled simply ''Spider-Man'', which debuted February 3, 2016, with Bendis and Pichelli returning as the creative team. Pichelli would be succeeded by Nico Leon and Oscar Bazaldua. In the storyline, Peter Parker expands the scope of his activities globally, while the now-16-year-old Miles continues to patrol New York City, and deals with issues such as confrontations with Parker's rogues gallery, the public's reaction to his ethnicity, and his love life. Each issue was numbered sequentially beginning with issue 1, and ending with issue 21, when the numbering switched to legacy numbering in order to assume an unbroken numbering from 2000's ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' #1, with the following issue continuing with issue 234. On November 7, 2017, it was announced that Bendis, having signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics, would be leaving Marvel in early 2018, and ''Spider-Man'' canceled with issue #240 (May 2018). On September 13, 2018, Marvel announced that
Saladin Ahmed Saladin Ahmed (born October 4, 1975) is an American comic book writer and a science fiction/fantasy poetry and prose writer. His 2012 book '' Throne of the Crescent Moon'' was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and won the Locus Award ...
and Javier Garron would be the writer and artist, respectively on a fourth ongoing solo series, ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'', the first issue of which was released on December 12, 2018, coinciding with the premiere of the animated feature film, '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse''. The visual design of that film would reportedly influence a new costume designed by Chase Conley for the character's tenth anniversary in 2021, which included trademark sneakers. This series concluded with issue 42 in September 2022. In December 2022 Marvel debuted the next series, ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' by writer
Cody Ziglar Cody Ziglar is an American television and comics writer, director, producer, and comedian. His writing credits include ''Futurama'', ''Rick and Morty'', and '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'' and he is the current writer on the '' Miles Morales: Spide ...
and artist Federico Vicentini. On July 9, 2020, Marvel announced that an original graphic novel, ''Miles Morales: Shock Waves'', would be released in 2021 in partnership with Scholastic, written by ''Opposite of Always'' author Justin A. Reynolds, with art by Pablo Leon.


Fictional character biography


First appearance

Miles Morales first appeared in ''Ultimate Comics: Fallout'' #4, which was published in August 2011, in which he foils an assault by
Kangaroo Kangaroos are marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use, the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
a short time after
Peter Parker Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of ...
's death. He wears a Spider-Man costume similar to Parker's, but considers changing it when spectators tell him it is in "bad taste".


''Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man''

The opening story arc of ''Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man'', which premiered in September 2011, is set prior to ''Ultimate Fallout'' #4, and establishes the character of Miles Morales, a grade-schooler who lives with his mother
Rio Morales M-11 M-11 is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally known as the Human Robot, the character was named "M-11" in the 2006 to 2007 '' Agents of Atlas'' miniseries as an allusion to its firs ...
, Note: Although Rio's given name was first stated by the editor on the letters page of issue #8, both it and Ganke's surname were first issued in the narrative in issue #18. a nurse, and his father
Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...
, and details how he received his superhuman abilities. After scientist Dr. Conrad Markus uses Parker's blood to recreate the formula that created Spider-Man, the Prowler (Aaron Davis, Miles's uncle) steals the formula, and in the process, one of the spiders created by Markus crawls into the Prowler's duffel bag. Days later, Miles is bitten by the spider during a visit to Aaron's apartment. Morales develops superhuman abilities similar to those Peter has, but does not tell his parents, due to his father's distrust of superheroes, confiding only in his best friend Ganke Lee. Miles, who wants a normal life, is unhappy about having these abilities and resistant to the idea of risking his life to engage in superheroics, a reaction that Bendis wrote to further contrast Miles with Parker. However, after witnessing Spider-Man's death at the
Green Goblin The Green Goblin is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the first and best-known incarnation of the Green Goblin is Norman Osborn, ...
's hands, the guilt-ridden Miles realizes he could have helped. After Ganke suggests he assume the Spider-Man mantle, and learns from
Gwen Stacy Gwendolyne Maxine "Gwen" Stacy is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a supporting character in those featuring Spider-Man (Peter Parker). A college student and the daughter of George Stacy, Georg ...
why Parker did what he did, Miles is inspired to try costumed crimefighting. His first time out, he is confronted not only by those who feel his use of the Spider-Man costume is in bad taste, but also by
Spider-Woman Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first major version is Jessica Drew (and later impersonated by Veranke), the second major version is Julia Carpenter, and the third m ...
over his use of the Spider-Man identity. She unmasks and arrests Miles and takes him to
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...
headquarters, where
Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
reveals that he knows about Miles and his family, including the criminal activity of Miles' uncle. After Miles helps S.H.I.E.L.D. subdue the escaped supervillain Electro, S.H.I.E.L.D. releases Miles and gives him a modified black-and-red version of the Spider-Man costume, which Ganke feels makes Miles "officially" the new Spider-Man. He also receives the blessing of the Earth-616 Peter Parker during the 2012 ''
Spider-Men ''Spider-Men'' is a five-issue, 2012 superhero comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics, featuring Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, and Miles Morales, the second and current Ultimate Marvel version of Spider-Man, who appear togethe ...
'' miniseries, in which Parker briefly visits the Ultimate Marvel universe and meets Miles. After the media report the emergence of a new Spider-Man, Aaron deduces that it is Miles, and offers to train Miles and work with him. After Aaron uses Miles in his ongoing conflict with the Mexican crime lord
Scorpion Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
, Miles realizes he is being exploited, and refuses to assist his uncle further, despite Aaron's threat to inform Jefferson of his secret. This leads to an altercation that results in the malfunction of Aaron's weapons, which explode, killing Aaron. In subsequent storylines, Miles becomes acquainted with Parker's loved ones, Aunt May, May Parker, Gwen and Mary Jane Watson, who know of his secret identity and give him Parker's web shooters. He also works alongside the Ultimates superhuman team's various members. In a 2013 storyline, when investigative journalist Betty Brant incorrectly concludes that Miles' father, Jefferson, is the new Spider-Man, she is murdered by Markus, who has become the Venom (Marvel Comics character), Venom symbiote's newest host. In the subsequent "Venom War" storyline, Venom critically injures Jefferson. When Venom confronts Spider-Man at the hospital, Rio learns her son is Spider-Man. During the battle, both she and Markus are killed by police gunfire, though before she dies, Rio tells Miles not to reveal his secret to Jefferson. Miles quits being Spider-Man as a result. A year later he has a girlfriend, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Kate Bishop, and plans to tell her about his former life as Spider-Man. S.H.I.E.L.D. pressures him to return to that role, and he reluctantly does so, after Ganke and Spider-Woman convince him that there needs to be a Spider-Man.


"Cataclysm"

In the "Cataclysm" storyline, the mainstream Marvel version of Galactus comes to Miles' Earth to consume it for its energy. Believing the world is ending, Miles reveals his double life to his father, who holds Miles responsible for the deaths of Aaron and Rio, and disowns him. Miles also journeys to the mainstream Marvel universe with Reed Richards to acquire information on how to repel Galactus.


''Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man''

In his second solo series, ''Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man'', Miles encounters the presumed-dead Peter Parker, who cannot explain his reappearance, and who does not intend to return to his former life. Together, the two Spider-Men defeat the Goblin, who is also revealed to be alive, but who is killed during the course of the story. After witnessing Miles courageously battle the Goblin, Peter acknowledges Miles a worthy successor, and decides to retire from superheroics for a life with family and Mary Jane. Miles' father Jefferson reappears, revealing to his son that as young men, Jefferson and Aaron worked for a criminal in the organization of Kingpin (character), Wilson Fisk, though Jefferson was spying for S.H.I.E.L.D. He afterward declined an offer to join S.H.I.E.L.D., and went on to marry Rio and have Miles. He explains he had fled after learning Miles was Spider-Man because it stirred unresolved issues from that time, and tells Miles he no longer blames him for his mother's death, and regrets abandoning him. When Miles reveals his secret identity to Katie, the Bishop family is revealed to be sleeper agents for the terrorist group Hydra (comics), Hydra who then kidnap Miles, his father and Ganke, as part of a plan involving Doctor Doom, Dr. Doom. Miles and the other prisoners are freed, however, in part with help from Judge (Miles's dorm mate), Maria Hill and other superhuman colleagues.


End of Ultimate imprint and merge with Marvel-616

During the events of the 2015 "
Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter ...
" storyline, both the Ultimate Marvel universe and the mainstream
Earth-616 In the fictional Multiverse (Marvel Comics), Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity (fiction), continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. Origins of the term The designation "Earth-616" has its origins in ...
universe are destroyed. Miles survives the destruction by infiltrating an escape ship designed by the Cabal (comics), Cabal. After eight years in stasis, Miles awakens on the planet Battleworld, created from the remains of destroyed alternate Earths. He reunites with Earth-616's Peter Parker and the other surviving heroes from that former mainstream-Marvel Earth. They battle Doctor Doom, who with his new powers, appointed himself God Emperor of the planet. At the conclusion of the storyline, the Molecule Man, in gratitude for Miles' earlier compassion, restores Earth-616, with Miles and his family, including his mother, restored to life in the process, among its inhabitants.Hickman, Jonathan (w), Ribic, Esad (a). "Beyond", ''Secret Wars'' #9 (Jan. 2016). Marvel Comics Aaron is also later revealed to have been restored to life, retaining his knowledge of Miles's dual identity, and becomes the villainous Iron Spider. Both Miles and Peter share the Spider-Man mantle in the new universe, though the now-16-year-old Miles patrols New York City, while Peter acts globally. Miles also joins the latest team of Avengers in the 2016 series ''All-New, All-Different Avengers'', In this new continuity, Miles and his loved ones initially have no memories of their origins in the Ultimate universe, though Miles eventually learns of his past there, including details such as Rio's "death".Bendis, Brian Michael (w), Pichelli, Sara (a). "Part One". ''
Spider-Men II ''Spider-Men'' is a five-issue, 2012 superhero comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics, featuring Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, and Miles Morales, the second and current Ultimate Marvel version of Spider-Man, who appear together ...
'' #1 (Sept. 2017). Marvel Comics.
Jefferson is aware of his double life, but Rio is not, nor is S.H.I.E.L.D.,Bendis, Brian Michael (w), Pichelli, Sara (a). ''Spider-Man'' vol. 2, #12 (March 2017). Marvel Comics. though Rio eventually learns the truth. Miles' circle of fellow superheroes who know of his double identity expands to include Kamala Khan, the fourth Ms. Marvel, and the former X-Man Fabio Medina, a school roommate of Miles and Ganke. This group of confidants later includes the teen superhero Bombshell. His relationship with Bishop apparently did not occur in this continuity, as Miles begins seeing classmate Barbara Rodriguez, whom he calls his "first serious girlfriend", who is unaware of his double life. Miles becomes a central figure in the 2016–2017 "Civil War II" storyline. Afterward, Miles joins other teen superheroes to form a new incarnation of the Champions (2016 team), Champions, who star in their self-titled series. In the first arc of the 2019 third volume of ''Champions'', after Kamala Khan and Viv Vision are killed in a battle against Zzzax in Dubai, dying along with numerous civilians, Miles arranges for this to be undone by agreeing to Mephisto (Marvel Comics), Mephisto's offer of a "cosmic do-over", turning back time second-by-second long enough for Miles and Amadeus Cho to restrain Zzzax. This is done at the cost of a bystander's life who Miles had originally saved from falling rubble – in this new timeline, the bystander dies instead of Kamala and Viv. Guilt-ridden, Miles eventually tells Kamala of her death and the cost of her revival, "breaking her heart" and ending their friendship, before leaving the team in issue #4.


''Miles Morales: Spider-Man''

In his third solo series ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' (2019–2022), Miles meets Tiana Toomes, the anti-hero Starling and the granddaughter of the Vulture (Marvel Comics), Vulture. The two battle the crime boss Tombstone (character), Tombstone before forming a romantic relationship and revealing their secret identities to one another. Later, in the 2023–present relaunch of ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'', on learning that his granddaughter is dating a Spider-Man, the Vulture breaks out of prison to kill Miles, with Tiana defeating him and proudly declaring Miles to be her boyfriend. In the 2024 event ''Blood Hunt (comics), Blood Hunt'', Blade (character), Blade transforms Miles into a vampire. He is later cured by Bast (Marvel Comics), Bast after meeting with Anansi (Marvel Comics), Anansi. After Miles' surviving clone brother Shift (Marvel Comics), Shift begins to learn English, he is named Jaime Morales, named after Miles' late grandfather.


Powers and abilities

Bitten by a genetically engineered spider known as specimen 42, which is slightly different from the one that granted Peter Parker superhuman powers, Miles Morales possesses abilities similar to the original Spider-Man's, including enhanced strength, agility, and reflexes, the ability to adhere to walls and ceilings with his hands and feet (even through clothing), and a "spider sense" that warns him of danger with a buzzing sensation in his head. Though his strength and agility are similar to those of the original younger Spider-Man, his spider-sense is not as strong, as it only warns him of immediate danger. Miles has two abilities that the original Spider-Man does not have: the ability to camouflage himself, including his clothing, to match his surroundings, making him effectively invisible, and a "venom strike" that can temporarily paralyze almost anyone with just a touch. The venom strike does not employ actual venom, but is bioelectricity conducted through Miles' gloves, and can be used against an opponent at a distance by conducting it through a material in which both Miles and his opponent are in contact, such as the webbing of the
Earth-616 In the fictional Multiverse (Marvel Comics), Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity (fiction), continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. Origins of the term The designation "Earth-616" has its origins in ...
's Spider-Man. It can break chains being used to restrain Miles and even repel non-ferrous objects, such as plastic Lego bricks. The venom strike is powerful enough to render unconscious a person as large as Hank Pym's Giant-Man. It is powerful enough to drive away the symbiotic villain Venom (Marvel Comics character), Venom during Miles's first encounter with the creature, but by their second encounter, Venom has developed such a tolerance to the strike that Miles has to be completely enveloped by the symbiote before the venom strike is able to separate the symbiote from its host. Doctor Octopus also developed a set of tentacles that would not conduct the venom strike. The effect of the venom strike manifests itself a few seconds after it is implemented, and is described by Bendis as being comparable to the feeling of being kicked in the testicles. Miles can effect a more powerful version of the strike, which he calls a "mega venom blast". When Miles employs this ability, his eyes glow with yellow energy, which then explodes outwards in a radiant burst that can not only repel a large group of opponents, but also destroy thick ropes and chains that have been used to restrain him. This application of the strike leaves him "dizzy and useless", and cannot be used multiple times in rapid succession without a "recharging" period for Miles, though he can still make use of the conventional strike against people during this period. The conventional venom strike is mostly useless against the supervillain Armadillo (comics), Armadillo, but during Miles' encounter with that villain, his venom blast manifests itself in a form similar to his webbing, which he uses like a lasso to pull Armadillo towards him and knock him unconscious with a venom strike-powered punch. In ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' (Vol 2) #5 (May 2023), he gains the ability to manifest an energy sword, apparently composed of the same energy with which he manifests his Venom Punch, which he calls a "Venom-Saber". Miles' body also possesses a significant resistance to injury. During an altercation with the Roxxon mercenary Taskmaster (character), Taskmaster, Miles is thrown through a brick wall without any apparent serious injury, though the experience is painful for him. Miles wears a costume given to him by S.H.I.E.L.D., and initially uses Peter Parker's web shooters, which are given to him by May Parker. He is eventually given a new set of webshooters by S.H.I.E.L.D. as well.


Reception

The character Miles Morales was first reported by ''USA Today'' on August 2, 2011, shortly before the character officially debuted in ''Ultimate Fallout'' #4. The announcement received international coverage in the mainstream media and was met with mixed reactions by audiences. Chris Huntington of ''The New York Times'' lauded the creation of Morales, relating that it gave his adopted Ethiopian son Dagim a superhero who looks like him. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' and Culture Map Houston reported that some fans viewed the decision as an example of
political correctness "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...
, and that the introduction of a minority Spider-Man was a
publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utiliz ...
to attract more readers, while others felt that a person of color as Spider-Man would set a positive example for minority readers, particularly children. Many Spider-Man fans were disappointed that Peter Parker was killed, regardless of who replaced him. The wide-ranging critical reception prompted ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' to run an article called, "Sorry, Peter Parker. The response to the black Spider-Man shows why we need one", in which writer
Alexandra Petri Alexandra Attkisson Petri (, born March 15, 1988) is an American humorist, newspaper columnist, and 2025 recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. In 2010, she became the youngest person to have a column in ''The Washington Post''. Petri ...
wrote that the character should be judged on the quality of its stories rather than on his appearance or ethnicity. Radio host and conservative pundit Lou Dobbs expressed outrage over the original Spider-Man being replaced by Morales, stating during a television commentary, "Peter Parker, who was a white orphan from Queens, was killed off in June during a fight with his nemesis, the Green Goblin...Marvel Comics saying it's replacing the iconic character with Miles Morales, who is part Latino and part Black." Political satirist Jon Stewart mocked Dobbs' criticism on ''The Daily Show'', while also pointing out that Morales replaced Spider-Man only in the Ultimate universe, and that the original Peter Parker would still be appearing in several titles. Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck, claiming that Miles resembled President Barack Obama, argued that the new Spider-Man was a result of a comment from Michelle Obama about changing traditions. However, Beck said he did not care about Miles' race, and also acknowledged that this was not the mainstream Spider-Man. Axel Alonso denied the character was created out of political correctness, stating "Simple fact is Marvel comics reflect the world in all its shapes, sizes and colors. We believe there's an audience of people out there who is thirsty for a character like Miles Morales." Bendis also denied that the character's ethnicity was an attempt to generate publicity. Original Spider-Man co-creator
Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...
approved of Miles, stating that "Doing our bit to try to make our nation, and the world, color blind is definitely the right thing." In a review for the first issue, David Pepose of Newsarama wrote, "The biggest victory that Bendis scores with Miles Morales is that he makes us care about him, and care about him quickly. Even though we're still scratching the surface of what makes him tick, we're seeing the world through his eyes, and it's similar to Peter Parker's but a whole lot tougher. But that kind of Parker-style guilt—that neurotic, nearly masochistic tendency for self-sacrifice that comes with great power and greater responsibility—is still intact." Jesse Schedeen of IGN wrote that "Miles still feels like a bit of an outsider in his own book. Bendis never quite paints a complete picture of Miles—his thoughts, motivations, personality quirks, and so forth. Miles is largely a reactionary figure throughout the book as he confronts struggles like registering for a charter school or dealing with family squabbles." Schedeen also opined that "Miles occupies a more urban, racially diverse, and tense landscape. All the story doesn't pander or lean too heavily on elements like racial and economic tension to move forward. Miles is simply a character who speaks to a slightly different teen experience, and one not nearly as well represented in superhero comics as Peter's". James Hunt of Comic Book Resources rated the issue #1 four and a half out of five stars, lauding Bendis for emphasizing Morales' character and his supporting cast instead of rushing him into costume. The first issue holds a score of 8.0 out of 10 at the review aggregator website Comic Book Roundup, based on 13 reviews, while the final issue, #200, holds a score of 8.4, based on 14 reviews, and the series overall holds an average issue rating of 8.3. The second solo series, ''Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man'', has an average issue rating of 8.2 out of 10 at Comic Book Roundup, while the third series, ''Spider-Man'', holds a rating of 7.6. His fourth series, ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'', was released in December 2018. It ran for issues, concluding in late 2022. It holds an 8.1 rating at Comic Book Roundup. His fifth series was the second volume of ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man''. It premiered in February 2023 with writer
Cody Ziglar Cody Ziglar is an American television and comics writer, director, producer, and comedian. His writing credits include ''Futurama'', ''Rick and Morty'', and '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'' and he is the current writer on the '' Miles Morales: Spide ...
and artist Federico Vicentini as the creative team. It holds an 8.6 rating at Comic Book Roundup.


Alternate versions


Ultimatum

In the 2012 miniseries ''
Spider-Men ''Spider-Men'' is a five-issue, 2012 superhero comic book miniseries published by Marvel Comics, featuring Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man, and Miles Morales, the second and current Ultimate Marvel version of Spider-Man, who appear togethe ...
'', the mainstream
Marvel Universe The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Superhero teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardia ...
Peter Parker briefly visits the Ultimate Marvel, Ultimate Marvel universe and meets Miles Morales. This was followed up in the 2017 sequel miniseries ''Spider-Men II'', in which the
Earth-616 In the fictional Multiverse (Marvel Comics), Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity (fiction), continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place. Origins of the term The designation "Earth-616" has its origins in ...
version of Miles Morales makes his first appearance, and is revealed to be a fully-grown adult with a scarred face. This version of Miles became a close friend and confidant to the mob enforcer Wilson Fisk when he saved Fisk's life in prison, an event that resulted in the scars on Miles' face. Miles worked for Fisk following their time in prison, aiding him during Wilson's violent rise to crime boss in New York. Subsequent to this, after Miles fell in love with a woman named Barbara Sanchez, Fisk arranged to have all traces of Miles' existence erased from searchable records in order help Miles leave his criminal life behind him. Years later, after Barbara died, Fisk informs a grief-stricken Miles that he has knowledge of a parallel universe in which Barbara might still be alive. Miles hires the Taskmaster (character), Taskmaster, who confirms not only that the Ultimate Universe still exists following the events of the "
Secret Wars ''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'', is a 12-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter ...
" storyline, but that its version of Barbara is still alive. The adult Miles journeys to the Ultimate Universe to reunite with his lost love, essentially switching places with his younger counterpart. In a 2019–2020 storyline, Miles takes on the criminal identity of Ultimatum, and having acquired a costume equipped with the size-shifting technology of Giant-Man, returns to the Marvel-616 universe with the Ultimate Universe's Green Goblin as his henchman. He establishes a crime partnership with Fisk, and floods the area with a drug derived from Green Goblin's blood that mutates people into monstrous slaves called Goblinoids. He kidnaps the teenaged Miles and Aaron Davis, and reveals to them the existence of the multiverse. He plans to return Miles and his family to the Ultimate Universe with an interdimensional portal generator, after which he will be free to take over Brooklyn without interference. After the two abductees free themselves, they and their allies battle Ultimatum's forces. During the melee, Aaron induces an explosion that destroys the portal generator and sends the two villains back to the Ultimate Universe, but which kills himself in the process, a loss that devastates Miles.


Other versions

In ''Deadpool Killustrated'' #1 (Jan. 2013), Miles Morales' corpse is seen among those of various Spider-Men across various dimensions of the Multiverse (Marvel Comics), multiverse that an alternate Alternative versions of Deadpool#Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, Deadpool has killed. In the 2014 book ''Future Foundation#Ultimate Marvel, Ultimate FF'' #4, a version of Miles Morales' Spider-Ham is introduced with the name Miles Morhames, who hails from a dimension inhabited by beings that resemble anthropomorphic animals. His origin is similar to the Ultimate version, in that after the death of Peter Porker, Miles Morhames was inspired to become a hero. In the 2017 "Sitting in a Tree" storyline that ran in ''Spider-Man'' and ''Spider-Gwen'', Miles is transported to Earth-8, where that dimension's versions of him and fellow costumed crimefighter Spider-Woman (Gwen Stacy), Gwen Stacy have been married for 20 years, and have two children. In a 2017 storyline that ran in ''Unbelievable Gwenpool'', a future version of Miles Morales whose wife and child were killed after an evil Gwen Poole of the future revealed his and all other superheroes' identities, travels back in time to kill a young Gwen. He accidentally brings the older version of Gwen Poole with him, which leads to her to encounter her younger self. In the 2017 book ''Venomverse, Venomverse: War Stories'' #1, a version of Miles appears with other heroes in the world of the Venomized Doctor Doom, in which each person is bonded to a Symbiote (comics), symbiote. In "Secret Roar", a 2019 story in ''Spider-Man Annual'' (Vol. 3) #1, different versions of Earth's superheroes gather together to fight a Celestial (comics), Celestial, including a feline version of Miles Morales named Meows Morales. He is presumed dead along with most of the heroes after the Celestial destroys their realm. In the continuity of the 2019 miniseries ''Spider-Man: Life Story'', which depicts the characters of the Marvel Universe aging naturally after 1962, Miles becomes Spider-Man sometime in the 2010s. An elderly Peter Parker discovers that Miles' brain houses the mind of Otto Octavius, who took possession of Miles' body shortly after Miles became Spider-Man, and trapped the young hero in his own dying body (as Octavius had done to Peter in the 2012 Marvel-616 storyline "Dying Wish"). After Peter sacrifices his life in saving Octavius, Octavius switches his and Miles back to their original bodies, after which Miles is given Peter's original Spider-Man costume by Mary Jane Watson. An elderly Miles Morales appears as the protagonist of the One-shot (comics), one-shot ''Miles Morales: The End'', which is set in a post-apocalyptic
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, and casts Miles as "the last bastion of civilization". The book is one of six featuring Marvel characters as part of its ''The End'' series, which were announced at the 2019 New York Comic Con for January 2020 release. In the 2021 "Heroes Reborn (2021 comic), Heroes Reborn" storyline, a change in the timeline results in a continuity in which the Squadron Supreme are Earth's mightiest heroes while the Avengers never existed. In this continuity, after Falcon was killed by the Goblin, Miles used his electrical engineering knowledge to design a flight suit and became the new Falcon. The original Falcon's partner, Nighthawk (Marvel Comics), Nighthawk, still traumatized by his death, refuses to mentor Miles. Miles later forms a team called the Champions with Girl Power (Kamala Khan) and Kid Spectrum (Nova (Sam Alexander), Sam Alexander). The 2022 miniseries ''What If...? Miles Morales'' introduces alternate versions of Miles who became Captain America, Wolverine (character), Wolverine, Hulk, and Thor (Marvel Comics), Thor. Issue 4, written by Yehudi Mercado and drawn by Paco Medina and Luigi Zagaria, garnered controversy for its stereotypical language and racist depictions of African-American culture, black culture. Mercado, who identifies as Mexican and Jewish, publicly apologized and resolved to work toward effecting greater authenticity in his depiction of minorities.


In other media


Television

* Miles Morales appears in ''
Ultimate Spider-Man ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate Ma ...
'', initially voiced by
Donald Glover Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick ...
and subsequently by
Ogie Banks Ogie Henry Banks III (born June 13, 1973) is an American voice actor, best known for his roles as Clawd Wolf in '' Monster High'' and Luke Cage and Miles Morales Spider-Man (Miles Gonzalo MoralesAhmed, Saladin (w), Garrón, Javier (a). ' ...
. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. This version is introduced as an alternate equivalent of Spider-Man before he is stranded in Peter Parker's universe, joins the Web Warriors and takes on the alias Kid Arachnid. * Miles Morales appears in ''Marvel Super Hero Adventures'', voiced by Zac Siewert. * Miles Morales appears in ''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appearance, first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in ...
'' (2017), voiced by
Nadji Jeter Nadji Anthony Jeter (born October 18, 1996) is an American actor. He is best known for providing the voice and motion capture for Sam in the action-adventure video game ''The Last of Us'' (2013) and Miles Morales in several Marvel projects since ...
. This version is a student at Horizon High who obtains spider abilities after being bitten by a genetically modified spider, after which Peter Parker mentors him. He was originally marketed as Kid Arachnid in promotional releases, but takes on the alias Spy-D later in the series. * Miles Morales appears in ''Spidey and His Amazing Friends'', voiced initially by Jakari Fraser and by Carter Young in the fourth season onward. This version goes by the alias Spin.


Film

Writer Brian Michael Bendis stated that he favored adapting Miles Morales into a Spider-Man feature film in some way, as did actor Andrew Garfield. Producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach indicated that they did not intend to have Miles appear. But after Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel brokered a deal with Sony that resulted in the addition of the ''Spider-Man'' films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), producer Kevin Feige stated that Miles would not appear in the MCU for the foreseeable future but was interested in opportunities to explore the character. Miles is confirmed to exist in the MCU, with Aaron Davis (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Aaron Davis alluding to him in the film ''Spider-Man: Homecoming''. Amy Pascal has stated that a live-action film starring Miles was in development.


''Spider-Verse''

Miles Morales (Spider-Verse), Miles Morales appears and is the main character in the ''Spider-Verse (franchise), Spider-Verse'' film series, voiced by
Shameik Moore Shameik Alti Moore (born May 4, 1995) is an American actor and musician. He made his lead acting debut in '' Dope'' (2015), and is best known for voicing Miles Morales / Spider-Man in the animated film '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'' (2 ...
. This version obtained his powers after being bitten by a genetically modified radioactive spider created in Earth-42, which was transported to his universe by the Kingpin (character), Kingpin's Super-Collider. * Additionally, the alternate Earth-42 variant Miles G. Morales appears as the Prowler, voiced by
Jharrel Jerome Jharrel Jerome (born October 9, 1997) is an American actor. He made his film debut in Barry Jenkins's drama film ''Moonlight'' (2016), and gained prominence for his portrayal of Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries '' When They See U ...
.


Video games

* Miles Morales's Spider-Man suit appears as an alternate costume for Peter Parker / Spider-Man in ''Spider-Man: Edge of Time'' and ''The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014 video game), The Amazing Spider-Man 2''. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as a playable character in ''Marvel Super Hero Squad Online'', voiced by Alimi Ballard. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable playable character in ''Spider-Man Unlimited (video game), Spider-Man Unlimited''. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable playable character in ''Marvel Avengers Alliance''. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable playable character in ''Marvel Future Fight''. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable playable character in the mobile version of ''Marvel Puzzle Quest''. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable playable character in ''Marvel Contest of Champions''. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable playable character in ''Marvel: Avengers Alliance#Marvel: Avengers Alliance 2, Marvel Avengers Alliance 2''. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable playable character in ''Lego Marvel's Avengers''. He is available through the "Spider-Man" downloadable content, DLC pack. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable playable character in ''Marvel Avengers Academy'', voiced by Brandon Winckler. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable "Team-Up" character in ''Marvel Heroes (video game), Marvel Heroes'', voiced again by Ogie Banks. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as an unlockable playable character in ''Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2''. * Miles Morales as Spider-Man appears as a playable character and boss in '' Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order'', voiced by Nadji Jeter. * Miles Morales appears as a playable character in
Insomniac Games Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California, and part of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is most ...
' ''
Marvel's Spider-Man ''Marvel's Spider-Man'' is a series of Superhero fiction, superhero Action-adventure game, action-adventure video games developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) for PlayStation consoles and Windows. Base ...
'' series, voiced again by Nadji Jeter. ** He first appears in ''Marvel's Spider-Man (video game), Marvel's Spider-Man'' (2018), where he is bitten by a genetically altered spider created by Oscorp and gains spider-like abilities. He later reveals his new powers to Peter Parker (Insomniac Games character), Peter Parker who in turn reveals his identity as Spider-Man. In ''Marvel's Spider-Man: The City That Never Sleeps, The City That Never Sleeps'' DLC, Peter begins to train Miles on how to use his powers at the latter's insistence. ** In ''Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales'', Miles has largely mastered his powers and begun assisting Peter as the second Spider-Man. When Peter leaves New York for several weeks, Miles must learn to become his own Spider-Man as he works to protect his new home, Harlem, from a conflict between the Roxxon Energy Corporation and the Underground criminal group, led by his childhood friend Tinkerer (Marvel Comics), Phin Mason / Tinkerer. ** In ''Marvel's Spider-Man 2'', Miles struggles with his anger towards Mister Negative, Martin Li for indirectly killing his father Jefferson Davis.


Miscellaneous

Miles Morales appears as the title character of the novel ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' and its sequel ''Miles Morales: Suspended'', both by Jason Reynolds.


Merchandise

In March 2018, Sideshow Collectibles debuted a Miles Morales Spider-Man Premium Format Figure, a 17"-tall polystone statue depicting Morales jumping over the gaping jaws of a giant Venom symbiote. The statue features two removal heads, with and without the mask, and an extra hand holding the mask. Upon its release, the statue was priced at $520.


Collected editions


By type


Omnibuses


''Ultimate Collections''


''Modern Era Epic Collections''


"New reader" trade paperbacks


By era


''Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man'' (2011–2013)


''Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man'' (2014–2015)


''Spider-Man'' (vol. 2) (2016–2017)

Miles Morales' story was relaunched with a new number one in 2016, and the character established in Marvel's main 616 universe. Brian Michael Bendis continued as writer, with Sara Pichelli providing the art.


''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' (2018–2022)

Saladin Ahmed Saladin Ahmed (born October 4, 1975) is an American comic book writer and a science fiction/fantasy poetry and prose writer. His 2012 book '' Throne of the Crescent Moon'' was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel and won the Locus Award ...
started writing the series from 2018.


''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' (2022 - present)

Cody Ziglar Cody Ziglar is an American television and comics writer, director, producer, and comedian. His writing credits include ''Futurama'', ''Rick and Morty'', and '' She-Hulk: Attorney at Law'' and he is the current writer on the '' Miles Morales: Spide ...
was the new writer from December 2022.


Miniseries and one-shots


Notes


References


External links

* Marvel page
Spider-Man (Miles Morales)MMTUS-M2014S-M2016MMS-M2018ACMM2019MMS-MA2021MMS-M2022
* *
Miles Morales
Comic Vine * Jennings, Jackie (August 8, 2017)
"Ultimate Spider-Man in 2 Minutes"
Syfy Wire.
Miles Morales
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