Making his comic debut in 2011, Miles Morales has gradually proven himself to be the worthy successor to the Spider-Man mantle. After spending years in Peter Parker’s enormous shadow, Miles finally gets the main spotlight he deserves with his first-ever animated movie on the big screen, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, in 2018. The film was a huge success, and it brings Miles’ name to the mainstream audience, and his name only goes up from there. An animated sequel ensues in 2023, dubbing Across the Spider-Verse, which proves to be another box office hit for Sony. Moreover, Miles also has his own video game title in 2020, with a sequel following up this October.
While obviously isn’t as famous as his predecessor Peter, Miles captivates the audience, especially the black and Hispanic community, with his own charms, endearing personality, and unique set of power. However, there are certain aspects that the boy from Brooklyn can do better than even Peter can be jealous of. Let’s learn about these aspects in this article, to see how Miles Morales is the perfect candidate to take the title of Spider-Man in the future.
#1. He has a more powerful set of abilities.
Source: Insomniac Games
Being bitten by a radioactive spider created by Norman Osborn, Miles wields the exact same arachnid abilities that Peter does, including wall-crawling, enhanced reflexes, agility and durability, and of course, the Spider-Sense. However, the genetically engineered spider even gives him more than that.
Unlike Peter, Miles can blast bio-electric waves using his punches that send shocks and extreme damage to the opponents, which he calls Venom. Miles can also use Venom to blast the enemies in short range, inflict Venom into his webs, or even make it burst from his entire body to create a much bigger explosion. In the fight against Rabble, he can even manifest a sword using his bio-electricity to attack the villain.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Venom is not the only unique ability that Miles has, as the Brooklyn native can also turn himself invisible, even his clothes, to sneak up on enemies or flee from them. The camouflage is so effective, it even hides Miles from heat vision or ordinary radar detectors. With practice, the new Spider-Man can even prolong the camouflage effect time.
#2. He has more enhanced healing and durability and is possibly immortal.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Not only possessing a much better skill set, but Miles’s regeneration process and durability are also improved by his mentor. It is implied many times in both comics and movies that the Kid-Arachnid can heal faster than Peter, while is also resistant to poison and such. He also appears to be more resilient, especially against shock and electric attacks, as he wields Venom as one of his perks now.
Many people even believe that Miles is quite possibly immortal, since the spider that bit him was enhanced with a secret formula called Oz by Norman Osborn, which has a special side effect. According to the CEO of Oscorp, the Oz formula, which has altered Miles's body, has the side effect of immortality, so theoretically Miles can inherit this power as well.
#3. His friend never betrays him.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
We get it, Peter is a super nice guy, but he really needs to be better in terms of choosing his friend. His childhood bud, Harry, turns into the Green Goblin and tries to kill him at some point, while Ned Leeds also becomes the Hog-goblin temporarily. Not exactly a good example of BFF, is it? And you can’t exactly call the Avengers your best confidants either.
Meanwhile, Miles Morales apparently has only one close friend, Ganke Lee, but he proves to be extremely loyal and follows Miles in whatever it takes, while also aiding him in battle with his superb knowledge of technology. While Peter is still struggling with his friend circle, Miles should consider himself lucky to have such a reliable companion by his side.
#4. He represents not one, but TWO different communities.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Miles Morales is a half-blooded child of two nationalities, with his father, Jeff a full-fledged U.S. citizen, while his mother, Rio, came from Puerto Rico. Therefore, Miles can represent not only the black community, but also the Hispanic people all over the world as well. Every child in the neighborhood wants to be Spider-Man and Peter Parker, but with the boy from Brooklyn, the two communities above can be proud of their own version of Web-Slinger.
#5. His parents are still alive.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Having your parents behind your back to support you is the best thing ever, and Miles is lucky to have both of his alive so far, although Peter doesn’t share the same privilege. May and Richard Parker mostly disappear in the comics, only to be revealed later that they were murdered by one of Johann Schmidt’s successors, Albert Malik, while some other media platforms disclose that they died in a plane crash. In the movie The Amazing Spider-Man 2, though, Richard appears in a deleted scene to talk with Peter during Gwen Stacy’s funeral.
In the animated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Miles’s father’s life is in great danger, as Miguel O’Hara warned the former that his dad will give his life as a canon event. Miles is trying his best to change the future, and Peter B. Parker from Earth-616B isn’t going to let the kid share the same fate as his.
#6. Miles isn’t affected by the infamous Parker Luck.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Throughout his life, Peter Parker has been associated with a series of unfortunate events happening to him and everyone he holds dear, which happens so often that the phenomena even have its own name, Parker Luck. From Uncle Ben’s death, his friends betraying him, to his relationship issues with both Mary Jane and Gwen…our friendly neighborhood can’t seem to catch a breath. Just ask the MCU Peter, who arguably has the worst luck of all, as of now he has lost everything he knows, from his aunt, his mentor, his friend, and even his girlfriend.
Luckily, Parker Luck isn’t contagious, as Miles Morales doesn’t suffer from the same fate as his predecessor. His parents are still alive and kicking (for now, at least), he has a good loyal friend who also proves to be very proficient in support, a non-drama love life (See his Earth-8 comic), and of course, a superior skill set. Of course, Miles still has to work hard to protect his happiness though, but this shows that he got it much better than Peter in some aspects.
Do you think that Miles has a much easier life than Peter Parker? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comment.