While it’s confirmed that the new cinematic Spider-Man will not be Miles Morales, as many hoped, the biracial spider hero will finally be getting his time in the spotlight elsewhere: comics.
The NY Daily News exclusively reports that when the main universe Spider-Man comic relaunches this fall, the hero under the mask will be Miles Morales.
He’ll join several new comics following the massive Secret Wars event, which is still under way.
Miles Morales, the teen son of an African-American father and Puerto Rican mother, first showed up in 2011, replacing the Ultimate universe’s Peter Parker, who was murdered. Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, the co-creators of Miles, will be heading the new series.
Bendis, in an interview with Marvel, explains how this came about:
“This is a direct result of the grassroots, passionate response to the character as both an individual and what he represents to the readership. This is a direct result of very loud voices telling Marvel what they want. Miles, a child of color, will be Spider-Man. Not Ultimate Spider-Man, not Spectacular Spider-Man, not Amazing Spider-Man—Spider-Man.”
It’s not clear what’s going to happen with Peter Parker, but Bendis is fairly explicit that Morales is the new Spider-Man.
This is a growing trend for Marvel Comics, who now has a female Thor, Sam Wilson as Captain America, and their first leading Muslim hero in Kamala Khan.
These changes are exciting and we’re eager to see what Miles does in his new series, and the new place he carves for himself in the Marvel universe.
It’s going to have an impact on the readers, which Bendis revealed to the NY Daily News when his 4 year-old adopted African-American daughter found a Miles Morales Spider-Man mask in a store and exclaimed she was Spider-Man:
“I started crying in the middle of the aisle. I realized my kids are going to grow up in a world that has a multi-racial Spider-Man, and an African American Captain America and a female Thor.”
No, no, it’s fine, we just have some dust in our eyes. Or a branch.
So get ready! Miles Morales’ Spider-Man will hit shelves this fall.
Are you excited for the new Spider-Man run? Sound off in the comments!
