Let Spider-Man’s Miles Morales Stay (and Thrive) in Animation

Since his debut, Miles Morales has been an odd character. Though he was far from the first non-Peter Parker person to take on the Spider-Man mantle, his lead writer Brian Michael Bendis hoped he’d be a big deal and represent a community that was otherwise primarily underserved in Big Two comics at the time. And though it took some time for Miles to really get there, it eventually happened, thanks largely to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Verse’s success has loomed over Miles ever since; various expanded Marvel media that features Spider-Man has made a point of having Miles on hand as well—either as a protégé (and future co-lead), or as the sole headliner of his own adventure. And as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is building on the momentum of its predecessor, Sony’s already got its eye on Miles’ future: Beyond the Spider-Verse is meant to wrap up this animated trilogy in April 2024. Sony Pictures’ Amy Pascal recently confirmed that a live-action movie for Miles is in early development, or will be once the WGA strike is over. Whether this means he’ll be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or do his own thing and maybe fight whatever weird version of the Sinister Six that Sony’s been trying to make happen is up in the air, but either way, we’ll soon have a physical actor playing New York’s Only Spider-Man.

This is very much a “no duh” statement from Pascal: Sony loves making Spider-Man movies (or Spider-Man adjacent ones), Miles is clearly a brand unto himself, and it’s smart to capitalize on that. But as Across seems gearing up to be a box office hit and potentially snag some awards much like the first Spider-Verse did, it may be worth asking if it’s really the right move.

Much of the weirdness surrounding Miles stems from the fact that Sony and Marvel didn’t fully know what to do with him until fairly recently. When the two studios elected to scrap Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man franchise to bring the webhead to the MCU, it felt like a good opportunity to bring Miles to the movies. This was around the time that Miles and his supporting cast were brought over to the main Marvel Comics universe post-Secret Wars, and 2015’s Ant-Man already established the idea of legacy heroes through Scott Lang and Hank Pym. But that didn’t happen, and Captain America: Civil War debuted Tom Holland as a young Peter Parker. And if that wasn’t awkward enough, it didn’t help that MCU Peter’s subsequent solo movies ended up lifting some parts of Miles’ backstory, including Miles’ best friend, Ganke Lee.

Though we know Miles exists thanks to Spider-Man: Homecoming, there’s been no mention of the character beyond that, mainly because MCU Peter Parker has been getting caught up in multiverse nonsense. But Miles has had a clear effect on that version of Peter; 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home can’t help but be read as an attempt to chase the highs of Spider-Verse, only in a way that’s a little grimier since parts of that movie come across as so pleased with itself. Because of that, and a general inconsistency with the writing of teen or YA characters in genre stories, and it’s hard to get fully onboard with seeing Miles in live-action, MCU or no.

Fortunately, getting snubbed in live-action has ended up working in Miles’ favor, as we saw with Spider-Verse. But it also helped that Insomniac Games already had him on the brain when it released Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018. That first game (and its DLC) ended with the promise of two Spider-Men swinging around New York, with many assuming that would just be saved for the inevitable sequel. Instead, the standalone title Spider-Man: Miles Morales was revealed as a launch title for the PlayStation 5 that showed him coming into his own and becoming a hero on par with the older, more experienced Peter of those games. While Miles has also appeared in some cartoons, Spider-Verse and the two (soon to be three) Spider-Man games have served as definitive texts for the character in a way that the comics kind of haven’t.

Bringing characters from animation into live-action has proven to be a mixed bag, especially in recent years. Again, while it makes sense for Sony and Marvel to bring Miles into live-action, the character has proven to be a surprisingly great fit for animation. That medium’s generally been where Spider-Man’s at his best, but if we are to heed Guillermo del Toro’s words that animation is “ready for the next step,” that means letting things exist where they’re best suited. It isn’t disrespectful or wrong to have Miles’ story play out in solely the animated space. It’s just where he’s allowed to be his best self without the baggage of live-action that’s hovered over previous Spider-Men.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is in theaters now.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Since his debut, Miles Morales has been an odd character. Though he was far from the first non-Peter Parker person to take on the Spider-Man mantle, his lead writer Brian Michael Bendis hoped he’d be a big deal and represent a community that was otherwise primarily underserved in Big Two comics at the time. And though it took some time for Miles to really get there, it eventually happened, thanks largely to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Spider-Verse’s success has loomed over Miles ever since; various expanded Marvel media that features Spider-Man has made a point of having Miles on hand as well—either as a protégé (and future co-lead), or as the sole headliner of his own adventure. And as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is building on the momentum of its predecessor, Sony’s already got its eye on Miles’ future: Beyond the Spider-Verse is meant to wrap up this animated trilogy in April 2024. Sony Pictures’ Amy Pascal recently confirmed that a live-action movie for Miles is in early development, or will be once the WGA strike is over. Whether this means he’ll be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or do his own thing and maybe fight whatever weird version of the Sinister Six that Sony’s been trying to make happen is up in the air, but either way, we’ll soon have a physical actor playing New York’s Only Spider-Man.

This is very much a “no duh” statement from Pascal: Sony loves making Spider-Man movies (or Spider-Man adjacent ones), Miles is clearly a brand unto himself, and it’s smart to capitalize on that. But as Across seems gearing up to be a box office hit and potentially snag some awards much like the first Spider-Verse did, it may be worth asking if it’s really the right move.

Much of the weirdness surrounding Miles stems from the fact that Sony and Marvel didn’t fully know what to do with him until fairly recently. When the two studios elected to scrap Andrew Garfield’s Amazing Spider-Man franchise to bring the webhead to the MCU, it felt like a good opportunity to bring Miles to the movies. This was around the time that Miles and his supporting cast were brought over to the main Marvel Comics universe post-Secret Wars, and 2015’s Ant-Man already established the idea of legacy heroes through Scott Lang and Hank Pym. But that didn’t happen, and Captain America: Civil War debuted Tom Holland as a young Peter Parker. And if that wasn’t awkward enough, it didn’t help that MCU Peter’s subsequent solo movies ended up lifting some parts of Miles’ backstory, including Miles’ best friend, Ganke Lee.

Though we know Miles exists thanks to Spider-Man: Homecoming, there’s been no mention of the character beyond that, mainly because MCU Peter Parker has been getting caught up in multiverse nonsense. But Miles has had a clear effect on that version of Peter; 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home can’t help but be read as an attempt to chase the highs of Spider-Verse, only in a way that’s a little grimier since parts of that movie come across as so pleased with itself. Because of that, and a general inconsistency with the writing of teen or YA characters in genre stories, and it’s hard to get fully onboard with seeing Miles in live-action, MCU or no.

Fortunately, getting snubbed in live-action has ended up working in Miles’ favor, as we saw with Spider-Verse. But it also helped that Insomniac Games already had him on the brain when it released Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018. That first game (and its DLC) ended with the promise of two Spider-Men swinging around New York, with many assuming that would just be saved for the inevitable sequel. Instead, the standalone title Spider-Man: Miles Morales was revealed as a launch title for the PlayStation 5 that showed him coming into his own and becoming a hero on par with the older, more experienced Peter of those games. While Miles has also appeared in some cartoons, Spider-Verse and the two (soon to be three) Spider-Man games have served as definitive texts for the character in a way that the comics kind of haven’t.

Bringing characters from animation into live-action has proven to be a mixed bag, especially in recent years. Again, while it makes sense for Sony and Marvel to bring Miles into live-action, the character has proven to be a surprisingly great fit for animation. That medium’s generally been where Spider-Man’s at his best, but if we are to heed Guillermo del Toro’s words that animation is “ready for the next step,” that means letting things exist where they’re best suited. It isn’t disrespectful or wrong to have Miles’ story play out in solely the animated space. It’s just where he’s allowed to be his best self without the baggage of live-action that’s hovered over previous Spider-Men.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is in theaters now.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.