The Blerd Blog

Hey everybody, and welcome back to The Blerd Blog! In honor of Black History Month, I wanted to do a special edition post of the blog to celebrate a character that means a lot to me: Miles Morales. Let’s get right into it!

The Origins of Miles Morales

Before we get into why Miles means so much to me, I want to give a little background for those uninitiated with my guy here!

Miles Morales was created in 2011 by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli (two of my favs by the way). Miles’s beginnings start from a major plot point I won’t give away, which takes place in the Ultimate Universe’s Spider-Man book, but what you need to know is that in the story, a young Miles Morales was bitten by a radioactive spider, just like our OG Peter Parker, and must take up the mantle after him.

For those who don’t know, Miles is half-Black and half-Puerto Rican, and from Brooklyn, a famously diverse area in New York. This background already makes him much different than Peter, along with the fact that he still has both parents in the home. From a personal perspective (highly important in any good Spidey story), he’s unique. From a superhero perspective, he’s also unique. He can use bio-electric powers and turn invisible, two defining skills that also set him apart from Peter.

While Miles was originally from Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, that universe eventually went away due to events that occurred in a major Marvel event from 2015: Secret Wars, from writer Jonathan Hickman. Since then, Miles has moved over to the main 616 Marvel universe, where he’s established himself as Brooklyn’s Spidey, and teamed up with the other Spider-heroes, and formed connections with other teen heroes like Ms. Marvel.

That’s the basic rundown on Miles, and now let’s get into why I love him so much!

Representation and Heroics

When I was a kid, I fell in love with Marvel, and specifically with Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. I loved his costume, the way he fights, and the humorous quips he dropped mid-battle, but I think what kept me going was seeing how relatable he was. I know a lot of people think that phrase is overused when it comes to Pete, but it’s true.

He was socially awkward.

Check.

He had trouble maintaining personal relationships.

Check.

He had trouble finding work, and making money.

Check.

I could go on, but I’m sure we’ve all experienced these problems in our own lives. But what makes him so awesome is that he never gives up. He always gets back up, and tries to do the right thing. Because with great power comes great responsibility, even if it means you have to sacrifice of yourself.

How powerful and inspiring is that!

With that in mind, imagine you’re a young Black teenager, around 15, and you hear about a new animated Spider-Man movie called Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. You go in not knowing this story won’t be about the usual guy, but about a kid who looks like you. He has similar struggles to you, in a cultural sense, struggling with living up to your potential, and communicating with your family.

This is why I love Miles Morales so much, because I can see myself in him, and especially during my teenage years – seeing someone who looked like me be a superhero was inspiring, and it showed me I was capable of great things as well.

The whole message of the film being “Anyone can wear the mask”, meaning anyone can be a hero, was a huge moment for me, and the fact that Miles was a fully formed unique protagonist, and not some attempt to score points with the Black community, was all the better.

Miles means so much to me, because he is me, and I love him just as much as Peter, both for the ways they’re unique, but united on the same principles.

Recommendations

With all this in mind, I want to recommend some places to get some more Miles content!

Comics

Miles Morales Modern Era Epic Collection: Hero in Training

This collection contains the start of Miles’s first run of comics, so you’ll be getting his origins and early days as Spidey, and the struggles that come with that job. This is original Bendis/Pachelli work, and it continues into a few subsequent collections.

Miles Morales Spider-Man vol. 1: Straight Out of Brooklyn

This was the first run I reading growing, written by Saladin Ahmed and a group of different artists. This is Miles in that main 616 universe, going to high school and facing old and new foes! If you enjoy this, you can pick up the full run in omnibus format.

Miles Morales Spider-Man vol. 1 – Trial by Spider

This is Miles’s most recent run, as of the time writing, by writer Cody Ziglar and artist Federico Vicentini. This run really emphasizes Miles’s place in the community, and also teams him up with other Black Marvel heroes like Misty Knight, who becomes his mentor! It’s really solid!

Spider-Men: Worlds Collide

Recently, Marvel has been creating these Premier collections that collect popular stories in smaller format for a cheaper price. This story where Miles and Peter meet for the first time will be releasing later this year in July! Essential reading in my opinion.

Insomniac Spider-Man Trilogy – Marvel’s Spider-Man, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, & Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

The Insomniac Spider-Man trilogy is fantastic, and Miles is featured as one of the main protagonists in each game, and you get to see him develop as well. In the first game, you see his origins and what makes him a hero before getting powers, before the spinoff game Miles Morales has him as the sole Spidey, while Peter goes on vacation. The full sequel sees both Peter and Miles playable, and the player is given the ability to swap between both at anytime, aside from specific story and side missions.

All of these games are available on Playstation 5 or PC.

Movies

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

This movie was my intro to Miles, and probably a lot of other people’s. Besides what I’ve already said about Miles himself, the movie is incredible. It’s got great humor, emotion, and truly groundbreaking animation, to the point that it won an Oscar and inspired a lot of other great animated films that came after, such as Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Mitchells vs. The Machines. It’s also stuffed with easter eggs for Spidey fans like myself! If you haven’t already, give it a watch!

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The sequel is equally amazing, with even crazier animation and storytelling choices, ending on an insane cliffhanger. The new characters are fun and iconic already! Check this out too! Once again, stuff with great easter eggs and cameos as well!

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider Verse

This final film in the trilogy is expected to release in summer 2027, so now is the perfect time to catch up by watching the first two movies!

Conclusion

Ultimately, I hope I was able to get across why Miles means so much to me, and to so many other young Black and Hispanic people. But let me know what you think about Miles, and your level of exposure to him. Are you gonna check out any of these stories?

Let me know in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already! Also, check out the contact page to get in touch with me! Have a good one everybody, and I’ll see you in the next one 🙂