Spider-Man: 10 best Across the Spider-Verse characters, ranked
By Mark Lynch
6. Rio Morales
"“Wherever you go from here, you have to promise to take care of that little boy for me. “- Rio Morales"
Rio Morales was everything that you could want from a mother. First and foremost, she was loving. Lauren Vélez (Dexter and New York Undercover) did a flawless job projecting a protecting and parental tone. While she was speaking with the counselor, Rio went from proud to let down in seconds. She couldn’t believe that her brilliant son was underachieving. Especially in Spanish.
Rio Morales could be tough in a non-joking way as well. She had to lay the hammer down again during Jefferson’s promotion party. As disappointed as she was that Miles was keeping something from her, she saw sadness in her son as Gwen left. She knew he needed to go see Gwen. Instead of punishing him more, she let him go on one condition: Miles had to keep the innocence inside of him. This writer couldn’t help but tear up during that scene. It was beautifully done.
The creative team behind Across the Spider-Verse made it a point to embrace that Rio Morales is Puerto Rican. It’s something that’s important to her and, in turn, was important to Miles. Without it, he wouldn’t be the person that he is. The snap with the Puerto Rican flag popping out was a nice touch too. It added a fun yet sassy moment to the scene.