We live in a world where it constantly feels like different versions of Spider-Men surround us. While everyone obviously knows who Peter Parker is, we've gotten to know plenty of other versions over the last decade or so, from Spider-Gwen to Silk to so many others.
And don't get me wrong, I really do love Peter Parker as Spider-Man. I mean, there's a reason why he's the number one—he is the original. He has the video games that surround him. He has the box-office record-breaking movie (and honestly, Tom Holland is having the summer of his life, with both Spider-Man: Brand New Day and The Odyssey releasing back-to-back).
But there's just one other that I love more. And he stands out to me against the slew of different kinds of spider-people.
I believe Miles Morales is the perfect Spider-Man
Before people come at me and say, "What, he's not the best version!" hear me out. While Miles even has his own set of films now with the Spider-Verse movies, there is more to my decision to make him my favorite.
The first reason is that Miles really shows what it's like to be your average Spider-Man. The people who become Spider-Man are never from a super-privileged family or anything like that. But Miles feels like a quintessential New Yorker.
He comes from a mixed family. He knows what the people are like. And he actively understands how they think because he's with them all the time with his father, who works as a cop. And he's also…not into every single little moral aspect that most other versions of Spider-Man are into. Is he a good guy? Yes, but he will break a few rules to help others—just like he did in Across the Spider-Verse.
I really believe that's what I like the most about him. He has moxie. I don't use that word often, but that describes Miles Morales perfectly. He has this kind of attitude that I really don't see in many other versions, and I freaking love it. Yes, he is a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, but he will mess you up if you hurt someone he cares about.
His Latino heritage means a lot to me
I must admit that a big reason I love Miles is that he's half Black and half Puerto Rican—a real Nuyorican, Afro-Latino.
As someone who grew up with a Puerto Rican father and who also happened to love Spider-Man, the latest Spider-Verse movies really gave me something to bond with him over, which I am incredibly grateful for. And as a Latina, it feels amazing to see my culture represented on the big screen in such a huge way.
However, I think the bigger picture is that Miles feels like the perfect example of what it's like to be within that culture in New York. It's a different kind of Spider-Man that we’ve never quite seen in another version before; only Miles can provide that insight—and he does it well. Incredibly well.
It's a way to share that culture with people around the world who never would have experienced it, and that's just beautiful.
Tom Holland, who most likely won't be playing Spider-Man forever, has given an update on Miles Morales and when he will most likely be in live action. Hopefully it will be soon because, as much as I love these animated films, I would love to see him in the MCU. Beyond the Spider-Verse is a little under a year away, but I'm already thinking about what comes next.
And I think that the world needs a little more Miles Morales beyond the animated version. We'll see what the future holds for this version. But to me, he will always be beloved.
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