Peter Parker always has been and always will be an indomitable focal point when it comes to who’s wearing a colorful costume, scaling surfaces, and slinging webs. That’s no less true of theMarvel’s Spider-Manfranchise, either, and yet it’s unmistakably clear that Insomniac has been actively nudging Miles Morales into players’ view since day one.Marvel’s Spider-Mangave Miles a small playable role before he was bitten by a genetically altered spider,Miles Moralesgave Miles his own lead role, andMarvel’s Spider-Man 2gave Peter and Miles equal screen and play time as deuteragonists.
Miles has always been vital to the series and he’s thankfully only become more prominent as it’s continued.Marvel’s Spider-Man 2concludes with Peter allegedly taking a backseatand letting Miles be a prime Spider-Man in New York City and once more thrusts him into the forefront. It’s unlikely that Peter has retired his web shooters completely but, even if both wall-crawlers are out and about in an upcoming game, Miles has quite a bit more to fight for and, consequently, has far more to lose—a unique issue that he no longer shares with his Spider-Man mentor.
Marvel’s Spider-Man’s Peter Parker Has Lost More Than His Fair Share
Besides losing his uncle roughly eight years before the events ofMarvel’s Spider-Man, Peter suffers a tragic loss with the death of his aunt at the end of the game. This moment is startlingly emotional since it revolves around Devil’s Breath—a chemical weapon designed at Oscorp that never held any high stakes prior to Aunt May being affected—and a choice Peter himself is forced to make.
In a split-second decision,Peter chooses not to cure May Parkerwith what little of the restorative serum is left to ensure that the rest of New York City’s afflicted citizens can be cured. It’s a classic internal struggle of ‘the good of the many versus the good of the few’ and yet it’s heart-wrenching due to Peter being the one to endure it and having it cost May her life, which she graciously accepts as she looks upon her nephew.
This grief is more or less carried with him intoMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, but withheld on a deeply subconscious level as Martin Li and Miles witness firsthand.
Plus, in the process of losing May, Peter also lost Otto Octavius, his mentor and partner in the field of science who turned to a life of crime to enact his revenge on Norman Osborn.Peter regains an old friend in Harry Osborn and loses him to a coma in the span ofMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, leaving Mary Jane Watson as the only person who’s been semi-consistently in his life. MJ obviously means the world to Peter, and it would be devastating for him to lose her, but Peter’s suffered enough loss as is and his circle is markedly thin.
Miles Morales’ Biggest Strength Might Be His Biggest Weakness in Marvel’s Spider-Man 3
Conversely, Miles has his mother Rio Morales, uncle Aaron Davis, best friend Ganke Lee, girlfriend Hailey Cooper, andpossibly Cindy Moon as an upcoming step-sister. He recently lost his father, Jefferson Davis, and his childhood best friend, Phin Mason, yet his circle is thriving and warm going into whatever the next chapter ofMarvel’s Spider-Manlooks like.
Aaron has shelved his Prowler persona and seemingly become an upstanding gentleman, for example, andMiles is finally embarking on a romantic relationshipwith Hailey that will hopefully have time in the oven to bake.
There are now two paths Insomniac must choose between: either Miles gets to live happily ever after once the finalMarvel’s Spider-Mangame wraps up with a lovely group of loved ones at his side, or Miles will have suffered greatly and hopefully had such loss teach him a lesson he can move forward in life with. Regardless, Miles’ exploits as Spider-Man may be more inherently risky than Peter’s in the future of the series if any villains learn who he is beneath the mask since he has no shortage of close ones whom antagonists could prey on.
