Against all odds,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Versehas not only managed to live up to the incredibly lofty expectations set by its predecessor, but surpass them in a few major ways. Not content to just tell one Spider-Man’s story,Across the Spider-Versecontinues to flesh out its titular multiverse withmore Spider-Peoplethan fans have ever seen on-screen before, many of which get a surprisingly detailed backstory. But, of course, Miles Morales is once again the main attraction ofAcross the Spider-Verse, and the continuation of his story here sets an incredibly high bar forMarvel’s Spider-Man 2.
Debuting back in 2011, Miles Morales is still a fairly new comic book character, but thanks to major appearances in animated shows likeUltimate Spider-Man, games likeMarvel’s Spider-Man, and of courseInto the Spider-Verse, he’s become one of the most beloved iterations of the Wall-Crawler of all time. Taking the usual nerdy genius archetype and adding more cultural depth, Miles Morales means a lot to a whole new generation of fans from around the globe, and it’s imperative that Insomniac nails his character arc inMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, especially afterAcross the Spider-Versehit it out of the park once again.
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Across the Spider-Verse Sets a High Bar For Marvel’s Spider-Man 2’s Miles Morales
Releasing just a few months afterInsomniac’s firstSpider-Mangame,Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versewas the first mainstream project to feature Miles Morales in a central role. While Miles had been a character in the comics for seven years at that point, the general public knew practically nothing about the character in 2018, andInto the Spider-Versedelivered the perfect introduction to the hero. In just 1 hour and 40 minutes,Into the Spider-Versemanaged to tell one of the most compelling, heartfelt Spider-Man origin stories of all time, all while redefining the visual style of modern animations, and throwing in a handful of multiversal Spider-People.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versedid a great job of showing how Miles Morales stands out from Peter Parker, and how his own unique cultural identity informs his every action as Spider-Man. And this is all done while forging close relationships with Miles' father, mother, and uncle, all of whom play an integral role in his identity as well. When it came toInsomniac’s own version of the character inMarvel’s Spider-Man, Miles Morales was only seen briefly during the game’s story, but it was clear that his family was an important aspect of his life, with his father’s death being a catalyst for his character.
Insomniac doubles down on this family element inSpider-Man: Miles Morales, cleverly centering the main story around Miles' relationship with his mom and his childhood friend-turned-supervillain Phin. But while Inosmniac’s version of Miles has his own unique personality quirks, it’s clear that the team wasinspired byInto the Spider-Verse. A few similar plot and character beats find their way to the game, with the biggest being Miles' central arc of desperately wanting to become like Peter, and finally realizing that he needs to become his own Spider-Man.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseonce again delivers an excellent Miles Morales character arc, continuing the same themes of the first movie but giving them a new context and some deeper ramifications. Without spoiling anything major,Across the Spider-Versereally pushes the idea of Miles embracing his own unique identity as Spider-Man and learning to stick to his own moral compass, even when his apparent mentors are telling him otherwise. Based on what fans have seen thus far fromMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, a similar character arc could be on the way for its own version of Miles Morales. If Peter succumbs to the Symbiote suit, then it might be up to Miles and Miles alone to save the day. Regardless of whatSpider-Man 2’s plotends up being,Across the Spider-Versehas set quite a high bar for it to get over.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2launches Fall 2023 on PlayStation 5.
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