By the time we reach the timeline of Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Rio Morales has been through a lot. As a loving wife, she lost her husband who was killed at the hands of Martin Li – aka Mister Negative – in Insomniac's first Spider-Man outing of 2018. As a proud New Yorker, she put the fate of Harlem on her shoulders when she helped evacuate the entire borough of Harlem in the face of The Tinkerer's bomb threat. As an advocate of the people, she showed unwavering resilience to claim a city council seat and push back against job losses and gentrification in the local area. And as a mother, she now carries the eternal burden of worry, knowing that her superhero son is putting his life at risk every time he leaves home.
For Jacqui Pinol, the actor who plays Miles Morales' mother Rio in the Marvel's Spider-Man series, that last part is especially important. "It was very nice to jump into this knowing that your character adds positivity, and hope and inspiration to a community," says Pinol. "And then being a mom, it's almost like a dual role in life and in character. I want to inspire that in my son, I want to support him and make sure he's okay and protect him. And I want my house just like Rio does: to be the welcoming place where everybody meets and has a meal."
