In Spider-Man: Homecoming, Aaron Davis (Donald Glover) tells Peter Parker (Tom Holland) that he has a nephew who lives in the same New York neighborhood as him. For well-versed comic book fans, the moment was cause for excitement and celebration because the comic book version of Aaron Davis is, of course, the uncle of Miles Morales. Ever since then, Marvel Cinematic Universe fanatics have kept busy speculating about what Miles’ live-action future may or may not end up looking like.
Since Homecoming was released in 2017, Miles’ popularity has also grown exponentially. Not only was the character featured in 2018’s Spider-Man video game, but also its 2020 PS5 sequel, Spider-Man: Miles Morales. In 2018, Miles also served as the central character of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which still ranks as one of the most acclaimed comic book films ever made.
Despite how much more mainstream Miles has become, though, neither Marvel nor Sony has hinted in the past six years at the possibility of the character joining Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in the MCU. As a matter of fact, it’s unclear whether or not the two studios have any intention of introducing a live-action version of Miles in the near future.
As both Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and its forthcoming sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, have already proven, comic book readers have been introduced to plenty of fictional web-slingers over the years. While Peter Parker remains the crown jewel of the Marvel Comics canon, no other Spider-Man has been quite as warmly embraced by readers as Miles Morales. He’s one of the only creations who has successfully assumed the Spider-Man mantle from Peter Parker, and the character’s fanbase has only steadily grown in the years since he was introduced.
Beyond his growing popularity, though, Miles is also one of the most likable, well-rounded heroes Marvel has invented this century. He’s an Afro-Latino superhero with a cultural background that feels distinct and thoughtfully realized, and, much like Peter Parker, he has an assortment of characters in his life that are memorable in their own ways. In the comics, his involvement in the death of his uncle, Aaron, also ensured that Miles holds many of the same, fundamental beliefs as Peter Parker, but in a way that feels unique to him.
All of which is to say that Miles Morales is a character worthy of the praise he’s received over the years. As both Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Into the Spider-Verse prove, he’s also a character capable of leading his own major titles, which just makes it all the more strange that neither Marvel nor Sony seems particularly interested in setting up a live-action future.
When rumors first began swirling that 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home was going to tell a multiverse story just three years after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Marvel fans began speculating that the film would, among other things, pave the way for Miles Morales’ long-awaited MCU debut. The film famously didn’t do that. Now, two years later, it’s unclear what exactly Marvel and Sony intend to do with their shared, big-screen Spider-Man franchise.
Whatever they end up doing with it, Miles Morales deserves to be included in some form or another. Indeed, as exciting as it is to see him return in this year’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Sony shouldn’t continue to treat Miles like he can only exist as an animated character. As Marvel fans will attest, he has the potential to be so much more than that.
