Miles Morales
This page is about the Phase 2 incarnation of the character. For other uses, see Miles Morales (disambiguation).
| Miles Morales | |
|---|---|
 Portrayed by Keiynan Lonsdale | |
| Codename: | Spider-Man |
| Affiliations: | X-Men |
| Birthdate: | August 3, 1999 |
| Journal: | Miles Morales |
| Player: | Ben |
I’m telling you, you’re right, Ganke. You were totally right. I am Spider-Man.
The bite of a genetically engineered spider turned young mutant Miles Morales into the Amazing Spider-Man(’s sidekick)!
Contents
Details
Character Journal: xp-eriment
Real Name: Miles Morales
Codename: Spider-Man (II)
Aliases: Spider-Boy, Spider-Hombre, Spidey 2, Little Bug
First Appearance: January 23, 2015
Date of Birth: August 3, 1999
Place of Birth: New York, New York
Citizenship: American
Relatives: Jefferson and Río Morales (parents), Aaron Davis Morales (paternal uncle), other aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.
Education: Freshman at Columbia University
Relationship Status: Single
Occupation: College student, vigilante, social media assistant to Warren Worthington
Team Affiliation: X-Men
Biography
Childhood
Miles’s story starts with Peter Parker, a young man from Queens who, in the spring of 2012, was bitten by a genetically engineered spider while touring the OsCorp facility in Manhattan. Peter developed a suite of spider-themed powers, including super strength, agility, and reflexes. After the murder of his uncle by a criminal that Peter had the opportunity to stop, Peter decided to use his powers to fight crime. “With great power comes great responsibility,” as his uncle would say. Spider-Man earned the ire of the NYPD and the burgeoning super-villain community in NYC (to say nothing of the widely read Daily Bugle newspaper), but he also became a folk hero to the people of the city, particularly when he stopped a super-powered criminal from releasing a toxic bioweapon in Manhattan.
Miles Morales is the only son of Jefferson and Río Morales, themselves the children of Afro-Puerto Rican immigrants to Spanish Harlem. Jefferson and his brother Aaron were little hellions as children and ran with gangs as they entered their teenage years. Aaron turned to theft while Jefferson dealt drugs. The latter eventually met and fell in love with Río Ortíz, and at her insistence and help, he cleaned up his act and abandoned crime. They moved out of Spanish Harlem and into Brooklyn shortly after Miles’ birth. The Morales family was not particularly well off, but they were never wanting, and Jefferson and Río indulged Miles whenever they could.
Miles was always a fast learner and gifted student. Grade school passed uneventfully, but he and his best friend Ganke Lee became a troublesome duo in middle school. Bored with what they perceived to be a slow pace in school, they became disruptive. But fortunately for them, they both entered a lottery and won acceptance to a prestigious charter school that was better able to challenge them. Miles’s and Ganke’s behavior quickly improved, and the pair soon became star students. Miles's mutant power of bioelectricity generation manifested around this time, too, but unlike many mutants, it didn't cause Miles many problems. But in light of growing anti-mutant sentiment, Ganke was the only person in whom Miles confided.
Spider-Man
Norman Osborn, president and CEO of OsCorp, put 2 and 2 together and figured out that because his super spider went missing not long before Spider-Man showed up, he must have been responsible for Spider-Man. So he restarted the program and developed a new super spider in February 2014. This one, though, hitched a ride with a thief codenamed Prowler, who had snuck into OsCorp to steal some materials for the company’s rival, Roxxon.
Prowler was in fact Miles’s paternal uncle, Aaron. When Miles went to visit Aaron (despite Jefferson’s orders never to speak with him), the spider crept out of Aaron’s bag and bit Miles, and conferred to him the same powers that Peter possessed. Miles fled under the pretense that he wasn’t feeling well and had homework to do, and ran straight to Ganke.
Ganke initially showed much more enthusiasm at the idea of having spider powers on top of mutation than Miles did. But the more Miles thought about it, the more he came to like the idea of being a superhero. The two designed a makeshift costume and Miles set out to find Spider-Man to learn from him.
It took a couple of nights sneaking into Manhattan to patrol, but Miles finally caught up with Peter swinging his way around and asked to team up. Peter rebuffed him, though, and admonished Miles for thinking that being Spider-Man is a game. Miles was distressed and insulted by the response. Who the hell did Spider-Man think he was, in his red and blue tights, telling Miles (who couldn’t have been that much younger, he figured, and had the exact same powers) what he could or couldn’t do?
On his way home, Miles stopped a mugging-in-progress and decided that he’d be a superhero despite what Spider-Man said. This decision was further supported when he came across a cop hassling a couple of kids from his neighborhood. Maybe Uncle Aaron’s anti-police screeds or just a general opposition to authority in light of Peter’s refusal influenced him, but Miles intervened there, too, knocking out the cop so that the kids could escape. Soon enough, “Spider-Boy” or “Spidey 2” was dubbed the hero of Brooklyn, fighting crime and unjust law enforcement.
A fortuitous visit to Manhattan in May brought the two Spiders together again. Doctor Otto Octavius, popularly known as the super-villain Doctor Octopus who’d had his butt squarely kicked by the first Spider-Man a year earlier, raided the Roxxon Industries downtown research facility. The news reported Spider-Man was on the scene and engaged in an intense battle, so Miles suited up and joined in. His intervention likely saved Peter’s life, as only their cooperation allowed them to triumph over Doc Ock and send him slinking back to the shadows.
Impressed by Miles’s abilities and how well they worked together, Peter apologized and agreed to teach Miles what little he knew. After some time, the two revealed their identities to each other and Peter designed a new costume and a set of web-slingers for Miles. Despite a 4-year age difference, Peter and Miles became good friends. The two often operate separately because they’re based in different parts of NYC, but Miles makes regular trips into Manhattan to team up with Peter, particularly to battle Peter’s ever-growing rogue’s gallery.
Miles first met the X-Men in September 2014. He and Ganke were investigating the murder of up-and-coming fashion designer Jumbo Carnation, who – despite being an obvious mutant what with his 4 arms and teflon-like skin – was becoming quite popular in the New York fashion scene. A group of his fans online voiced their fear about what they perceive as a racist, homophobic, and mutantphobic attack and demand that the NYPD root out Brooklyn’s bigots. Some even called for Spider-Man to do so. After some consideration, Miles agreed to track down the culprits.
After stealing files of the investigation from the police, Miles and Ganke determined that JC was most likely killed by a loan shark and not some random bigot on the street. Miles snuck into JC’s apartment to find evidence to confirm this, but was attacked by a mutant named Radian, an enforcer of a gang led by someone nicknamed the Scorpion, to whom JC owed tens of thousands of dollars. Miles and Radian fought to a standstill, but the tide turned against Radian with the timely arrival of a pair of X-Men, who were also investigating the mutant’s murder. Together, they took down Radian and brought him to justice.
Phase 2
The violent deaths of 90% of the world's mutants on M-Day changed New York City. The Spider-Men experienced increased hostility from the public and the police, but they refused to alter their behavior. M-Day also resulted in the destruction of Miles's school when a mutant there exploded; there were thankfully no other casualties, but Brooklyn Visions had to close for renovations, and Miles unhappily transferred to public school.
Miles and a fellow NYC masked vigilante, Daredevil, met a winged newcomer to the scene in late January 2015. Another mutant vigilante, calling himself the Asgardian, assisted the Spider-Men and Daredevil in apprehending a group of armed bank robbers a couple of weeks later.
During the second week of February, Warren called together Matt, Peter, and Miles to tell them of a mutant haven that he had discovered, and invited them to join him there. Peter kindly rejected the invitation, citing his job, school, and the fact that he's not a mutant. Miles was intrigued at the prospect of an academically rigorous high school and the opportunity to explore his powers in a controlled setting with experts, so he and Matt arranged a visit the following weekend. It didn't take much convincing for Miles, so he quickly orchestrated a cover for his parents. He told them that he'd been researching alternatives to Brooklyn Visions since M-Day, and he'd found Bayville Charter High with special living arrangements provided by the Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, which he didn't reveal was a mutant education institution. Better yet, they offered late registration. Miles's parents agreed to let him enroll, and so Miles moved into the mansion on President's Day weekend, quickly making friends with his roommate, Bobby Drake, and many other residents.
Mutant Hero
The spring semester was mostly uneventful, although he did score a part-time job as Warren's Twitter/Instagram wrangler. Summer proved more exciting. Warren recruited Miles, Peter, and Matt to help suss out someone who was breaking into Worthington Industries facilities and stealing prototypes. The thief thoroughly defeated all of them and got away with what he came for. Miles visited his Uncle Aaron the next day for some cheering up, but left with a terrible realization: Aaron was the thief. Miles returned that night to try to reason with Aaron, but the talks fell, and Miles along with Peter and Matt attacked and tried to subdue Prowler. His uncle proved too crafty and again took them all down before disappearing into the night. His apartment was mysteriously emptied out overnight and Aaron himself has disappeared, leaving Miles even more hungry for the truth than he was before.
In response to Miles's unsanctioned activity, Scott assigned him additional and intense training, both as punishment and to better prepare him for future Spider- and X-related acts. The summer concluded with Miles earning his learner's permit and Warren, with the approval of Miles's parents, purchasing a used car for him. Miles also outed himself to Gabriel, who later in turn revealed his own unfortunate reasons for having left Texas for New York. In the fall, he took a second job with Angel to manage the social media for her upcoming underground mutant newspaper, and also started dating a classmate from AP physics, Becky.
When Ganke went missing in February 2016, Miles went to the ends of the Earth to find him. It turned out he was one of many minors abducted by the Slenderchildren to the Askew World. As Spider-Man, Miles joined his Generation X teammates to travel to this world and rescue Ganke, along with a few of their other friends who had also been taken. While they succeeded in retrieving many of the Slenderchildren's victims, including Ganke and their friends, several were not so lucky and had already turned, and were left behind in the alternate dimension.
Miles finally gave up his secret identity in May, after he, along with Bobby, Monica Rambeau, Amara Aquilla, and Rahne Sinclair, stopped a public assassination attempt on OsCorp CEO Norman Osborn. Monica and Bobby in particular were perturbed by his secrecy, but he vowed to make it up to them so they would trust him again. In the meantime, he joined an X-Men team to monitor Osborn, as they suspected the would-be assassins would not give up after one failed attempt. They were correct, and the X-Men swung into action at a charity gala. The battle moved to a seemingly abandoned harbor warehouse, where the X-Men were confronted with prototype Sentinel units. Though the robots self-destructed, Miles recognized their weaponry bearing the distinct signature of long-hidden enemy, Doctor Octopus.
The school year ended on a less dangerous note, with Miles completing four AP exams and his ACT, and losing his virginity to Becky after the police busted a schoolmate's party.
Fall semester of senior year was relatively quiet, with the high note being his acceptance to Columbia University's class of 2021. He nearly turned down the offer because he lacked the finances to attend, but Warren generously offered to cover everything and refused to take no for an answer. College plans were set aside momentarily when Matt asked Miles for help investigating murder threats to Foggy. Foggy had just failed to prosecute a human policeman who had shot two mutant drug dealers to death, and the cop, his wife, the trial judge, and a witness were killed, apparently in retaliation for failure to deliver a conviction. Matt and Miles discovered the Prowler was avenging the mutants’ death, and his next target was Dan Hanrahan, the real estate developer who flooded the streets with weapons so the crime rate would drive down property values. Miles and is uncle squared off one-on-one, but in the moment Prowler got the upper hand, he hurled Hanrahan off a building. Miles caught the man before he hit the ground, but Hanrahan was already dead. Miles did not know whether he was already dead when he fell, or if the web-line that caught him snapped his neck.
University-Bound
Miles graduated high school uneventfully in June 2017, and started college at Columbia a couple months later. He and Becky broke up amicably, neither particularly interested in a cross-country relationship. Though now primarily living on campus in Manhattan, Miles made it a habit to return to the mansion regularly to continue his training with Generation X. He was called to help in October to retrieve rescue Clea and Topaz from a demon dimension.
Physical Characteristics
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 150 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Other Features: N/A
Powers
Miles' powers derive from two separate sources: mutation and the bite of a genetically engineered spider.
Mutation: Electrokinesis: Miles is a mutant with the ability to manipulate his bioelectric field and generate current through specialized structures in his cells.
- "Venom Blast": Miles can discharge current through touch. This self-termed "venom blast" is not strong enough to kill a normal human, but it can daze, paralyze, or even knock out a person.
- Wall-crawling: Manipulation of his own field attracts him to the fields of other objects, permitting him to adhere to surfaces and climb walls. He can stick to surfaces even through layers of clothing and footwear. This ability was enhanced by the OsCorp spider.
- Camouflage: Stimulation of his field also allows him to bend light so that it passes through his body, effectively rendering him invisible.
Spider Bite: After being bitten by the same kind of genetically engineered spider that turned Peter Parker into Spider-Man, Miles developed Peter’s spider-themed abilities.
- Superhuman strength and durability: Miles can lift and press a few tons and so has to pull his punches and kicks, otherwise his blows would prove fatal to a normal human. His physical strength also extends to his legs, enabling him to jump to a height of several meters in a single bound. Miles does not fatigue easily, and his body is capable of withstanding damage that could be debilitating or even fatal to a normal human.
- Superhuman reflexes and flexibility: Miles' agility, balance, and bodily coordination are all enhanced to levels that are far beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete, and his reflexes are similarly enhanced several times over.
- "Spider-Sense": A nearly clairvoyant prediction of immediate danger that manifests as a tingling sensation in the back of Miles' head. It is almost a sixth sense that offers him awareness of his surroundings, and in conjunction with his reflexes, allows him to instinctively dodge or counter attacks. At least sometimes. It’s more of a hindrance than help while he’s in a prolonged combat because he’s in constant danger so it won’t be quiet.
Equipment
As Spider-Man, Miles wears a pair of wrist-mounted mechanical spinnerets that Peter created. These web shooters project a web fluid chemical of Peter’s own design. Miles uses this webbing to swing through the Manhattan skyline like Tarzan and as a weapon to immobilize his opponents. The liquid polymer is kept under high pressure in small cartridges that fit into the web-shooters; the polymer hardens into a silk-like substance upon contact with air, and dissolves in approximately 1 hour.
In April 2015, Clinton Barton designed new costumes for Miles and Peter at Miles's request. While they maintained the same designs, they were fabricated with a boron carbide composite and lined with liquid body armor, much more durable but just as flexible than their old costumes. The masks were fitted with filters to keep out chemical agents, and with lenses that filter out bright lights and can catch high-frequency infrared at low light.
Trivia
External Links
Plots
2015
Roadside Assistance - event
2016
Something Slender This Way Comes
2017
X-Men Mission: Repent Harlequin, Said the Tick-Tock Man
2018
X-Men Mission: Type X Negative
Tales of Magik: Imus ad Infernum
2019
Meta
Player: Ben
E-mail: 
AIM:
Player Icon Base: Keiynan Lonsdale
Meta Trivia
Miles's original Spider-Man costume is based on the Rosy Higgins redesign (design seen here and cosplay seen here). After he and Peter teamed up, Peter and Gwen designed a new costume that was similar to Peter’s but visually distinctive (amazing realistic fanart seen here).
Miles was originally portrayed by Khylin Rhambo until April 2018.
