Publisher: Marvel Comics
Created by: Brian Michael Bendis
1st appearance: Ultimate Fallout #4, August 2011
Alias: Blatino Spider-man, Latino Spider-man, Black Spider-man
Nationality: American
Relatives: Jefferson (dad), Rio Morales (mom, deceased), Aaron/Prowler (uncle, deceased)
Powers: Miles is a mutate having his genes altered by a genetically altered spider. He has displayed the following powers so far:
-Superhuman strength: He has the proportional strength of a spider, allowing him to lift things many times his weight and height class.
-Superhuman agility: His body is beyond that of peak humans allowing him to do things beyond the best athletes.
-Spider Sting: Unlike Peter Parker he can stun or paralyze an opponent by touching them, it has the same effect as a spider bite.
-Spider-sense: when in a dangerous situation his mind will tingle allowing him to react to the situation beforehand.
-Camouflage: Miles and whatever is in contact with him can blend into his surroundings allowing him to sneak up on enemies or flee.
-Superhuman durability: Miles’s body is far more resistant to physical harm than that of a typical human allowing him to withstand blows, falls, etc that would kill a normal human.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWXut_HXKjQ]
Biography
Miles Morales is the son of Puerto Rican born Rio Morales and African American Jefferson Davis. He had a normal life though he idolized Spider-Man. His life changed when his uncle broke into Oscorp to steal the formula which created Spider-Man and in the process, an experimental spider crawled into his bag. Miles who had always been close to his wayward uncle visited him after the heist. Miles as luck would have it got bitten by the spider and gains powers similar to Peter Parker [Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1].
He confides his abilities in his best friend Ganke Lee [Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #2]. Miles initially wants to keep his powers secret and has no intention to become a superhero [Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #3]. Upon witnessing Peter Parker’s heroic death Miles is wracked by guilt since he has been sitting on his abilities and could have helped. At the suggestion of his best friend and after a talk with Gwen Stacey he decides to take up the vacant Spider-man mantle [Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #4]. His initial heroic outings are met with distaste because he wore a costume version of the original’s suit [Ultimate Fallout #4]. Spider-Woman easily defeats and arrests him [Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #4]. Taken to Nick Fury he learned that they know all about him, his powers, and his family. This is the first time he learns his uncle is the supervillain Prowler. Nick lets him go and later gifts a red and black Spider-Man costume to him. Officially now Spider-man he begins his heroic career in earnest [Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #5]. Miles also meets an older alternate version of Peter Parker who gives him his blessings and mechanical web-shooters [Spider-Men #1-#5].
His uncle Aaron realized he was the New Spider-man and offered to train him in exchange for helping him deal with the Mexican crime lord Scorpion. Miles doesn’t want to be involved but is blackmailed by his uncle into assisting him to take over Scorpion’s operation after his uncle threatens to reveal his identity to his father. The tension between Uncle and Nephew escalates into a battle in which Aaron’s stolen technology explodes, killing him [Ultimate Comics spider-man #8,Ultimate Comics spider-man #9, Ultimate Comics Spider-man #10, Ultimate Comics Spider-man #11, Ultimate Comics Spider-man #12].
As Spider-Man he joined the Ultimates during the “Divided we fall” and “United we stand” events Captain America even agrees to train him. [Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #13, Ultimate Comics Spider-man #14, Ultimate Comics Spider-man #15, Ultimate Comics Spider-man 16-18]
Upon returning home reporter Betty Brant incorrectly deduces that his father Jefferson is Spider-man. Before she can have her story published Dr. Marcus now Venom kills her and confiscates her notes. He uses this information to find Jefferson’s home where he’s seriously injured and Miles fights off Venom. When Venom shows up at the hospital he and Miles have a final showdown. In the fracas his mother learns his secret identity but is killed by a stray police bullet. She dies in Miles’s arms but not before warning him to hide his secret from his father [Ultimate Comics Spider-man #19,#20, #21 and #22].
Traumatized Miles quits being Spider-man for a year [Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #21]. He is pulled back into the lifestyle after much prodding from Ganke, Spider-woman and Gwen Stacey and the debut of Cloak and Dagger, new super-soldiers created by Roxxon.[Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #22,#23,#24 and #25]
Blatino? Are we really going with that? We can’t just call him “Puerto Rican” and call it a day?
I think the Black Panther should be rebooted into an Arian nation descendant. That would really show our wonderful all accepting pc’ness 🙂
-giggles-!
They already tried the mixed race approach to black panther…his name was Kasper Cole he’s 1/2 White 1/2 Black and Jewish http://worldofblackheroes.com/2011/06/02/kasper-cole-the-white-tiger/
I’m a big fan of Spider-Man/Peter Parker and I don’t like the idea of him being killed, more or less a new Spider-Man. To me personally, I hope Miles Morale is just an alternate version of Spider-Man/Peter Parker like Ben Reily/The Scarlet Spider is. I don’t think a new Spider-Man would be as successful as Peter Benjamin Parker, the one and only Amazing Spider-Man.
I wonder what Stan Lee will think about this?
I’m biracial. And i think this idea is horrible… make a new hero if you want to try something new instead of stealing an icon in the name of multiculturalism
im a young black man at the age of 17 when i was 10 i was in the hospital for appencitis and almost died..everyday i basically cried because of the pain…then this one day my aunt purchased for me a copy of ultimate spider-man #1-3 while reading those comics made me love spider-man with a fanboy passion that wont ever die. because at the end of the day that peter parker had been thru the most pain than any other at younger age than any other spider-man in the history of marvels multiverse./and too see him break thru all the drama made me like hey if some fake super hero can get thru bull dammit i can too.and to kill the ultimate iconic underdog is hurtful . ultimate peter parker was made for a new generation my generation and too kill him.. is heart breaking.. if you really wanted to please your fans you coulda make a new universe where there u could please a younger generation of people. but im sad at the fact my generations spider-man was killed off and replaced. you cant kill an icon and shorty afterwards replace him.
This is wrong. Iv’e read Ultimate Spider-Man long enough to know that. They’re just doing it to ake a racially diverse Spidey. Don’t get me wrong, I HAVE ABSOLUTLEY, POSITIVLEY NO, i repeat, NO problem with that. I actually think its a great idea. but not like this. I have a problem with a racially sensitive spider-man when they have to kill Ulitimate Peter Parker to do that. I mean, c’mon, y’know its a stunt to have racial diversity when the character is made up of the two largest minority groups in the USA. Ultimate Peter Parker was the greatest incarnation of spidey, hands down. Normal spiderman is just to darn complicated nowadays. Killing ultimate spiderman JUST to bring in a racially diverse one is not the way to go. I can’t believe ots going down like this.
why can’t people just give this spidey a chance, i mean seriously is no one intrested about anything about him other then the fact that he’s blatino, is no one thinking about how he got his powers or how he is related to the original spidey
This is the Ultimate universe. Peter still lives in every other continuity, mainly highlighted in the main-main continuity of Earth-616, home of the the original, truest Amazing Spider-Man. Even though weren’t bring an a-hole I just gotta say STFU cuz you obvious kno about the alternate and yet you completely ignored the fact THIS is a different universe.
You can’t believe that writers for Ultimate Marvel killed off an iconic character… Really? Did you even bother to read Ultimatum? When everyone thought that peter was killed off back then there was no major outcry from fans about it. Just a few whiny fanboys complained about it, but when the epilogue was released there wasn’t a peep out of them about peter being alive. Yet now, when we know for a fact that he’s dead and we find out his replacement is black/latino everyone seems to think it’s a stunt.
The original plan wasn’t to have a character like Miles Morales. He was originally going to be just another white character. It was a conscious decision on the part of marvel writers to make the new character of an ethnic minority. Yes, there are plenty of black and latino characters in comics but how many of them are as high profile as spiderman. Besides Luke Cage or T’Challa, which black or latino character do you hear comic fans having regular discussions about on their latest story arc or how they stack up against other heroes and villains or what kinds of stories they want to see them in? Think LONG and hard about that before you dismiss a new character as a “stunt”
BTW, I’ve been reading Ultimate Spiderman since the Ultimate imprint began back when i was in high school. I’ve read every Ultimate imprint title and I can say with certainty that there isn’t anything wrong with this at all, and if you’ve really been reading for a long time you’d see that too.
Comment as is necessary.
Most people I know aren’t objecting to Miles Morales, Avaritia… they’re objecting to the fact that Marvel seems to have killed off Ultimate’s flagship character (Peter Parker) for no greater reason than to start telling young Mr. Morales’ story. It is the lack of regard for a character that drew people to the title, the casual and abrupt end of his story, that set people’s teeth on edge. Quite frankly, given the way Peter Parker’s death was handled, they could’ve put Jesus Christ in the webs and we’d still have the same sour reaction.
Just asking, since I haven’t touched the Ultimate stuff ever since it first came out. Didn’t Peter Parker die a year or two ago?
From how it sounds to me, this isn’t killing off Peter to replace with a minority like how some people are trying to frame it. This is bringing in a new character who was inspired by Peter.
Why does Miles Marale’s mom has to be Puerto Rican and his other half is Black. Why. could .they. not make his mom Black and dad Puerto Rican?
I get so tired of the media promoting Black Men with all other races of women. It only encourages all women to run after Black Men. It’s a slap in the face of all other races of men.
Obviously you’re not aware of the parentage of the ONLY other half black, half latino character created by marvel. Armando Muñoz a.k.a Darwin, a fairly recent addition to the marvel universe, was fathered by a Puerto Rican man while his mother is an African born black woman. As for your statement about media promoting black men being with women of other races, it’s not some widespread problem that anyone should be offended by.
Take a look at past media and you’ll see that traditionally it’s always been white men depicted as having relationships with women of other races. Hollywood has fairly recently changed that trend by depicting black men having relationships with women of other races but it still doesn’t happen anywhere near as often as it does with white men in media.
Not including the characters played by Lance Gross, Tristan Wilds, and Anthony Anderson, how many black men in media, weather it be live action or purely in ink on paper, are depicted as being involved with women of other races. After you find the answer to that, ask yourself the same question about white men in media. You’ll be surprised by the results when you compare the two.
But, he’s not Puerto Rican; he is of Black and Hispanic heritage. His mother’s specific country is unknown. You can only cal him Puerto Rican if that is the heritage of both of his parents — which it is not.
His mother is Puerto Rican… Puerto Rico is the country she is from. I think that it is up to the reader to decide what they want to consider him. The majority of the country considers President Obama as Black or African American and he does as well although his mixed / biracial heritage is well known. I hope that the writers throw in some afro-latin themes otherwise this whole black-puerto rican thing is just a gimmick.
I don’t care what anyone says, Miles Morales is a moronic idea. He’s just a black Peter Parker. He has the same interests and personality as the original Spider-Man. He’s just a cheap knock-off who doesn’t bring anything new and exists just because Marvel wants to inject some ethnic diversity and political correctness in their comics. If I was a Ultimate Spider-Man reader (which I am not, as I’ve hated the title for the latest 7 or so years due to various flaws the title has and that everyone seems to overlook) I would be really pissed off.
Back up your argument, otherwise it’s just another baseless rant.
Darwin is NOT the only other superhero who’s 1/2 black 1/2 Latino Flashback http://worldofblackheroes.com/2011/02/24/flashback-sara-quinones/ and Fade http://worldofblackheroes.com/2011/02/27/fade-carlos-quinones/ from Milestone are as well and even the new powerman from marvel, his Dad is the black one 😛 http://worldofblackheroes.com/2011/07/28/power-man-victor-hernan-alvarez/
You’re right. I actually forgot about him when I was writing that.
I like it!
I think being called Puerto Rican is fine, just as Black, it can be looked at one in the same. Look at Zoe Saldana and Laz Alonso amongst others! Anyways he is mixed both Puerto Rican and Black American, why cant he just be American? We as Americans are always trying to put people in a box, when we are all more than what meets the eye. I agree with the Afro-Latino themes, but he doesn’t need to be part Black for that, he could just be Latino period. Remember Latinos are black also. Latin America is just as mixed as US Americas. There is a mix of Latinos, white and black. There are documentaries on this. As far as it being a gimmick its not. Why does it have to be? Would it be if he were Italian mixed with German? NO! It would be considered normal because Americans look at that as just white, but a guy that is Black American and Puerto Rican is an issue
Just finished reading the first issue, and I loved it. In the beginning I thought that the the idea of a multiracial Spiderman was purely a ploy to gain publicity which equates to selling books. Thats surely part of the equation but after reading the book it shows Marvel put a great deal of care into this one. The writing is authentic and engaging and the art is modern and sleek but not so much so that its unrealistic (similar to Bagley’s work back in the early 00’s). Thinking about buying a variant edition on ebay real soon. This is how a origin comic should be!
Those of you who read this and read a few of the top of the comments im pretty sure none are puerto rican if they were they would know that Puerto Ricans are a few thing that are not mutually exclusive Puerto Rican’s are multiracial you can be blond hair blue eyed to black and realllllllyyy black yeah…. Puerto Rican’s are also American’s from birth because Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory dont call him blatino that sounds well racist…
you know,I see a lot of whining and empty complaints. to all of the ” I have no solutions but much a lot of issue” I say get over it. it’s a book taking small steps in the right direction. damn his race he’s american. lose yourself and sacrifice your ego for just a moment. and look at the spirit of peter parker, based on love, honor, respect, care of another soul. White, black, arab, jamaican and yes rican among other proud race factions all hold these charactoristics at their, at our best. get over it and enjoy the journey of the story. so says, “DarBuTru”
I see no problem with this, i mean it’s not like he’s 616 Spider-man & the ultimate universe is a alternate Universe where the Vision Is a robo chick, Spider-Woman is a clone of Peter, Nick fury is Black, Norman Osborn turns into a big goblin dude instead of being in a suit. Lots of stuff is different form the normal marvel, just as long as he doesn’t make a deal with the devil nullifying 25 years of story I don’t care he’s okay in my book.
There have been several Hispanic characters over the years at Marvel; from Hector Ayala and Angela Del Toro, who were/are the White Tiger, to El Aguila, to the new Power Man Victor Alvarez, to Black Tarantula, and a whole host of other Mexican, Pueto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, et al. The hispanic presence has always been strong, and does not need some gimmick. To suggest it is not giving the architects of the story line the credit due. As pointed out, this is a totally different universe, so why not shake things up? Why not make Luke Cage a country boy from Arkansas? Why not make the Black Panther an Aryan in a costume who is really a villan? Why stck with the predictable status quo? We may not like the changes to the traditional roles or characters when they are done differently, but you have to remember that the Marvel Universe is very big and very diverse, and in order to maintain that, you can’t keep drawing and writing the same characters doing the same things in susposedly a different setting.
niggas is trippin
Miles Morales is basically Black. His father is African American and his mother is Puerto Rican. But there are all kinds of Latins of different color. White, Black, Asian and most of all Meso or Native American/Aboriginal American. I believe although his mother is a Latina, she is of Afro-Spanish descent. So she is Afro-Puerto Rican to be exact. So this would likely make Miles more so Black with mixed ancestry than anything else. Just my opinion tho.
Why are people so against this change. He’s a pretty cool character. I grew up on Peter Parker. I watched his shows and movies more times than I can count. I’m a black guy too. It’s ok to have a black man be spider man. And here are reasons why:
1) Why do they keep changing the race/ gender?- That’s been happening for a while. Look at Robin’s evolution for example. Over the past few years, the mantle’s been passed around from men to women alike. Don’t believe me, There’s even a list for it. If you notice, all these robin’s are white, even the female one. It seems the public is ok with making a new character, but it’s wrong the darker your skin is. This is hypocrisy in it’s purest form and I won’t stand for it.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/04/23/ranking-the-top-10-best-robins
2) Why not make a new character?- The fact of the matter is that creativity is hard. It’s very hard to come up with a character that can reach the same popularity as another. Even if they do look like me, that doesn’t guarantee my buying the issue the first day. A lot of kids, regardless of race, are going to gravitate towards white characters because of how cool they are. I loved Peter Parker, but I have to admit, the idea of a character that looked like me being the famed web slinger was exhilarating. There’s always going to be a name synonymous with the symbol. Bruce Wayne will always be Batman to the general public. It’s ok to have an alternate version of a hero that looks and acts different. Is that not why people are creative? To step out our lenses and imagine a world that’s different than our own? To be put in the place of another human being, regardless of gender, religion, or race?
3) He’s not his own character.- Wrong, he is. Just because he shares similarities in costume and name, doesn’t take away from his individual characteristics. Like I said, all the Robin’s are different even if they are light skinned. Damian is a lot more violent and cocky than Dick Grayson for example. Miles Morales isn’t a carbon copy of Peter Parker. Instead of aunts, he had parents and a uncle. He had to watch as his mom and uncle killed in front of him. He’s an extremely well rounded character with feelings. He has to go through life as a teenager, and has to figure out whether his powers are a blessing or a curse.
He said he likes the change. He thinks “colorblind is the way” to go for this hero, which makes sense. Peter doesn’t really have a race attached to him. And lots of people have taken on the name already. Plus, it’s an alternate universe, so it’s ok if they experiment.
Thanks for saying what’s on my mind. I hate when people write garbage like this and think it’s ok. How many black characters are depicted as james bond or captain kirk. Exactly. Think before you say stuff like that. And if a black is dating women of other races, who cares?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, read the other universes with Peter in him. Stop whining. Do you always want more of the same old character all the time. You fan boys need to get over yourselves.
Miles isn’t just a gimmick. He’s his own character with his own personality, his own issues, and his own back story. Frankly. I like reading about him a lot more than I have enjoyed any of any of Peter’s stories, 616, or Ultimate, in a long time. And I love Peter. As much as I do, I have to admit that they have done everything with that character, so getting a fresh one to follow is like a breath of fresh air.
Miles calling himself Spider-Man is like assuming a mantle. Don’t worry about the title, just enjoy the person who bears it.
I’m including a comic that I think explains what is really important about this change. I hope you like it and see what really matters.
http://www.letsbefriendsagain.com/comics/2011-08-03.jpg
Haha you’re an asshole. If you want to be truly pc. Make the Avengers black and throw in the Token White Panther.
I keep getting updates for new comments here, and most are complaining about Miles’s ethnicity, or how stupid it is to mess around with being “PC”…
You guys do know that Miles was created by Brian Micheal Bendis, right?
Ever seen his family?
Guy wants to create a hero his kids can look up to, one who is fresh and interesting, maybe you can stow your immature bullshit issues and either enjoy the new creation or just ignore it and find something else to complain about.
As it stands now, the Ultimate Universe is gone. Miles has been added as is to the standard 616 Universe and is an Avenger. He and Peter Parker both exist in the same city and are even teammates. It remains to be seen if Miles is going to have to change his name or some other details to keep Peter’s “brand” iconic, but think of this: every other cool aspect of the Ultimate Universe is gone, their awesome Thor, their more brutal Captain America, their X-Men (the Ultimate Colossus was freakin’ great), but enough people liked and wanted Miles Morales to stick around. People like him, so get over it.