15 Years Ago Today, A New Spider-Man Was Introduced & He’s More Popular Today Than Peter Parker

For 49 years, Peter Parker was the one and only Spider-Man. After getting bitten by a radioactive spider, the teenage nerd transformed into the face of Marvel Comics and one of the most beloved characters in modern history. However, all that changed in 2011. The original Ultimate Universe introduced many iconic reinterpretations of original Marvel characters, including Peter Parker. And after 11 years of publication, this version of Peter tragically died protecting his loved ones in an epic final battle against the Green Goblin. Yet even though the Ultimate Peter Parker was dead, his heroic legacy would inspire the emergence of the greatest Spider-Man of all time.

Ultimate Fallout was a six-part miniseries that showed how the Ultimate Universe responded to the loss of their greatest hero. Everyone from Peter’s loved ones to the superhero community mourned his death, with the future seeming bleak. However, in Ultimate Fallout #4, released on August 3rd of 2011, creators Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli introduced a character who would forever change the trajectory of the Marvel Universe: Miles Morales.

Miles Morales Continued Peter Parker’s Legacy

Nowadays, Miles Morales is among the most recognizable Marvel superheroes of the 21st century. However, he didn’t have the grandest of introductions. In Ultimate Fallout #4, the comic introduced a new, shorter Spider-Man barely managing to stop the rampage of the D-list villain Kangaroo. Many of the onlookers accused the new vigilante of having poor taste because he was dressed up like the recently deceased original Spider-Man. It isn’t until the final panel that the new wallcrawler is unmasked and revealed to be a teenage Afro-Latino boy who realizes that he may be way over his head.

Miles’ character and origin would be fully explored when he headlined his own series, Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. Raised in Brooklyn, Miles was bitten by a genetically engineered spider from Osborn Industries that his burglar Uncle Aaron inadvertently stole. The spider bite gave Miles all of Peter’s powers, along with the ability to turn invisible and generate bioelectricity. And after witnessing Peter’s death, Miles decided to honor his memory by becoming the new Spider-Man. We follow firsthand as Miles learned the ropes of becoming a crimefighter alone. It gets even harder for Miles when his police officer dad starts hunting him down without realizing that the new Web-Head is his son. All of this comes together to tell a Spider-Man story that’s both familiar and novel.

Like with any new character debuting to take up the mantle of a beloved superhero, Miles’ introduction initially had mixed reactions by fans. However, the haters were quickly blown away by how incredible Miles’ stories were, in which he dealt with realistic struggles of being both a vigilante and a teenager. Miles proved to be such a fan-favorite character that in 2015, after showing kindness to the reality-warping Molecule Man, Miles and his loved ones were spared their universe’s destruction and moved to the main Earth-616 Marvel continuity. Since then, Miles has been a solo hero, a member of the Champions, a crimefighting partner of the original Peter Parker, and a savior of the Spider-Verse. Miles has certainly come a long way since his humble beginnings.

Miles Morales Is the Best Spider-Man

Miles Morales may have started as an alternate-universe version of the Web-Head but he has come to symbolize everything that Spider-Man can and should be. From his villains, personal struggles, and personality, Miles has carved out a name for himself among Marvel’s greatest superheroes. Like Peter before, Miles has developed his own expansive supporting cast and unique rogues’ gallery that offer great character dynamics and drama. In many ways, Miles has become such an incredible hero that he’s now eclipsed the popularity and greatness of the main universe Peter Parker who fans have been following for over 60 years.

Miles took the Spider-Man brand back to its basics in the best way. We follow Miles as he learns the ropes of being Spider-Man and the hardship with which such responsibility comes. And despite experiencing unimaginable losses, including the death of his mother, Miles manages to remain optimistic and kind. In fact, that ability to show compassion to anyone, including Molecule Man, resulted in the villain bringing Miles’ mother back to life. Now, with his parents and new baby sister, Miles is still growing as a person and helping people. In contrast, Marvel continuously regresses Peter to ensure that he stays the same miserable loner he has been since high school, Miles is allowed to mature and experience both great tragedy and joy, making his stories much more engaging.

Miles’ superior comics to those of modern-day Peter have allowed him to surge to popularity levels practically unrivaled for any comic character who debuted in the 2010s. He was the star of the hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse films that revolutionized superhero and animation movies. Miles is even rumored to be coming to the MCU. He became so iconic because he embodies the idea that anyone has the potential to become a hero under the right circumstances, such as being bitten by a radioactive spider. Miles was able to take the Spider-Man mantle and mold it into something that was distinctly his own, making it a gripping story of becoming your own person while still ensuring that a heroic legacy lives on.

With his coming-of-age story filled with triumph, failures, and heroism, Miles has become the ideal version of Spider-Man. Marvel took a significant leap of faith when creating Miles Morales, and luckily, the new Spider-Man was able to soar.

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