The New Spider-Man | Peter Parker Vs. Miles Morales

The new Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games has been the topic of much internet debate. With the success of the first game, the sequel was going to face an uphill battle. While the game is still highly praised by many, there are certain decisions that fans disagree with. Reviews from both Critics and fans alike are extremely high. While you will never be able to please everyone, the majority of players are enjoying their time with Spider-Man 2. Certain outlets such as Gamesradar, IGN, and Screen Rant all gave the game a perfect 100. While I hardly believe that to be the case, they might at least be close to 80 or 90 percent.

The first major point of contention on the internet was the character design for Mary Jane. Although the timeline within the game was only one year, people felt that the changes made to MJ were too much. For some, it looked like they tried to age her, and for others, they felt that she was intentionally made ugly. While I maintain that she looks perfectly fine, others have different opinions. Regardless of how you feel about the situation, Spider-Man 2 is back in the news again, and this time it is for an entirely different reason.

It was announced recently that the third installment of the game will exclusively feature Miles Morales as the main character. While Peter Parker has always led the franchise, Insomniac feels that it is time for a change. I am a bit divided on the issue, as I have always enjoyed Miles Morales. However, there are understandable concerns regarding this change and why it is happening now. With tension already running high, this announcement could not have come at a worse time.

The New Spider-Man Is Miles Morales

The announcement that Miles Morales will formally be taking over from Peter Parker has many upset. Like with most things, this announcement is a bit more complicated than you might think. Firstly, let go over the official comments from game directors Ben Arfmann and Brittney Morris, who said in an interview with Gizmodo,

“It always felt very natural, and I think we all collectively thought it would happen. To me, it shows a great deal of evolution from Miles; at the beginning of the game, we see him struggling to figure out what he wants to do with his life. By the end, we had Miles carrying the burden of saving the city, and also carrying Pete when Pete wasn’t strong enough to carry himself at various points.

“That’s what’s been so cool about writing a story about two Spider-Men: they’re both strong, and one of them can be strong when the other is not. By the end, Miles is more confident and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I got this. How much worse can things get after what we just went through?’ “ On a personal level, I will say that I have always been a big fan of Miles Morales as Spider-Man. While I always love Peter Parker, I do feel that his story has become a bit stale. There are only so many different ways that you can write.

Miles brings a fresh new feel to the character, and it could set up a completely new story for Sony PlayStation’s next Spider-Man 3 game. However, some feel that Miles taking over as the main Spider-Man is yet another race swap. With companies like Disney coming under heavy fire for their remakes and casting choices, Insomniac should simply be doing the same.

Peter Parker Vs. Miles Morales

As stated, the reactions online are divided, and there are good reasons for this. While it is easy to dismiss all of the concerns as racist, we also have to look deeper. Is there a problem with Insomniac doing this? I would argue no. It is their game, and they can focus their story around whoever they want. There will still be movies, cartoons, and comics about Peter Parker as Spider-Man. If you do not like Miles, then you don’t have to support the next Spider-Man game on PlayStation.

With saying all of, as stated earlier, tensions within the gaming space are already high. Companies like Disney are remaking all of the classic IP and changing many of their lead characters. When fans state that these changes are not needed, they are labeled with many sorts of bad words. Video games are no exception to this. While characters might not directly be replaced, certain reboots get overhauls that are clearly meant to appease a certain group of people. To also be clear, I am not referring to simple diversity. I have always been in support of representation, and if you want to create a team that only features women or people from the LGBTQ community, you can do so.

If I do not like it, I will make a YouTube video about it, complaining and simply not playing it. However, replacing an iconic person like Peter Parker in a massive mainstream game like Spider-Man was always going to cause concern. You cannot simply dismiss every one as a racist who might feel upset. People form close bonds with the characters they watch and play with. If people feel that they are losing that, they will be angry.

Miles Morales Is Spider-Man

However, we also need to understand where some of these changes might be coming from. While we might disagree on who Spider-Man should be, changing superhero identities is nothing new. Plenty of iconic Superheroes, such as Robin, Flash, and even Batman, have faced an identity shift. There have been more Robins than I can count. All of them have different backstories. Some are related to Bruce Wayne, and others are format cops. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, and Tim Drake are to name a few. The same can be said for characters like Flash.

Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West have played some version of the superhero. There are also multiverse versions, just like with Miles and Spider-Man. The point is, this is nothing new. There are many different writers playing around with many different versions, trying to make things a bit more interesting. From a personal perspective, I feel like I have seen enough of Peter Parker for a while. I know multiple of his origin stories by heart, and I don’t want to sit through another reboot where they tell his story again. While I understand that people will disagree with this take for many valid reasons, I am personally excited about Miles Morales and his story.

I believe that even Marvel could benefit from not telling yet another Peter Parker story. You have rebooted the movies three times. After Tom Holland is done, do we really need to see the story again with another Actor playing Peter? Give him a bit of a rest, and tell us the story of Miles. There can still be room for Peter to join as well and become the main Spider-Man.

Conclusion

Of course, as I have stated, those are my personal views on the matter. Peter Parker will always be Spider-Man. He is the first and, for many, the only. While Miles can build his one path, for many, he will never replace the original. However, for those upset over these changes, I will remind you. Miles is replacing Peter in one story by one writer. This will not be the last time you see Peter Parker.

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