The latest addition to the Spider-Man franchise is set to leave fans at the edge of their seat, as well as usher in a new era for little ones. Miles Morales is Marvel’s first Afro-Latino Spider-Man in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” Morales, voiced by actor Shameik Moore, is the daunting Brooklyn teen sporting Air Jordan sneakers; the hero this generation’s been looking for. Miles is an artist at heart, fueling his creativity by blasting Swae Lee and Post Malone through his headphones. He’s essentially a normal kid, besides the whole spider-bite-that-gives-him-superpowers ordeal.
At an Atlanta press screening for the film, Moore told VOX ATL how he believed this movie is a relatable film that shows that Miles isn’t the stereotypical Black kid that many films like to portray, but simply a young man trying to figure himself out.
“In this movie, you see that… there’s a strong family with real jobs,” said Moore. “His mom’s a nurse, his dad’s a police officer, so they’re into servicing, which really perfectly sets him up to be Spider-Man.” He adds that when the spider bites Miles, he still has a responsibility, now “saving universes and working on doing so.” Overall, Moore hopes that he did this groundbreaking character justice.
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This movie, while giving a positive representation of people of color, wasn’t a film that surrounded Miles’ ethnicity, all paella eating and fluent Spanish speaking aside. Spider-Verse stuck to the script in terms of following the comic’s storyline and being a film that focused on Miles’ coming of age as a teen and a superhero. Miles Morales’ story isn’t about him being an Afro-Latino superhero; it’s about being a superhero who simply happens to be Afro-Latino. He’s a regular kid who’s fresh, funny, and full of worries about what his future holds, like many teens today.
Not many would expect the newest face of the Marvel franchise to be a Black boy from Brooklyn who leaves his shoes untied (as a fashion choice, no less) but Miles Morales is here. And with the help of his predecessors and successors, Morales makes a name for himself as a hero who’s capable of bringing worlds together and carrying them all on his shoulders.
