It's Official, Miles Morales Will Star in Sony's Animated 'Spider-Man' Movie

Marvel made headlines in 2011 when the comics publisher made the shocking choice to kill off and replace, Peter Parker as Spider-Man. In the alternate universe known as the Ultimate Universe, fans met a whole new Spidey; Miles Morales, a young teen of color who added a wonderful new element of diversity to the Ultimate Universe.

Miles was created by Brian Bendis and Sara Pichelli, and in the years since, Miles Morales has grown more powerful as both a superhero and in popularity.

In the aftermath of 2015's Secret Wars, he made the jump to the mainstream Marvel Universe, and since then he's been both a major figure in the All-New All-Different Avengers and Marvel's newest hit series, The Champions.

Over the past few months, rumors that Miles Morales would star in Sony's 2018 animated Spider-Man movie began to crop up and now they've been officially confirmed via Sony Pictures official Twitter account.

Here's What We Know

Due to hit theaters on December 21st, 2018, the as-yet-untitled Spider-Man animated movie will indeed star Miles Morales!

The film will be a standalone story with no connection to the MCU or Spider-Man: Homecoming. It will be directed by Bob Persichetti and Peter Ramsey. This won't be Morales' first appearance in animated media. He's also shown up in the Ultimate Spider-Man TV series where he was voiced by Donald Glover and Ogie Banks. The fact that Glover's voiced him is quite ironic, given that Glover was in part inspiration for the character's creation. That said, (barring any unexpected and unlikely cameos in Homecoming) it will be Miles's first trip to the box office.

Additionally, reports that journalists were recently shown footage of Morales battling a purple-and-yellow clad villain in the film have begun to surface. My money's on Batroc the Leaper being in the upcoming film. (Fans may remember he tangled with the wrong web when he took on Miles Morales and the Web Warriors in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series.)

Why is This a Good Idea?

The decision to replace Peter Parker was a controversial one at the time, with many fans criticizing the move. However, Alexandra Petri of The Washington Post said it best when she argued that, while the character's skin color and ethnicity would serve as an initial draw to Morales, what mattered would be the quality of his stories.

"Create a character good enough and people won't worry about the skin color or even the species. This argument cuts both ways. But for years it's only been cutting one way. Maybe Miles can change that."

Morales has indeed changed all that. He's been, but the first in a new wave of Marvel "Legacy Heroes," characters who carry on the mantle of legends, but bring a tremendous new aspect of diversity to the Marvel Universe at the same time. Heroes like Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, Jane Foster/Thor, and most recently Riri Williams/Ironheart who have all followed in Morales' footsteps. They've been equally controversial, but they've also been equally successful.

With his popularity growing, it's definitely time for Miles to have his moment in the spotlight. That's unlikely to happen in the MCU anytime soon, where Spider-Man: Homecoming looks set to merge elements of Morales' distinctive supporting cast with the classic characters who we usually find around Peter Parker.

It makes perfect sense for Sony to find another way to use Morales, given his popularity and success. He also works perfectly on the big screen as a breath of super-fresh air since the majority of moviegoers have yet to be introduced to him.

By December 2018, Marvel and Sony will be preparing to begin the marketing build-up to the Homecoming sequel. Using Miles Morales prevents any confusion, ensuring that the marketing campaigns won't conflict at all. It also prevents repetition of the familiar origin story, which even the main Spider-Man movies are avoiding retelling now.

It's a delight to see Morales' potential is going to be tapped for the box office. It also gives Sony another string to their Spider-Man bow, given the Spider-Man trilogy looks set to be a blockbuster hit. There's never been a better time to a Spidey fan!

(Sources: i09, The Washington Post)