By Ethan Harmon
If you don’t live in a box, then you probably know Spider-man; the heroic Peter Parker with the red and blue webbed suit, who beats up criminals while spitting one-liners. And, thanks to Marc Webb and his cast, we have been treated to two new movies featuring the wall-crawler, with at least two more on the way (not including spin-offs, i.e. The Sinister Six). The adventures in the Amazing Spider-man films have been fun, engaging and downright awesome. But, it might be time for Sony to push things in a different direction soon. I’m talking about making a film featuring Miles Morales, the new Ultimate Spider-man. It won’t happen, but it should.
For those who do not read comic books, Marvel has two separate universes: 616 and Ultimate. 616 represents “our” universe, which is where most stories take place. Ultimate is an alternate universe, slightly different from ours, but featuring characters we all know and love, such as Spider-man. The difference comes with the way stories progress in the Ultimate line. Many heroes and villains are reimagined and some origins are altered. If you watched The Amazing Spider-man 2, then you are seeing the Ultimate-version of Electro, not the 616.
You might be asking, “So? Who cares?” Well, in the Ultimate version of Spider-man, Peter Parker died a hero’s death, and his mantle was taken up by Miles Morales, a young African American teen who was bit by a pesky spider. His powers vary slightly from the first Spidey: Miles can cloak and use a venomous sting, while also having super-strength and being able to crawl on walls. And though Miles may be Spider-man, he does not have the same origin, or even same personality as Peter. Miles grew up poor and made it into a private school. Both his parents are alive (at first). His uncle is a super-villain. Miles is socially awkward and only has one friend at the beginning of his adventure. He grows and understands his place in the world through turmoil, just like Peter, but Miles also has the support of his friend, Spider-woman and others. Over the course of his adventures, Miles has matured and grown into one of Marvel’s best characters.
And why does this matter? Sony is already borrowing threads from the Ultimate universe to create their Amazing Spider-man film franchise. Andrew Garfield, who is currently portraying Spidey on the big screen, has only signed up for three films. This means he may not appear in the fourth, and potentially final, film of the Amazing series. Garfield has also gone on the record, stating that he would love to see Miles on the big screen, which, of course, spread throughout the internet immediately. Sony producers have shot down the idea, much to the dismay of fans.
These films need Miles. They need something fresh, something new. They need a Spider-man who doesn’t have the same backstory. They need a Spider-man who has different powers, different supporting characters. Most of all, they need to utilize a Spider-man who represents the same ideals, while also evoking new emotions. Sony won’t do it, but they need to. We need Miles!