Watching The Evolution of Miles Morales is a Deep, Personal Joy

I remember when Miles Morales made his debut in 2011. I remember it so well, not only because it came off of the heels of the excellent Death of Spider-Man arc but because of the hype surrounding his arrival. The arrival of a Spider-Man who was half Black and half Hispanic. It was the first time I remember ever seeing a character who had my exact background. The first time I could see myself as a superhero despite years of being into comics and it’s been a hell of a journey watching him grow. Why Miles Connected There are various aspects of Miles’ debut that I latched on to. I was a huge fan of Marvel’s Ultimate Comics line. Along with a pile of my father’s old comics, it was one of the few series I was actively reading in the early 2000s. Ultimate Comics was the modern take for classic heroes. Eventually, it evolved into the universe where all bets were off and anything can happen until it met its bittersweet end. As a second-generation Spider-Man fan, I remember gravitating to Ultimate Spider-Man. I even remember reading the first issue. Ten-year-old me passing the time at the barbershop, waiting for my turn. My favorite parts were seeing the twist to every villain and character in Spider-Man lore, from the updated take on Venom and Eddie Brock’s relationship with Peter, to him teaming up with the Ultimates to take down the Sinister Six for the first time. So, Ultimate Peter Parker meeting his end was a big moment. Even bigger was seeing Miles, a new minority character, dir…