Miles Morales' Spider-Man Powers Get An Upgrade In Across The Spider-Verse
This post contains spoilers for "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."
In the world of Spider-Man comics, Miles Morales is definitely one of the coolest variations of the web-slinging hero. The Afro-Latino teenager who was first introduced in 2011 by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli is a standout version of Spidey not just because he represents people who have rarely seen themselves in comics before, but also because he has some pretty sweet powers.
In addition to his basic Spidey sense and the web-shooting abilities that also allow Peter Parker to tie up villains and swing between buildings, Marvel comics Miles ended up equipped with a few extra talents after he was bitten by a different spider than the one that bit Peter. Namely, in a technique that some real-life arachnids use, Miles can camouflage himself and become near-invisible. As if all that's not enough, he also has a move called "venom blast," which involves conducting electricity-like energy with his hands. Sure, real spiders can't do this, but fake Spider-Men can, so it's no surprise that Sony's latest Miles-centric movie, "Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse," introduces us to this skill as well.
An electrifying new ability
The movie picks up over a year after the events of 2018's stunning character introduction, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." In that time, Miles (Shameik Moore) has been pretty lonely without Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), but he's used his free time to gain some new skills and perfect some old ones. We catch a glimpse of his energy-wielding powers early on in the film, as Moore's voiceover catches us up on what we've missed. But Miles' ability to absorb and redirect power doesn't really kick in until later in the film when his friends watch skeptically while Miles lays his hands on a force field-like shield enclosed around the super-collider The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) used to muck up the multiverse.
While Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) jokes that Miles looks like he's trying to charge the energy shield rather than bring it down, it seems like Hobie/Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) has some insight into exactly how the ability works, as he advises Miles to use the full palms of his hands instead of just touching the force field with his fingertips. It's a tip Hobie subtly repeats later in the movie, when Miles gets trapped in an anomaly containment field at the hands of self-serious, futuristic Miguel/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac).
Miles' ability has precedent in Marvel comics, but it's unclear whether or not British Spider-Punk Hobie possesses the same powers. In comics, the non-punk rocker version of Hobie has always been a genius, meaning he could've just picked up on what Miles was trying to intuit about his own powers pretty quickly. Regardless, the rock and roll rebel helps the kid out of a tough spot, as Miles is able to escape the containment field by properly using his energy abilities to their full potential for the first time.
Miles' new trick could come in handy
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" may not call Miles' new powers by their comic book name, but they seem to be nearly identical to the characters' abilities on the page. They also prove to be massively important, as the hero uses them against Miguel during a climactic fight and seems to be moments away from employing them yet again in the movie's last scene. The film ends on a cliffhanger, as Miles ends up in what turns out to be yet another alternate timeline, this time face-to-face with a particularly sinister version of himself.
Given how easy it could be for Miles to escape the trap he's in with his newly-honed abilities — as we see him consider while moving his fingers when the other Miles isn't looking — this more of an emotional cliffhanger than a literal one. The hardest part about waiting for the franchise's third installment, "Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse," might just be knowing Miles' parents are back home wondering where he is while he's trapped in a world that serves as a painful reminder of what he's lost. He may have the coolest abilities of any Spidey, but he's also just a kid with the weight of the world on his shoulders — and the unique feeling of still having a lot left to lose.
Fans hoping to find out what's next for Mile Morales will have to wait until March 29, 2024, when the franchise's third installment is set to hit theaters. There's also been talk of a "Spider-Verse" spin-off, and with the sequel tracking to make a whole lot of money — Thursday previews alone raked in over $17 million at the box office, per The Hollywood Reporter — it seems likely that the Spider-Verse has even more stories up its web-slinging sleeves.