Why Miguel O'Hara Is Marvel's Most Important Hispanic Character
3. The Way His Comics Handled Abuse
One of the more problematic elements of Hispanic culture is how it tends to turn a blind eye to, and in some cases, even condone child abuse.
Mexican-American children being on the receiving end of physical punishment is something that is frequently brought up in media aimed at that demographic, but rarely ever challenged. Rather, it is portrayed as something that's just another part of growing up in that culture, and ultimately harmless.
Once again, Miguel O'Hara is here to challenge convention, shining a light on the harsh realities of this pattern of behavior.
Domestic abuse is a difficult subject to tackle in any form of media, but not one Peter David shied away from addressing in his original Spider-Man 2099 comics.
While Miguel didn't have to deal with a lot of the racial discrimination his ancestors did, and while his family's connection to the Alchemax gave him a professional edge, his childhood was anything but easy.
Miguel, his younger brother Gabriel and his mother Conchata were all victims of verbal and physical abuse at the hand of Miguel's father, George. These conditions turned out to be anything but harmless, as they caused Miguel to grow into an angry, resentful adult with a few toxic traits of his own. Traits he would spend years unlearning and atoning for in an attempt to break the cycle.
Worse yet, even after Miguel and Gabriel grew up, and their father was out of the picture, they still had to put up with behavior from their mother that bordered on emotional abuse, which certainly didn't make the healing process easier.
It is this aspect of Miguel's backstory that will undeniably strike a chord with countless Hispanic readers who grew up in a similar situation and often find themselves being told to "get over it."