10 Times Miles Morales Spider-Man Totally Outdid Peter Parker

7. Sixteen And Super

If you asked a room full of people who had never read a comic to describe the most recognizable things about Spider-Man, you’d of course get most folks saying things like “webs,” “red and blue suit” and the like, but without a doubt, one of his most recognizable features is his youth. Stan Lee said that when developing Spider-Man, he wanted to defy the trends of the day. No longer would the teen character be relegated to the role of a sidekick (see Robin and Jimmy Olsen), but he would instead be his own full fledged hero. What’s more, the daily struggles of teenagehood became an important part of the series, which often focused on Peter outside of the suit just as much as Peter in the suit. So, how is it that Miles Morales is a better teen than Peter Parker? Well, that’s simple. Miles Morales is a modern teen.

Don’t get me wrong here, Peter Parker’s story is still functional with him as a teen, in fact, The Amazing Spider-Man series of comics recently rebooted to take Peter back to his teenage days. Despite this, many argue that Peter Parker works best as a young adult. Look no further than the end of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home (SPOILERS throughout), which showed Peter renting out his own apartment, studying for his GED, and balancing it all while fighting crime.

In contrast, Miles got his powers in the eighth grade at thirteen. In the comics, we’ve never even seen a grown-up version of Miles (except for the Old Man Miles concept comic that takes place in the future. Worth a read!) Miles is tied tightly to his origins as a teen and while we will no doubt continue to watch him grow in the comics and films, it is difficult to imagine him moving on from Brooklyn Visions Academy.