PS4 Miles Morales VS Movie Miles Morales
Comparing the themes of the PS4 Miles Morales game to the Spider-verse films.
Let’s do this one last time…
Spider-Man, long before Miles, has been a symbol of hope for many people. He represents everything good in the world, and embodies a very pure form of kindness and selflessness. Miles continues on that legacy and has skyrocketed in popularity as a character, separate from his connection to Peter Parker. However, each writer still interprets this idea of power and responsibility different, and I was especially struck by the thematic differences between videogame Miles and film Miles.
Spoilers ahead!!!
Anyone can wear the mask
By the end of Across the Spider-Verse, Miles had to come to terms with many hard facts about the world/multiverse.
Not all Spider-People are good guys.
Not everyone has your back.
Sometimes people hide things from you or lie to you.
He also is told by the not-good-guy Miguel O’Hara that Miles shouldn’t be Spider-Man. This stands in direct conflict with the overarching idea from the first film that “anyone can wear the mask”. Miles’ canon events also line up with everyone else’s, so clearly this Miguel guy is just going through some shit and needs to calm down.
From the first film, before the death of The Prowler, we see Aaron go to great lengths to kill Miles, who, even in his knock-off spider costume, is clearly a small child. Although Aaron shows his love to Miles by taking him to go spray paint and explaining how to rizz up a girl he doesn’t even know the name of, his villainous persona shows how immoral Aaron is willing to be if someone pays him enough. It’s hard to tell really how remorseful Aaron is of his actions once Miles’ mask is removed, as we don’t ever get to know what’s going through his head. It could be speculated that Aaron moreso felt that he had let Miles down as a role model, more than anything.
Even his mother’s words about not letting others tell him he doesn’t belong ring true as he is shunned from the Spider-society and forced to turn his back on Peter Dad Parker and Gwen, aka action-figure-collectibles-destroyer. His multiverse feels very hostile, especially considering that his own multiverse twin is seemingly evil and violent.
Anyone can be kind
In contrast, we see Miles uplifted by a tight-knit community in Harlem, both as a civilian and as Spidey. He has friends at every corner, and things are looking up for this new Spider-Man. However, like every other Spider-Man, he is forced to grieve the loss of his father right before he takes up the mantle of Spider-Man. His uncle Aaron also still plays the role of The Prowler in the PS4 Miles Morales, who he does have to battle at one point. However, this Aaron ends up turning on his employer, Roxxon, in order to help Spider-Man, and takes up a civilian job to try and move away from a life of crime.
Miles’ final boss fight with his friend Phin, aka the Tinkerer, ends on a bittersweet note with Phin recognizing her mistakes and sacrificing herself to save Harlem.
Though Miles also goes through countless traumatic events, the major villains in the story end up on a path of redemption while also facing consequences for their actions (albeit some worse than others). For both Phin and the Prowler, their violent actions hold root in a twisted love for their family. Phin struggles to grieve the loss of her brother and desperately wants Roxxon to pay, and so she turns to the Underground to seek a murderous revenge. Although it is slightly murky as to specifically why Aaron turned to crime, it is clear that he struggled to live a fulfilling life legally and didn’t see the same hope in the law enforcement that his brother, Miles’ father, did.
Overall, the game ends on a high note with Peter returning to New York and Miles dancing down the streets of Harlem fist-bumping his neighbors.
With Great Power
When Miles first gains his powers at the start of Into the Spider-Verse, he truly stumbles his way through understanding them. His mentor is a depressed, retired Peter, and his first foray into Spidey-dom begins with saving the literal multiverse. Seeing his universe’s Peter Parker get smashed to death by Kingpin also shows the audience (as well as Miles) just how deadly the villains are, and how mortal Spider-Man is. Peter B. Parker even shuts Miles down as he tries to quote Uncle Ben’s famous line, seemingly indicating that Peter has lost faith in the idea of being selfless and kind.
I also personally feel like the Spider-Verse movies lose sight of the “friendly neighborhood” aspect of Spider-Man. Entire worlds are at stake, and there is less focus on helping individuals.
Comes Great Responsiblity
For videogame Miles, the entire plot surrounds itself around Spider-Man protecting Harlem. At the same time however, the stakes feel just as high. Miles puts his life on the line to drain the power of Roxxon’s generator and defeat Phin. Although Miles also isn’t the only Spider-Man in his universe, and we know that canonically, Gamerverse Peter does partake in the Spider-Geddon comic run, we feel more connected to neighborhood civilians like Hailey, the deaf street artist, and Gloria, the FEAST volunteer. The videogame stays truer to Spider-Man’s origins and feels less of a need to destroy multiverses in order to explain just how powerful Miles is.
Disclaimer
This isn’t to say that I hate the Spider-Verse movies! I love everything Spider-Man, and the Spider-Verse films are works of art and incredible storytelling. In fact, I find the films to be more narratively compelling and better written than the game. Both pieces of media have their own strengths.
TL;DR
The movie universe is scarier and evil-er than the videogame one which wants the player to believe that, actually, every villain is a sweetheart if you wait long enough.
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wow this was such a good read I was super moved by it 10/10