Miles Morales has worked hard to build a relationship with his community and his efforts are paying off in a way they never did for Peter Parker.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from “The Best Part” in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Miles Morales has not been Spider-Man for as long as Peter Parker has, but he seems to have mastered the concept of a “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man” by being very in touch with his community. So much so that they trust him enough to call for his help when they need it and he in turn helps no matter what the problem is. Miles’ kindness is not only being reciprocated by the people he looks out for but paid forward in ways that make him feel like he’s doing something truly worthwhile, taking the concept of a neighborhood hero further than Peter ever did.
The first obvious sign of how Miles is viewed by his community is when he is called down by a cry for help in the story “The Best Part” from Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30 by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Kemp Powers, Jeff Loveness, Sara Pichelli, Rachelle Rosenberg and VC’s Cory Petit.
At this point in Peter’s career as Spider-Man, there was no way anyone would have called for help from him, especially with the Daily Bugle publishing lies about Spider-Man. But Miles is a Spider-Man for a new generation. They know he’s a part of their community, having received small tidbits of information about his identity that make Miles much more approachable. He’s trustworthy enough that they know he’ll respond immediately if called. And in this case, they needed his help stopping a mandroid from destroying a taco truck.
But Miles’ relationship with his community is about more than just being there to fight. After saving the taco truck, Miles helped two little girls find their missing dog, taking time out of his busy schedule (he had a date soon) to help them find a member of their family. It’s simple acts of kindness like this that differentiate Miles from Peter. To be clear, Peter is kind and helpful, but he tends to be the Spider-Man who gets wrapped up in the massive problems or ultimately, more personal matters. Miles in the meantime has taken this as an opportunity to cultivate his relationship with the people he protects.
People even trust him enough that they’re willing to let him come on live television to be part of a comedy sketch and even host for the night. That backfired, of course, since advertising where a hero is going to be at a specific time and location is never a good idea. The Vulture attacked Miles during the show, but it’s still highly impressive that Miles was asked to host Marvel’s version of SNL. And that isn’t even mentioning the most important part of Miles’ impact on his community.
Miles’ kindness and openness have inspired not only the adults in his community but the next generation as well. His personal identity has shown people that anyone can wear the mask and be Spider-Man. And his actions demonstrate that you don’t have to punch people like the Green Goblin or Carnage to be a hero. This is best exemplified by a little girl helping her friend up after he fell down. Miles has taken the friendly neighborhood aspect further because he inspires others to pay that kindness forward.
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