Spider-Man can't be Spider-Man forever. Only two films into the Amazing Spider-Man franchise, and Andrew Garfield has been openly discussing the end of the road for him. The actor is 30, and a major role in Martin Scorsese's Silence is just one of the acting challenges he'd like to face in the future. Surely Sony might be worried that Andrew Garfield isn't long for playing the wall-crawler forever, but Garfield's suggestions may give them an out: why not introduce Miles Morales into the Amazing Spider-Man universe?
Garfield recently spoke with Comic Book Resources and floated that exact possibility when talking up the character.
"I have given that thought. I think one of the amazing things about Spider-Man is that you don't see skin color when he's in the suit. You don't see any religious beliefs. You don't see any denominations. ... Miles Morales was a huge moment in this character's comic book life. And I do believe that we can do that. It's something I'm really interested in figuring out; an eloquent way of coexisting, or passing on the torch."
For those of you unaware, Marvel's Ultimate line of comics was considered a reboot, a way to adapt older stories into contemporary times. Many of the characters and stories were similar, but the company eventually pushed them into a more fatalistic direction, and many of the core characters have perished as a result. One of those was Peter Parker, but the legacy he left behind inspired a young black teenager named Miles Morales to take on the mantle of Spider-Man.
While it's likely Andrew Garfield doesn't want his Peter Parker to end in such a fashion, there's no doubt Sony wants to expand the Amazing Spider-Man universe, though they have a severe shortage of heroes to do so. Introducing Morales would help, and there would have to be a way to incorporate him into the world (even if you run the risk of less-enlightened fans stomping all over about how he isn't "their" Spider-Man). Of course, there are other options as well.
In Marvel's 2099 line, Spider-Man is a Hispanic: Miguel O'Hara picks up the webs as Spider-Man 2099, a character that has since been folded into modern continuity. And there's also the beloved Ben Reilly! Reilly was a clone of Peter Parker who surfaced in the 90's and briefly became the hero, earning the ire of fans. He would go on to become the Scarlet Spider, though he was eventually killed off. He wasn't the only Spidey clone, however: in other words, Sony's got nothing but options here.
