While some purists love that fact that Tom Holland will give them yet another iteration of Peter Parker in Marvel Studios new Spider-Man movie, arguably just as many fans felt cheated by the fact that Marvel did not opt to utilize Ultimate Spider-Man's Miles Morales. Now, a vague statement made by Jon Watts – director of the upcoming Spider-Man reboot – has some fans wondering if Morales may indeed show up at some point in the near future.
When asked about the possibility that Morales, who was initially introduced as the Ultimate Spider-Man back in 2011, may show up in his Spider-Man reboot, Watts said the following to Yahoo Movies:
I can’t talk about that, because, you know, that will reveal too much… We’re still writing the story…we haven’t finished all the way through the story yet, so who knows.
It’s this sort of ambiguity that allows fan speculation to run rampant. On one hand, like he said: they have yet to finalize the story, and as such may simply have not decided whether or not to include Miles Morales in the final product. On the other hand, Jon Watts also makes the assertion that discussing that possibility will reveal more than he is ready to share about the movie. It’s a toss-up, but it also certainly piques the curiosity of those who wish to see Morales appear.
Miles Morales’ involvement in a live action Spider-Man film could represent an incredibly smart move on Marvel’s part. At this point, the main roster of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has proven to posses a notable lack of diversity. Sure, they have Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and War Machine (Don Cheadle), but no non-white characters will take center stage in a Marvel film until the introduction of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) during Phase 3.
Adding the bi-racial Morales to the proceedings not only provides an additional black and Latino perspective to the universe, but also that of another child. This is a great move that gives more kids in the audience someone to directly identify with. Establishing the Ultimate Spider-Man within the Marvel Cinematic Universe could also serve as a means to ease the burden of sharing Spider-Man between Marvel Studios and Sony – or to serve as an easy means of replacing Holland if fans do not respond well to him. That’s the beauty of bringing the character into this universe: he offers increased flexibility, without almost any risk.
At this point, it remains too early to tell if Morales will appear in the Spider-Man reboot. Watts’ words give many fans hope, but in the end it could all end up as speculation. Tom Holland will premiere as Peter Parker in Captain America: Civil War, which comes to theaters on May 6, 2016; his Spider-Man solo film – which doesn’t even have an official title at this point – will hit theaters sometime during 2017.
