Peter Parker's story may not be over just yet, but before his story can continue, Miles needs to start his career as the web-slinging superhero. Before a true sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man comes, a newcomer will take up the mantle in Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Unveiled during the PS5 reveal event, Miles will finally get his chance as Spider-Man this fall when his game comes out along with the PS5.
For one reason or another, it seems Peter Parker will be indisposed as the titular hero for the winter, meaning Miles will need to pick up the slack as the iconic Marvel hero. Granted this isn't old news considering the ending of Marvel's Spider-Man on PS4 teased Miles' abilities, clearly hinting that he would eventually become Spider-Man at some point. Of course, with Miles taking up the cowl, he'll have his own distinct version of Spider-Man that he'll need to hone and perfect in Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
Familiar Costume, New Spider-Man
The ending of Marvel's Spider-Man teased with a pre-credits cutscene where Peter learns of Miles' Spider-Man powers. Many figured that scene would be a lead-in to the next game, but it seems Spider-Man: Miles Morales will be a standalone experience outside of the newly established franchise. As for what's going or why Peter isn't acting as Spider-Man, that remains to be seen. From the glimpses in the trailer, it's hard to tell who the definitive villain of this standalone game will be. Keen-eyed players may have identified Silver Sable in some of those glimpses of gameplay, but it's not actually her.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales' trailer doesn't exactly reveal much about the game; it is a teaser, after all. From all we know so far, Spider-Man: Miles Morales will take place during a New York City winter, with a new villain that only Miles can take on. Beyond that, the glimpses in the gameplay trailer don't reveal much outside of that. Regardless, it's good to see Miles Morales will get his own separate story outside of the universe Marvel's Spider-Man has started.
Miles' Version of the Iconic Hero
That being said, with a new hero comes new abilities and new gameplay style from Miles' flavor of Spider-Man. Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the perfect chance to highlight new abilities and a unique style unlike the already-established Peter Parker version of Spider-Man. Mainly, Miles has some distinct abilities that Peter Parker does not, specifically with his "venom strike" abilities (often portrayed as electric-type abilities) and his camouflage powers. Though it's never outright explained in the comics, Miles may have been bitten by a different experimental spider that had different traits compared to the one that bit Peter Parker. The trailer does prominently show Miles using electric type abilities/attacks throughout, as well as some scenes that could be showing his use of camouflage, so it's very possible those powers may carry over into Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
That's without even mentioning Miles' version of the iconic Spider-Man abilities like web slinging, acrobatics, and death-defying stunts. Various existing systems in the original game will need to be tweaked to represent Miles' identity, as he would act and represent the hero differently compared to Peter Parker's Spider-Man. Rather than finding a reason to invalidate Peter Parker or some way to remove Peter's powers from him, it'd be better to put Peter Parker in some unique situation where he's unable to help New York in some way. From there Miles will be able to flex his chops as a superhero in a convincing way, leading to him becoming a playable character in Spider-Man 2.
A New Playable Spider-Man
All of that development work would likely be in service to bringing Miles into the official sequel to Marvel's Spider-Man in the future. Considering Peter already knows about Miles' powers, and the secret ending of Spider-Man hinting at a Venom storyline for the sequel, the original Spider-Man may need some help taking down the iconic villain in the sequel. It would only make sense that this would be in service to making Miles either a playable character in the sequel, or some kind of companion/teammate that acts alongside Peter Parker. Or in a less unlikely scenario, Miles replaces Peter as the Spider-Man and takes center stage in the official sequel instead.
Either way, Miles takes center stage in this standalone/spin-off game where Peter Parker is nowhere to be found. Whether he's just on vacation, or there's a far more serious threat to his life, Miles seems to be taking up the job of hero in the meantime with Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Whether that means Miles will be the next protagonist, or that he'll be a playable character in the Spider-Man sequel, remains to be seen. This could be a one-off game like Uncharted: Lost Legacy was to Uncharted 4, but it would only make sense to include Miles considering the build up he was given in the first Spider-Man game. Regardless, Miles finally gets his time to shine as Spider-Man during a New York winter.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales launches holiday 2020 for PS5.