Title Character
Miles Morales
Supporting Characters
Supporting Characters
Rogues Gallery
Rogues Gallery
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Please do not list characters or examples from shows, movies or alternate universe versions here. If you've thought of a trope that fits an alternate version of the characters, please take that example to its respective sheet.
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Supporting Characters
Morales/Davis Family
Jefferson Morales
Jefferson Morales, née Davis
Born Jefferson Davis, Mile's father has a shady past that he left behind him before he met Miles' mother, Rio. Although occasionally gruff and outspoken, he is nevertheless a gentle man proud and supportive of his son. Unfortunately, those same feelings are not directed towards Spider-Man, or indeed all those other filthy mutants making trouble and getting people hurt.
- Abusive Parents: Jefferson and his brother Aaron were raised by a total deadbeat of a man who saw his sons as liabilities. Part of why Jefferson decided to take Rio's name was to promise himself that he wouldn't turn out like his dad, and he's visibly horrified when he does repeat his father's mistakes with Miles.
- Anger Born of Worry: Following the entire cast's transplant to Earth-616, his more intense moments come less from a disdain of superheroes in general and more the various ways Miles could get hurt in these situations.
- The Artifact: His name, shared with the leader of the Confederate States of America, has gradually become one of these now that the Fantastic Racism part of his character has largely been phased out.
- Badass Normal: In his youth, he got noticed by small-time gangster Turk after trashing five of his enforcers by himself. Which in turn gets him noticed by Nick Fury and later the eventual Kingpin, Wilson Fisk.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He's a nice guy, but his past as a former criminal gave him the skills to handle himself in a fight if he has to.
- Breaking the Cycle of Bad Parenting: Jefferson's own father was the man who sent him and Aaron on the paths to becoming criminals, and describes some intense emotional abuse when he was a little boy simply for stealing candy instead of something worth the senior Davis's time. Jefferson is determined to be a better father to Miles, and he and Rio decided to give Miles his mother's name as a way to symbolically distance his son from that part of his life.
- Character Development: Introduced as a gruff, bigoted man whose only soft spot is for his middle-school aged son, Jefferson gradually unlearns his prejudices and becomes a genuine source of support for Miles.
- Dark and Troubled Past:
- He's had one, implied to be some kind of super-criminal. It turns out he was a member of The Enforcers. He was recruited by Nick Fury to be a super-gangster in order to gain Wilson Fisk's trust.
- He also did some dealings with Roxxon before Miles was born, which ended with his being run out of whatever business he was engaged in.
- He and his brother, Aaron, used to steal watches and jewelry at the place where he now practices Yoga at with his wife. The irony of it is not lost on him.
- Good Parents: May be stern sometimes, but has shown to legitimately love his kid and do anything for him. Until he learns Miles is Spider-Man. Though he eventually comes to terms with it, and is even supportive of it.
- Grumpy Old Man: Not that old, but he sure acts like it. In his earliest appearances, he will rant about anything. He gradually becomes less extreme on this front, but it never leaves his characterization completely.
- Hidden Depths: The fact that Rio saw these is why they got married. It takes a dark turn in the 17th and 18th issues—this hapless, grumpy man instinctively guns down several rebel soldiers in cold blood, after one of them kills a cop in front of him.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Implied to be the reason why Rio married him. He's gruff and has a temper, but he's a dutiful parent to Miles and will do anything for him.
- The Mole: Nick Fury had him act as an undercover agent of SHIELD to infiltrate the Kingpin's organization 25 years ago.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Never vocalized, but you can see his expression of regret when he hit Miles.
- Nice Guy: Is apparently a very gentle person, opinions and attitude aside, and put aside his criminal past long before he married Rio. It's especially played up after he and the rest of the cast as transplanted to the main Marvel Universe, where it's clear that his M. O. is (and, by power of Cosmic Retcon, always has been) doing right by his kid.
- Noble Bigot: He believes mutants and other empowered humans are destructive, dangerous, and need to go. Since this is the Ultimate Marvel universe, his argument has more weight than in most books. It is this attitude that discourages Miles from confiding in his father. As the series progresses, he gradually unlearns this prejudice, though he's still uneasy about the various ways his son could get hurt.
- Miles unmasked himself to reveal his identity and Jefferson was pissed (although its stated partly to be because he was working with SHIELD, whom he has a past with). He went as far as to actually hit Miles. He immediately regrets it and becomes torn when he watches his son save people after a plane crashes in front of his neighborhood. He soon disappeared and didn't return for months.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He looks like Mos Def.
- Papa Wolf: To his detriment—he picks a fight with the army when they refused to let him into the area he lived in (due to an attack-scare), and that got him arrested (in war-time, to boot). Exaggerated when Hydra rescues them; when one of the Hydra men guns down a policeman in cold blood, Jefferson goes into a fit of anxiety over how his family and home are being threatened and instinctively grabs a rifle and guns down all the Hydra soldiers around. That said, it's also put to more noble uses on occasion, such as teaming up with Aaron to rescue Miles from the Assessor in Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2018) #9.
- When Ultimatum’s goons surround him, Rio, and his newborn daughter, Jefferson opts to run away and get chased in order to make an opening for Rio and Billie to get away.
- Parental Abandonment: Has disappeared after Miles revealed his identity to him and doesn't reappear for months. When he finally returns, he is horrified by his past actions and apologizes, finally explaining his Dark and Troubled Past as a criminal and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to his son and re-committing himself to being the best parent he can be.
- Renamed to Avoid Association: In-Universe; he changed his name from Jefferson Davis because as a black man, having the same name as the slaveowning Confederate president made him uncomfortable.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: After being recruited by Wilson Fisk (years before he became The Kingpin), Jefferson becomes a part of Fisk's personal goon squad - The Enforcers. Unlike the others, he doesn't have a particular gimmick (like Fancy Dan's skills with a whip) or size on his side (like Ox)... he's just really good in a fight.
- That Man Is Dead: He changed his last name to his wife's instead of the other way around, which is very rare in the US. Given his attitude towards his background, it was likely an effort to separate himself from his past. It is revealed that the reason he didn't bestow his son with his former last name was because Jefferson and Aaron's father was a man who criticized his kids for shoplifting candy, not because it was wrong too, but for not stealing something worth his while. He also was abusive. Jefferson felt that Miles should not have his name.
- Took the Wife's Name: He changed his name to Jefferson Morales out of embarrassment for his Unfortunate Name.
- Unfortunate Names: Before marrying Rio, he shared his name with the Confederate president
, something he was never comfortable with as a black man. - Younger Than They Look: His face is rather worn, and with certain artists may appear almost wrinkled. But he otherwise looks like a fit young man. He is implied to be in his early 40's. If the "Newark, 25 Years Ago" is any indication, he was a young man in the late 1980's/early 1990's, but owing to Comic-Book Time, it's hard to put an exact number on anyone's ages.
Rio Morales
Rio Morales
Miles' mother, who married Jefferson after he had put his criminal past to rest. Like Jefferson, she is proud of and caring to Miles, always willing to listen to his problems. She is more open-minded than her husband, and finds heroes like that new Spider-Man to be very cool.
- Back from the Dead: At the end of Secret Wars (2015)'s Ultimate End, Miles wakes up in the All-New, All-Different Marvel Universe and finds his mother waiting for him, telling him to wake up. He tearfully hugs her tightly.
- Death Amnesia: Thanks to Molecule Man's Cosmic Retcon, all of the characters in the cast have had their memories slightly warped to integrate them into Earth-616, but Rio's death seems to be omitted entirely (and her learning her son's secret identity in the lead-up to that). The only character who's brought it up (much to Miles' confusion) is The Unbelievable Gwenpool. Later on, Miles' Let's You and Him Fight moment with the main universe's version of Venom stems from Miles having vague memories of Venom "hurting" his mother.
- Death Is Cheap: She gets shot dead by accident during Miles' fight with the second Venom. Eventually, Molecule Man brought her back from the dead as a way of thanking Miles for showing Molecule Man the first act of kindness he's gotten in years.
- Extreme Doormat: Rio's one weakness is she is incapable of standing up to her Jerkass mother, at least with any ease. A lot of headaches ensue for the Morales family in Spider-Man because of this.
- Genre Savvy: When she finds her husband at home frozen in shock with a gun in his lap, she doesn't jump to conclusions or make any obvious accusations. The questions she does ask are chillingly pointed and almost knowing. Granted, she was wrong about him starting a fight or joining his Hydra rescuers, but she was right in knowing something very violent happened.
- Good Parents: Always supported Miles and did everything she could to make her boy and more recently, her baby daughter Billie happy.
- Gratuitous Spanish: She's Puerto Rican, and occasionally mixes Spanish words into her dialogue, but unlike true Spanglish, they are all usually words that the English-speaking readers will easily pick up on.
- Hidden Depths: When Diamondback came back from death and reporters asked people who knew of the history between Luke Cage and Willas Lucas(Diamondback), she was one of the people who not only knew of their history, but apparently knew Diamondback and Luke Cage personally.Rio Morales: As I recall, that boy (Diamondback) used to play with knives. He and Carl Lucas, that is his name by the way, his real name...
- Hospital Hottie: Happens to be a nurse, and is very good-looking. After she finds out Miles' identity, she uses her position in the hospital to offer her son aid while also keeping his name off the records.
- Mama Bear:
- Rio busting caps into a 15 feet tall Venom to save her son. This becomes a Heroic Sacrifice, but she gets better.
- Later on, she's ready to throw hands with her brother-in-law, an ex-supervillain, when she believes one of his "criminal buddies" has hurt Miles.
- When she learns Ultimatum has abducted Miles, she gets very angry.
- Open-Minded Parent:
- Unlike her husband, she likes the idea of superheroes and thinks they do important work for the world.
- Was not angry that Miles was Spider-Man or really worried about his safety. She was angry that he and Jefferson essentially lied to her. Otherwise, she fully supports her son's superheroism.
- Parents as People: She becomes worried about Miles but ultimately respects his privacy, but can't help but get curious when her mother hires Jessica Jones to investigate him. When she does learn that Miles is Spider-Man, she feels betrayed by both Miles and Jefferson that they kept the secret from her. She even leaves home for a while. She eventually forgives them, and expresses pride in knowing that her son is helping people.
- The Real Heroes: She's the head nurse at Brooklyn University Hospital, and her determination to save lives using her medical skills is treated as equally noble as her son doing the same with his spider powers. In the first issue of Saladin Ahmed's run on Miles' comic, Miles describes Rio as the most heroic person in his life.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: She had no negative qualities. All she did was be a loving mother to her son and understanding and loving wife. Thus making her death being this trope. She gets better.
Gloria Morales
Gloria Morales
Miles' maternal grandma. She came to straight him up. Don't mess with her!
- Apron Matron: If Rio is a strict mother, Gloria is even more.
- Death Glare: She gave one to Jefferson after giving her ultimatum to Miles.
- Entertainingly Wrong: After Miles' grades start to tank, Gloria becomes obsessed with her pet theory that Miles has somehow started doing and/or selling drugs, and she will bark it at anyone who will listen (including poor confused Lana, who leaves the Morales doorway with a few more acronyms to Google).
- Gratuitous Spanish: Like her daughter and grandson, she's bilingual, but most of her Spanglish is confined to words that the English-speaking readers can easily pick up on.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Even if she's wrong about the details, she has a point that Miles needs to focus more on his studies.
- My Beloved Smother: Rio can't bring herself to reign Gloria in after it becomes clear that she's crossing the line in trying to set Miles on the straight and narrow, to Jefferson's growing frustration.
- Mythology Gag: One of her first lines is "Face it, tigre", invoking another Spider-Man supporting character.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Gloria blames every personal shortcoming Miles shows on Jefferson and has no qualms speaking ill of the late Aaron Davis. Jefferson once told Rio that the thing he loves most about her is the fact that she was able to overcome Gloria's parenting.
Billie Mariana Morales (Spoilers)
Billie Mariana Morales
Miles’ newborn baby sister.
- Babies Make Everything Better: Has this affect on Miles. Even after going through several bleak situations such as rescuing kidnapped immigrant kids who were being trafficked, an escalated gang war, and being kidnapped and tortured himself, Miles thinks of Billie as a source happiness in his otherwise dangerous and stressful life.
- Baby Language: She routinely says 'goo.'
- Badass and Baby: While babysiiting Billie, Miles had to do some Spider-Man business. He didn't want to leave his baby sister alone so he webbed up a baby sling to carry little Billie in. She seemed to love it.
- Family Theme Naming: Billie as in jazz legend Billie Holiday, like her brother's naming connection to Miles Davis.
Aaron Davis / The Prowler / Iron Spider II
Aaron Davis/The Prowler/Iron Spider II
Aaron Davis is the uncle of Miles Morales. Aaron was a small-time thief with Miles' father in his youth. While Miles' father got out of the trade before he met Miles' mother, Aaron never went straight, eventually becoming the technologically-savvy burglar known as the Prowler.
During a heist on Oscorp, a genetically enhanced spider stows away with Aaron, ultimately finding its way to Miles and biting him, and turning the young boy into the second Spider-Man of Earth-1610. When Aaron discovered that his nephew was the new Spider-Man, he took Miles under his wing. Miles eventually ended their relationship upon realizing his uncle was exploiting their bond for his own ends. Aaron would eventually lose his life helping Miles take down his rival, the Scorpion, haunting Miles long afterwards.
Years later, Aaron somehow came back from the dead, and, feeling like he was out of options, bought an Iron Spider suit off the black market and resumed his life of crime. Miles, now a few years older, is determined to both save the city from this villain and his uncle from himself.
- Amnesiac Resonance: Same as Miles, he doesn't remember the Ultimate Universe until 616 Miles reminds him.
- Anti-Villain: After saving Miles from the Assessor, he was forced to go back to crime after making a deal with Ceres to do jobs for her in return of paying her back for the suit.
- Back from the Dead: Is revealed to be alive on Earth-616 in Spider-Man #234 and resumes his criminal career as the Iron Spider.
- Badass Longcoat: Which he wears over his skintight suit, seemingly just for the aesthetic.
- Badass Normal: It's clear that the Prowler is a very skilled fighter, being able take Spider-Man hand-to-hand. He's also both very fit and technically skilled, being able to adapt to and use a wide range of mechanisms and devices that require large amounts of athleticism.
- Breakout Villain: Originally intended as just a Starter Villain who acted as a dark inversion of Uncle Ben for Miles and was killed at the end of Miles' first major arc, his popularity lead to him being brought Back from the Dead and becoming Miles signature villain instead, including major roles in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
- Children Raise You: He loves Miles dearly and his main reason for turning his life around is to be the man Miles once thought him to be again. He muses that, in his Prowler days, he spent so much time trying to get Miles to be more aggressive with his powers, but in fact, he could've stood to learn a few things from his timid, gentle nephew.
- Chronic Villainy: He makes his debut as the villain Prowler, and dies. He later comes back to life and acquires an Iron Spider armor to continue his crimes. Spider-Man tries to talk him out of it, and he eventually concedes that he's right. Then he's forced to make a deal with Ceres Goldstein to become the Prowler again in exchange for gear and information to help him rescue Miles from the Assessor.
- Clothes Make the Superman: His work clothes, which include at least finger lasers. He'll also slip into any powered armor, etc. that's handy.
- Combat Pragmatist: He uses lasers in a fist fight, and is not above electrocuting and shredding enemies with a mass-razor launcher in order to facilitate an escape.
- Cool Uncle: For the first thirteen years of Miles Morales' life, he has nothing but positive memories of Aaron, often seeing him as the better alternative to his aloof and often grumpy father Jefferson. This fell apart after Miles got his powers and Aaron deduced that his nephew was the new Spider-Man, and tried to make Miles into a villain as well. In more recent storylines, he's making an effort to redeem himself and earn that place in Miles' heart again.
- Death Is Cheap: Along with Rio, he came back to life as well, but everyone including Miles, has assumed that he is dead. Unlike Rio, who has no memory of dying, Aaron does remember his death, but has no idea how it was undone.
- Decomposite Character: He, Jefferson Morales, and his nephew Miles are ones for Hobie Brown. Hobie Brown started out as a criminal (Aaron), reformed (Jefferson), and likewise replaced Spider-Man (Miles).
- Did Not See That Coming: Turns out Scorpion has impenetrable skin. That whole "revenge stabbing" thing was not a good idea, in hindsight.
- Divergent Character Evolution: In the Ultimate Universe, Aaron started off as the counterpart to Hobie Brown, serving as his universe's Prowler. After being brought back to life and now in the main universe, Aaron changes his identity to become the Iron Spider, after stealing the suit. And then he becomes the Prowler again, though admittedly after Hobie had abandoned the identity and not by Aaron's own choice (he just needs the gear in order to save Miles from another villain).
- Evil Counterpart:
- Thematically, he's this to Uncle Ben. Both he and Ben are friendly uncles to Spider-Man and act as a mentor. In the end, Aaron is a manipulative ass who tries to exploit Miles and his friendliness is conditional. His favorite way of gaslighting his nephew is to assert that Miles has a responsibility to his family.
- He then becomes a literal evil counterpart when he returns as the Iron Spider, which imitates some of Miles' powers.
- Evil Mentor: Decides that his nephew needs guidance — so that he'll be ready to take out the Scorpion, who stands in the Prowler's way.
- False Friend: He claims that he's just trying to train Miles out of familial care, but he's manipulative and cruel about it, blackmailing Miles and maintaining that Miles owes him for the powers. It's also clear that Miles is at least in part a tool to get rid of the Scorpion.
- Heel–Face Turn:
- Aaron Davis, the Prowler went from being Miles's arch-enemy to a sometimes ally and regular part of his cast, no doubt fueled by the film adaptation Into the Spider-Verse and video game Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Aaron and Jefferson have this Good Angel, Bad Angel dynamic with Miles; Jefferson encouraging Miles to stay on the right path with heroics and school, and Aaron being there to nuture Miles's creativity.
- In Spider-Man #240, he concedes that Miles was right all along and switches sides. When he resurfaces, he's sold the Iron Spider suit back to its creator and used the money to build an honest life for himself. He and his nephew awkwardly but sincerely re-establish the bond they had when Miles was younger, and he is doing everything in his power to avoid getting dragged back into crime. Unfortunately, when Miles is in mortal danger, he's forced to become the Prowler again, getting his gear back in exchange for doing Ceres Goldstein some favors.
- Honor Before Reason: For a certain value of "Honor". After the Scorpion's goons got a little too up-close-and-personal with him during their business transaction, he tries to kill the Scorpion in revenge once the Scorpion calls them off, instead of just finishing their business.
- Hot-Blooded: He makes some stupid decisions as a result. Trying to use a hold-out device as a regular weapon (it's one-use, hence the "hold-out" part), and threatening the Tinkerer when it doesn't work (he had specified that it was a "getaway jacket" and nothing else), and then immediately killing Tinkerer, the guy who makes his equipment because the Tinkerer gave him some generic information regarding Spider-Man's origins and Aaron apparently thought it was too sensitive to let him live.
- This becomes his undoing. Miles and he get into a fight and his recklessness (namely his using a sonic gauntlet in a fight even after seeing it get badly damaged) and disregard for anybody but himself and his own desires gets himself killed. Thankfully, he's cooled down in later stories, learning from his previous mistakes.
- Jerkass: Davis genuinely doesn't care about anyone but himself and isn't above blackmailing his own nephew to get what he wants.
- Morality Pet: He and Miles actually get along very well, Miles hanging out at his place when he needs to get away from his parents. For his part, Aaron makes sure to keep his criminal activities out of sight and is otherwise a doting uncle, being very encouraging when discovering Miles won the lottery for being accepted in the school. That gets thrown out the window early on once he finds out Miles is the new Spider-Man, at which point he quickly makes plans to exploit him.
- Later, it's revealed that the reason he was doing crime in the first place was because he was trying to pay off cancer treatment for his then girlfriend and support his son, though both the girlfriend and child were eventually retconned out.
- Later, he only becomes the Prowler again when it's his only option for saving Miles from the Assessor.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: While robbing Oscorp, a genetically engineered spider, very similar to the one that bit Peter, snuck out of its holding chamber and into his bag, later biting Miles when he came over to visit and creating the second Spider-Man.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Claimed this about Miles with his dying words.Aaron: How about... that? You are... just... like me.
- Oh, Crap!: The Scorpion provides an extended one for him, once it becomes more and more apparent just how dangerous he is. Eventually he's just plain terrified of Scorpion.
- Powered Armor: Davis manages to buy a new model of the Iron Spider armor off the black market. This armor supposedly grants him a power-set similar to Spider-Man's.
- Starter Villain: For Miles Morales. His familial and emotional connection with Miles make him a far more personal threat then most and he gives Miles the most trouble as he's first starting out.
- Stern Teacher: Once he starts trying to get Miles to fulfill his potential. Which he does so by intimidating him and beating him up, though granted Aaron was planning on Miles' powers to make this backfire on himself.
- Teach Him Anger: He tries to get Miles to stop holding back as Spider-Man this way. He later realizes that he could stand to be taught some compassion from his nephew.
- Toxic Friend Influence: He claims that he's just trying to train Miles out of familial care, but he's manipulative and cruel about it, blackmailing Miles and maintaining that Miles owes him for the powers. It's also clear that Miles is at least in part a tool to get rid of the Scorpion.
- Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: From the the Tinkerer, of course. Unfortunately, he kills the Tinkerer early on, forcing him pilfer the Tinkerer's stash. Later, he gets an Iron Spider suit from the black market, and a new Prowler suit from Ceres Goldstein.
Prime Earth Brooklyn Visions Students and Staff
Ganke Lee
Ganke Lee
Miles' best friend. A self-confessed LEGO geek and like Miles, a borderline Child Prodigy.
- Aerith and Bob: Asian or not, "Ganke" is just a plain weird name. It's to the point where all the first hits on Google return pages about this character.
- Ascended Fanboy: Averted, as with Miles. Neither of them seem to be more than passingly familiar with Spider-Man. However, Ganke gets into it quick enough, and thoroughly researches his history to get some context about Miles' own powers.
- Asian and Nerdy: He's of Korean descent and obsessed with LEGO and comics.
- Big Fun: Is much more laid-back than Miles, and seemingly more outgoing. It's implied that he can be a bit of a shut-in, though.
- Chekhov's Skill: While it isn't made explicit, LEGO and building blocks are actually typically owned by chemists note Miles apparently has no head for chemistry, and tasks Ganke with reverse engineering Peter's spider-web formula.
- Child Prodigy: Possibly more so than Miles, who had to get into his (highly competitive) charter-school on a lottery rather than on merit like Ganke. Miles says at one point that he needs Ganke for his brain.
- Dare to Be Badass: Ganke was rather enthusiastic when Miles gained his powers and pushed him to be a superhero when Miles didn't want to.
- Fat Best Friend: Almost exactly a Type A as described on the trope page (gregarious and laid-back).
- Genre Blind: Ganke is a pretty bad liar, shown with how he (and Miles) constantly tell terribly obvious lies to their roommate Judge in regards to Miles' constant disappearances, causing him to have a falling out with them. He's also a little too boisterous and enthusiastic about Miles' hero life, causing him to openly (and sometimes a bit too loudly) talk about Miles' exploits in public, despite Miles constantly pleading for him to not do that or at least keep his voice down.
- In Miles Morales: Spider-Man novel, Ganke repeatedly gets Miles to relish his superpowers and show off with them by getting him involved in a dunk contest for money with some streetball players and coercing Miles to join a dance competition. The latter ended in violence.
- He breaks taboo and tells others that Miles is Spider-Man or he knows who Spider-Man is.
- Genre Savvy: Very much so, compared to Miles. Instead of letting Miles learn haphazard while on patrol, he buys some readily available live footage of Peter as Spider-Man to crib off of. He also makes the rather gloomy call that Miles needs to get better than the original fast. If all Peter's experience couldn't keep him alive, what could Miles hope to do?
- It pays off when Miles has to face Norman Osborn, the man who killed Peter Parker. Due to Ganke's prodding, Miles has an idea of what to expect when fighting him and ends up curb-stomping him while delivering a cathartic Shut Up, Hannibal! speech.
- Hormone-Addled Teenager: Made more apparent after the Time Skip. He expressed interest before it, but nowadays, if he is not discussing LEGO or Spider-Man related stuff, he is talking about attractive women and how to get with them. He eventually does get with Gwen Stacy.
- However, it does come off as Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?? Considering Miles' mother and girlfriend thought he was gay and he does show signs of being jealous of Katie.
- Bites him in the ass as he chases down a girl who just happens to be a fan of Miles and is using him to get closer to Miles.
- I Just Want to Be Badass: Part of his enthusiasm about Miles being a superhero is that he also wants to become one as well.
- Kitsch Collection: He collects LEGO sets. He even waited in line to collect a limited edition Triskelion Captain America being inaugurated as President. He was extremely bummed when it sold out.
- Likes Older Women: He thinks Spider-Woman is sexy and was kissed on the lips by Gwen Stacy, both of whom are biologically at least three years older than him.
- Loose Lips: Cannot keep a secret if his life depended on it. He intentionally revealed Miles identity to Goldballs without Miles' permission. After getting scolded by both Miles and Goldballs for being insensitive and told that it was not his secret to reveal, he then goes to hang out with the girl who is a huge fan of Miles. When he starts dating her, she gets annoyed because Ganke won't tell her his real name. While defending himself, he blurts out Miles name again.Danika: Are you embarrassed about me?Ganke: No! Opposite. But—That's—That's why I want to do this right. Miles has been such an Amazing Friend to—(realizing his mistake and quickly shuts up)(Beat)Danika: I can pretend I didn't hear it.
- Mission Control: Of a more light hearted variety. He isn't on comms or anything, but does let Miles know if there is danger afoot. He also assists Miles in finding bad guys like the time he provided a lead into the child kidnapping that Miles was looking into by scouring the online black market to look for who purchased who purchased the uniforms that gave the kids powers.
- Mistaken for Gay: Just like Miles, everyone assumes he's gay, although he's dating Danika Hart. He constantly talks about other women.
- Muggle Best Friend: The first person Miles tells about his newly gained Spider powers.
- Wants to be a superhero and vicariously tries to live through Miles.
- My Parents Are Dead: Ganke offhandedly mentions that his dad died as a way to reassure Miles that he will have his back just as Miles did when his parent died.
- Retconned in the transition to the 616 Universe. His parents are just divorced.
- Mythology Gag: His use of 'Ned' as an alias while dating Danika may be an allusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Ned Leeds, who is essentially Ganke with Ned's name attached.
- Only Sane Man: Points out that while the world is going to hell in a handbasket, Spider-Man killing the Prowler should not be headline news.
- Parental Issues: His parents are divorced in Miles Morales: Spider-Man. This causes numerous problems for him.
- His parents are very awkward around each other so when they do have dinner together or his mother alone, it creates a weird atmosphere so Ganke routinely skips out and eats with the Morales family.
- When tasked with an assignment that involves finding out the meaning of his name, he is afraid to ask his parents because he is worried that it would cause animosity in one of them.
- Proud to Be a Geek: After Ganke's nerd rage over a LEGO collection chases Katie Bishop away, he and Miles have a discussion about being too geeky. Miles states that girls would rather not deal with a boy who is too nerdy. Ganke is not too convinced.Ganke: The right girl will.
- He's eventually right, as he ends up getting a kiss from Gwen Stacy.
- The Smart Guy: Miles goes to Ganke specifically for his brain. With few clues to go on, Ganke does some impressive cross-referencing, unearthing some obscure news articles linking genetically enhanced spiders to Spidey's own origin.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Tears Miles apart for not doing anything when Cloak and Dagger fought Bombshell.
Barbara Rodriguez
Barbara Rodriguez
- Affectionate Nickname: Miles sometimes calls her "B-Rod", but she tells him to cut it out because she can tell he's trying to change the subject when he does it.
- When they were dating, she and Miles called each other pet names in Spanish. She would call him 'Carino' which is Spanish for sweetie.
- Ambiguous Situation: Is Barbara another Earth-1610 transplant like most of the Miles-adjacent characters, or is she an Earth-616 native who just happens to attend BVA? True, the Earth-616 native Miles Morales loved a woman named Barbara, but she was a blonde named Barbara Sanchez, and Miles-616 eventually found "his" Barbara's Earth-1610 counterpart. This character is the only Barbara Rodriguez that we know of at present. Even if she was, thanks to Molecule Man, she would have no way of knowing it, and it's hardly the focus of the stories she appears in.
- Amicable Exes: Miles and Barbara's attempt at a relationship is nipped in the bud eleven issues after it begins (in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #6), but they remain on good terms and make amiable small talk when they run into each other.
- Comic-Book Fantasy Casting: Aside from sounding like her according to Ganke, she looks like Alicia Keys when drawn by Sara Pichelli.
- Cool Big Sis: She has this sort of relationship with her ten-year-old cousin Eduardo.
- Deadpan Snarker: Seems to enjoy Snark-to-Snark Combat banter with Miles and teases him about rumors of his constant disappearances.
- First Kiss: She and Miles have theirs in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #4, after a series of almost kisses that kept getting interrupted by Miles vanishing to do some heroics.
- Gratuitous Spanish: Dips in and out of Spanish when speaking with Miles on occasion.
- Head-Turning Beauty: Subverted. Miles has seen Barbara in passing, given that she's a classmate who worked with Ganke on some group project. However, when she catches his eye in Spider-Men II, he's instantly smitten. They banter throughout the miniseries, which concludes with Miles texting her to ask her out.
- Immigrant Parents: Implied that at least of them may be an immigrant. Regardless, her cousin is an undocumented immigrant.
- Locked Out of the Loop: She and Judge are both unaware that Miles is Spider-Man. That said, she's instantly aware that something is different about Miles after seeing how quickly he reacted to a giant piece of debris from nowhere, and she likes to tease him about his reputation as a flake who keeps vanishing at weird times. Eventually, his constant disappearances take a toll on their relationship, and she breaks up with him soon after.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: There are hints that she knows and she just wants Miles to be the one to tell her.
- in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3, she teases Miles about Spider-Man rescuing her cousin and sarcastically inquired if he knew anything about Spider-Man rescuing him. Note that it wasn't just Spider-Man but also Captain America and Rhino and in the previous issue, Miles went to her house and declares that he will find her cousin.
- Miles Morales: Spider-Man #4; on a day she, Miles, and Judge decide to play hooky, there are several instances when Miles disappears to save the day. Each time Miles suspiciously comes back after Spider-Man appears, she is completely skeptical of each lie Miles' uses.
- MM: SM #5, she specifically asks Miles if he is keeping a big secret from her. Gets very annoyed when he acts like he doesn't know what she is talking about.
- MM: SM #6, she asks again, this time knowing that he is keeping a secret even without confirmation that he is. She tells him that he can trust her. When Miles doesn't say anything, she walks away saying that if he doesn't trust her, what is the point of the relationship.
- In #11 after Miles and she break-up, she engages in a conversation with Miles, but suddenly compliments Miles' shoes. Seems harmless until one notices that the shoes Miles is wearing are the same exact shoes that he wears in his costume.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: There are hints that she knows and she just wants Miles to be the one to tell her.
- The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life: Her relationship with Miles is an exercise in this. He does not want to reveal his identity because he was specifically told by everyone in the superhero community that doing so will endanger her in some way. It makes a strain in instances where Miles walks off with one of his pretty superhero friends without so much of an explanation as to whom this person is to Miles, where are they going, etc.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted and made into a minor plot point. She shares a first name with a woman named Barbara Sanchez, the one true love of Earth-616's native Miles Morales.
- Rescue Romance: Not in a damsel distress variety. Miles grabbed her before she was crushed to death by a random flying object. This is where she begins to suspect that he may have powers but not exactly sure what it is. Regardless, she is thankful for whatever he is.
- Reincarnation Romance: Perhaps, or it could just be an inter-dimensional coincidence that two people named Miles Morales have fallen for women named Barbara. The Miles Morales of Earth-616 loved Barbara Sanchez, and eventually travelled to the restored Earth-1610 to pursue her doppelgänger after his own Barbara's death. Meanwhile, "our" Miles has fallen for this character, Barbara Rodriguez, who, so far as we can tell, is the only person by that name.
- Remember the New Guy?: She's introduced as a classmate of Miles' in Spider-Men II, despite having never been seen before that point. According to Ganke, Miles has seen her before, but just hasn't paid her much attention. Regardless, Miles quickly falls for her and they begin dating.
- Satellite Love Interest: Barbara joined the Brooklyn Visions cast of characters in Spider-Man #234, but from then until the end of Bendis' run, she has very little to do. Most of her page time is dedicated to her watching Miles as he runs off to be Spider-Man. She's fleshed out a bit more in the next run, further exploring her love for music and introducing her Cool Big Sis relationship to her precocious cousin Eduardo and her interest in social justice. Tellingly, this is also where she breaks things off with Miles, as she doesn't want to date someone who is clearly keeping secrets from her.
- Second Love: She is this to Miles, though neither of them know it. Miles did have a girlfriend in his original universe, Katie Bishop, but they broke up shortly after Miles learned that Katie was in league with HYDRA. The multiverse imploded not long after, and when the main Marvel Universe was restored, Miles and his friends and family were transplanted there with their memories re-written to make it seem as though they always lived in the Marvel Universe. As a result, Miles' failed romance with Katie is completely gone from his memories, and as far as he and Barbara know, she is his first real girlfriend.
- Smitten Teenage Girl: She jokes about being one with Miles:Barbara: (sees Miles brooding alone outside in the dark) You okay? I saw you out here being a sullen, brooding, teenager and I was compelled to come out because I was raised on Twilight movies.
- Soapbox Sadie: In a sense. She refused to take an oath to turn in any vigilante at her school based on principle, or that she knows Miles is Spider-Man, even if it meant she lost her starting position on her basketball team. She decides to lead a sit-in which only leads to her, Ganke, and Judge getting arrested.
Judge
Judge
- Characterization Marches On: He appears and disappears sporadically throughout Brian Michael Bendis' run, where his defining trait is mainly his confusion at what is going on with Miles and Ganke. He gets more attention in Saladin Ahmed's run, which shows him as a hammy goofball eager to get his roommates out of their comfort zones. (Oh, if he only knew...)
- Cosmic Retcon: Near the end of Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man, Judge reveals that he always knew that Miles was Spider-Man. After everything seemingly got reset after Secret Wars (2015), he no longer has any recollection of Miles' identity.
- Hidden Depths: He keeps a journal, and finds it a useful stress reliever.
- Keet: He's endlessly energetic and loves to find ways to make his friends laugh.
- Large Ham: He loves to goof off with Miles and Ganke, sometimes to their (especially Ganke's) chagrin.
- Locked Out of the Loop: He has no idea that one of his roommates is Spider-Man.
- Raised by Grandparents: Implied. Since he's mainly associated with Miles' school life, his family is almost never mentioned (he's never even been given a last name). So far, the only relative of his we've met is his granmè, which is Creole for "grandmother".
Sean
Sean
- The Bully: Every panel that he appears in, he taunts Ganke and instigates trouble with Miles. In fact, he used to hold kids down during his freshmen year and make them smell his farts.
- Remember the New Guy?: During his debut, Miles' states that he remembers Sean during his freshmen year.
- The Stool Pigeon: How he bullies Miles. He knows Dutcher has it in for Miles so he is actively trying to get him in trouble and out of the school because he doesn't think Miles' "type" belongs in school.
Fabio Medina / Goldballs
Fabio Medina / Goldballs
After quitting the X-Men and returning home, Fabio Medina ends up transferring to Brooklyn Vision Academy and quickly becomes Miles and Ganke's new roommate after the latter outs Miles' identity to him.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Develops a bit of this towards Miles due to Lana's crush on him and him blowing her off.
- Hopeless Suitor: Towards Lana. He develops a crush on her but it becomes quickly apparent that she has eyes for Miles instead, who in turn sees her as just a friend and has begun romancing Barbara.
- Put on a Bus: Gets more or less written out of the 2018 relaunch of the book. In issue #24 of Champions (2016), Fabio ends up the victim of a School Shooting at Vision Academy and it's implied that he ends up getting pulled out of school because of it. From there, he joins the cast of X-Men as penned by Jonathan Hickman.
- Secret-Keeper: Admittedly not by choice; Ganke decided to take it upon himself to out Miles as Spider-Man to Fabio because he thinks it would be to Miles' benefit for another superpowered student to know about him.
Vice Principal Lyle Dutcher
Lyle Dutcher
The new Vice Principal of Brooklyn Visions Academy, who has a personal vendetta against Miles Morales, whom he sees as a troublemaker and a bad influence on the other students. Ironically, he has nothing but respect for the Brooklyn Spider-Man.
- Dean Bitterman: He's very open about his dislike for Miles, loudly assuring our hero that he (Dutcher) is not an idiot and has his eye on this menace to his school. He's even cast in the Dean Rooney role in the Whole-Plot Reference story "Miles Morales' Day Off".
- Expy: What J. Jonah Jameson is to Peter Parker, Vice Principal Dutcher is to Miles Morales - a loud, irascible blowhard who has a talent for making our hero's life harder by insisting that he is up to no good. That said, it's not a 1:1 comparison: Jonah is a respected public figure and largely considered to be a good (if intense) boss. Dutcher, on the other hand, is everyone's least favorite co-worker among the Brooklyn Visions Academy staff.
- Foil: To J Jonah Jameson. While Jonah views Spider-Man as a menace, he’s normally depicted as having a stern but respectful, almost parental, fondness for Peter. Dutcher views Miles as a suspicious troublemaker but idolizes Spider-Man as a public hero.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Among the BVA faculty. The other teachers and administrators don't get his irrational obsession with this one kid, and they especially aren't happy when he interferes with them doing their work because of it.
- Hates My Secret Identity: He sees Brooklyn's Spider-Man as a respectable young man who recognizes the importance of tradition, responsibility, and bravery. Miles Morales, on the other hand, is an entitled punk who's not nearly as smart as he thinks he is, and Lyle Dutcher is going to make sure all of his coworkers know it.
- I'll Pretend I Didn't Hear That: A variant. After discovering Miles' secret identity from reading his journal, and witnessing him protect Brooklyn Visions from the Ultimate Goblin, Dutcher returns the journal to him while saying "It's a good thing that all I've read in this entirely fictional journal is a fanciful story written by a talented if unfocused young writer. Isn't that right?"
- I Reject Your Reality: As anyone who's ever read one of Miles' books knows, he's an incredibly sweet kid, and many of the other employees recount positive experiences with him, but Dutcher insists that it's all a front.
- Large Ham: He takes his vice principal role insanely seriously, much to the frustration of his coworkers:Dutcher: That whole meeting [with the City of New York Office of Education] was ridiculous. Pencil pushers trying to tell me how to do my job.Principal Evans: "Pencil pushers"? You're a vice principal, Lyle, not a Navy SEAL. You've got to learn to calm down.
Principal James Evans
James Evans
The head principal of Brooklyn Visions Academy.
- Expy: Of Robbie Robertson except he is in charge of Brooklyn Visions Academy.
- Little People Are Surreal: Easy to miss, but he has Dwarfism.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Does not appreciate Dutcher's obsession of catching kids and antagonizing students over his work. He even asks why Dutcher wanted to even work in education if he doesn't like students.
- When Goblin attacked Brooklyn Visions, he gladly turned himself over to in order to stop prevent further harm to his students.
Green Goblin: You are not scared of me, tiny man?Principal Evans: Of course, I am scared. I'm terrified. I want to see my wife and my daughter again. But I'll do whatever I must to protect my students. - Twofer Token Minority: He is black and has dwarfism.
Mr. Dan Sumida
Mr. Dan Sumida
Miles’ Creative Writing Teacher. Notable for being one of the more lax teachers at Brooklyn Visions Academy. Allows Miles to be late to his class and sleep in occasion thinking that Miles simply doesn’t get enough sleep. He thinks highly of Miles as a student.
Brent
Brent
Brent was a student who was sent to make Miles' introduction to Brooklyn Visions more seamless during a time Miles had Spider-Man powers but didn’t want to be Spider-Man. In an effort to make Miles more comfortable and welcome with the idea of being a lotto student, he invited Miles to a fashion pop-up store to meet his sister. Unfortunately, he was killed during a Skrull Invasion at the very same pop-up store.
- Cosmic Retcon: Takes the place of Earth-1610's Peter Parker as Miles's "Gwen Stacy" moment.
- It happens in the same universe as Earth-1610. The writer specifically said that it was an artistic error and that this happens between Miles getting bit by the Spider and first trying superheroics with Ganke and Peter dying. It doesn't replace it. And it did not happen in 616.
- Remember the New Guy?: First mentioned in 2018's Spider-Man annual.
Olivia
Olivia
Sister of Brent and fellow student at Brooklyn Visions with Miles and Ganke. Her brother and Ganke set her up on a shopping date with Miles unbeknownst to both herself and Miles. She and Miles seemingly hit it off regardless and were having fun until the Skrulls attacked the pop-up store they were attending. In the chaos, she found her brother dead.
Miles' Allies and Friends
Lana Baumgartner / Bombshell
Lana Baumgartner
Bombshell, Lana Baumgartner, is a teenaged girl from the Ultimate Marvel universe. Along with her mother, she was a super criminal who robbed jewelry stores. After being apprehended twice, Lana was separated from her mother when the court declared her an unfit parent. Lana then became a student at Midtown High where she, unknowingly at the time, came across Spider-Man sans alias. Peter became one of her first few friends, along with Bobby Drake and Johnny Storm. Spider-Man died a short time later.
She returns when there's a new Spider-Man in town (Miles Morales) and her backstory is explained. Her powers come from her mother, who was experimented on by Roxxon in exchange for a commuted prison sentence. Lori escaped when she discovered that she was pregnant, but it was too late and her daughter was born with the same powers. Initially, their powers required both of them to be in close proximity to work, but eventually Lana learned how to use them on her own. She helped Miles, Spider-Woman, Cloak and Dagger to take down Roxxon, and also during the coming of Galactus. When The Ultimates broke up after Cataclysm, they stayed together and started their own group, the All-New Ultimates.
The Ultimate Marvel universe was destroyed during the Secret Wars, but the Molecule Man restored Miles Morales' family and friends in the Prime earth, as a token of gratitude. This included Lana, but also her mother, by proxy. Lana would stay a close friend of Miles, and Lori would join the Sinister Six. Lana would also join the Champions since volume 3.
Has no relation with DC Comics Bombshells, an unrelated comic book from DC Comics. She has no relation either with the Bomb-Throwing Anarchists from Captain America: Sam Wilson used to display Political Correctness Is Evil.
- Abusive Parents: Double Subversion. When Lori was in jail, she was supportive and proud of Lana for being a hero. After she was released from prison, Lori quickly changed her tune. Lori quickly wants to go back to crime again and feels that since she is the parent, Lana has to as well. When Lana resists, Lori is quick to use violence against her.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Subverted. Poey is a drug dealer and is described as dark and troubled. However, she is perfectly aware of the trouble he may cause and even uses it to her advantage when her boyfriend gets caught up with a super gang. She laments that the only reason that they are together is that they are both troubled people.
- Badass Longcoat: She rocks a white one over her costume.
- The Big Guy: Dagger and Bombshell fulfill this role on the All-New Ultimates in differing ways. Bombshell is clearly the more destructive of the two, but she is reluctant to join in a fight and is much more passive. Dagger is pugnacious and violently aggressive in comparison to Bombshell, but her power is precise and nowhere near as property damage.
- Canon Immigrant: She was moved to the Prime Earth, alongside most of Miles Morales' cast, at the end of Secret Wars. In 2019 she joined the Champions.
- Domino Mask: She wears one and, somehow, it allows her to go on on superhero stuff without her parole officer noticing that something is amiss.
- Good Feels Good: She seems really enthusiastic about fighting bad guys.Bombshell: We should text each other. We should do this again. Let's make a list of people to beat up and then go beat them up.
- The reason she even joined Spider-Woman's team was to do good for once in her life.
- Heel–Face Turn: After getting arrested twice, she was given a third chance to have a normal life. She is unwilling to continue her life of crime and begs Peter to keep her powers a secret from the other students.
- Heroic BSoD: Has an episode after her boyfriend was murdered.
- Insult Backfire: She calls Spider-Woman a cheap Spider-Man knockoff with a B-cup to get her riled up, but it doesn't work.
- Just Friends: After joining 616, she apparently had a thing for Miles, but was never open about it until he rescued her. Miles sees her as sister than a girlfriend. There was a brief period when she'd blow up his phone with texts. Since joining the Champions after defeating her mother, she still harbors feelings for him, but decides to remain friends on account of them both having too many responsibilities.
- The Lad-ette: Compared to most girls in Peter's life, she seems most comfortable being with the guys as she willingly sat with Peter and guys as if it were no big deal.
- The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life:
- As soon as her boyfriend found out about the incident between her and the Cloak and Dagger duo, he immediately broke up with her on the phone after she pleaded with him to stay at his place. Even Miles and Jessica felt awkward for her.
- One of her ex-boyfriends, Sid, finally gets revealed in the second issue of Cataclysm, where she acted abrasive, probably due to a previous incident. Of course, before anything is fleshed out about him, a car drops on top of him.
- In the first issue of the All-New Ultimates, Lana deliberately sets up time with her Poey and she comes back from a hot date rather disappointed and let down. And then Poey was offed by Diamondback and her gang as revenge for screwing up a drug operation.
- The Mole: After the transplant to the main Marvel Universe, Lori forces her daughter to join her on Iron Spider's new Sinister Six. Lana tries to reason with her mother, but has no luck. So she reluctantly tags along, sending coordinates to Miles so he can find them and stop the scheme.
- Mutant: Technically is one despite her objections to it.
- Reluctant Hero: She was reluctant to use her powers because she would have been thrown in prison if she did so. After Taskmaster attacked her and the Spiders, she immediately ran away. Eventually, she turned around and helped out. As soon as she did, however, she was called by her parole officer about using her powers anyways in spite of it being for a good cause. She is literally not allowed by law to be a superhero.
- Shout-Out: Brian Bendis has been very upfront about the fact that Lana and her mother are blatant Expies of Rory and Lorelai Gilmore from the TV show Gilmore Girls.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Every other word out of her mouth is some swear or another.
- She tones it down after the time skip.
- After being attacked twice, she finally lets loose a swear after Cloak and Dagger try to make amends with her.
- Superpower Lottery: Lana is a Mutant who possesses a wide array of abilities that revolve around causing powerful explosions, which she can use offensively as Hand Blasts or as a means of rapidly traversing great distances through Explosion Propulsion. While Lana initially needed to be in physical proximity of her mother to use her powers, she inevitably outgrew that limitation and can now use her abilities without restriction.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: With Dagger in her Ultimate Marvel days.
- White Sheep: Her mother was a convicted felon before Lana was born and got Lana in the business, to begin with.
- She has problems with this because prior to her previous criminal history, she is not allowed to use her powers at all. If she does, then she will be thrown in prison.
- Wonder Twin Powers: During her rookie years, she and her mom were completely powerless without one another.
- The reason why they weren't able to use this ability separately was that Lori gained this ability when she was pregnant with Lana.
- Took a Level in Badass: No longer needs to be in physical proximity with her mom, but they're far less powerful when they're apart.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are:
- A subtle case. When Peter first met her, they fought and after she was soundly defeated along with her mother, Peter told her that of all the things you use your power for, you use it for robbery. Of course, this did not stick as she went back out and robbed again. Literally years later, she finally lives out the potential that Peter saw in her and chooses to be a superhero.
- Jessica Drew seems especially supportive of her and cheers her on anytime she does anything remotely remarkable.
Danika Hart
Danika Hart
Huge Spider-Man fan, or more specifically a Miles Morales' fan, who runs a huge blog that covers superheroes. Made a big deal out of Spider-Man being a person of color and defended her stance. Ganke is a huge fan of her blog and took an interest in her in spite of Miles not being a huge fan of her blog. When Miles was in trouble, Ganke reached out to her under the guise of 'Ned' to help him. Afterwards, the two eventually started dating with Ganke still not telling her his real name in order to secure Miles' identity.
- Age-Gap Romance: Downplayed, but she is an NYU student while Ganke is still in high school.
- Blog: Has a huge social media following.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Danika hasn't been seen since Brian Michael Bendis' run ended, which implies she and Ganke broke up at some point off-page.
- Fangirl: Of superheroes, in general, but particularly of Miles Morales. She even uses her blog to help Ganke find Miles once he goes missing.
- Genki Girl: She is extremely energetic on her YouTube account as she babbles on about the latest piece of superhero news.
- Race Fetish: She is incredibly fascinated by the fact that the new Spider-Man is a person of color, which Miles himself is uncomfortable with.
- Secret-Keeper: Not by choice. Ganke, again, spilled Miles name by accident while trying to keep his own identity a secret as well. Of, Danika snarks that she can pretend that he didn't hear it. Note that she never has met Miles. She was tempted to out his name after struggling to post blogs, but ultimately decided not to.
- Soapbox Sadie: Has shades of this, but genuinely is impressed and is a fan of Spider-Man being a person of color.
Tiana Toomes / Starling
Tiana Toomes / Starling
A Detroit-born college freshman and new (anti-) hero in Brooklyn. She's the granddaughter of Adrian Toomes, otherwise known as Peter Parker's longtime enemy, the Vulture.
- Affectionate Nickname:
- Her grandpa calls her "Firecracker".
- Calls Spider-Man “soccer body.”
- Alliterative Name: In classic Marvel fashion, Tiana Toomes.
- Animal-Themed Superbeing: Like her grandfather, who built her suit and taught her how to fly, she has a bird motif.
- Anti-Hero: She's committed to justice and teams up with Spider-Man to take down Tombstone's men and some crooked cops. She's also got a brutal streak and Miles regularly has to talk her out of some more extreme actions.
- Broken Pedestal: After finding out from Spider-Man/Peter Parker that her grandfather Adrian murdered numerous innocent people during his career as a supervillain, Issue #7 of The Amazing Spider-Man (2022) reveals that Tiana disowned Adrian as her grandfather the second she was able to corroborate Parker's accusations as the truth. This irrevocably destroys her relationship with Adrian, while the heartbroken villain goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against Peter for selling him out.
- Dating Catwoman: Tiana is a dark anti-heroine who isn't above crippling or outright killing her villainous targets while Miles is The Cape who is steadfast in his commitment to Thou Shalt Not Kill. Despite their conflicting ideologies, the two developed a blossoming romance that culminated in them becoming an item.
- Disappeared Dad: When Tiana was very young, her father Frankie abandoned her and her mom, Lenora. Adrian Toomes, disgusted by his son's actions, became a support system for them, and eventually, a mentor for Tiana. To this day, Tiana has no idea whether he's alive or dead, but doesn't seem to care either way.
- Flight: She is the Vulture’s granddaughter.
- Head-Turning Beauty: Miles develops a crush on her the moment he sees her, comparing her to an angel (up until he remembers that she hospitalized about a dozen of Tombstone's henchmen).
- Morality Pet:
- To the Vulture, who, to Tiana's memory, has never been anything but a devoted and loving granddad. After his son Frankie abandoned little Tiana and her mom, Adrian went out of his way to provide for them, and made sure that every penny he gave them came from a legitimate source. Following her mother's death, Adrian encouraged her to follow her dreams of becoming an artist by moving to his Brooklyn address. While she's at it, she's decided to use the skills he taught her to take a stab at the superhero gig.
- Miles is also this to her, as he goes out of his way to try and temper her more extreme methods of dealing with criminals whenever they're working together.
- Red Is Heroic: Her suit and many of the outfits she wears as a civilian are red, and she's working as a hero.
- Satellite Love Interest: While Titana is initially introduced as an Anti-Heroic Foil to Miles who he would clash with over their ideological differences when it comes to crimefighting, that dynamic was essentially resolved the second they decided to start dating. Now whenever Titana shows up in Miles' books, a majority of her contributions to the narrative revolves entirely around their relationship, with anything about her own personal life (such as her interests, ambitions, exploits, etc.) receiving little to no developments similar to Barbara Rodriguez before her.
- Secret Identity: Averted. She calls herself "Tiana" and "Starling" basically interchangeably, citing how her grandfather never tried to conceal that Adrian Toomes was also the Vulture. She finds it old-fashioned that her new self-appointed cohort will only call himself "Spider-Man".
- Tough Love: Probably her defining trait as Miles' love interest is the fact that she won't beat around the bush when it comes to calling him out on his shortcomings, especially his habit of shutting people out in hopes of sparing them the dangers of his life as a superhero, something that shouldn't apply to Tiana by virtue of being a vigilante in her own right.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: When Sean shows up out of nowhere to harass Miles during their date, Tiana crushes Sean's wrist while forcing him to look her in the eye until he apologizes. When Miles tries to talk to her about it afterwards, Tiana makes it clear that she has a very low tolerance for disrespect, especially when it's targeted at those she cares about.Tiana: Now before you let another ignorant word come out of your nasty-looking mouth. I want to explain to you that I have knocked out thirty-seven diffrent men. I keep track. Do you think I'm lying? Look me in my eyes. LOOK!Miles: Tiana, its not worth—Sean: ARRRGH! I—I belive you! I'm sorry, okay?!Tiana: Now, see? That's all I wanted to hear.
- Whole Costume Reference: Despite being the Vulture's granddaughter, her costume, especially the color scheme, resembles that of The Falcon.
Spider-Zero
Spider-Zero
The Spider-person of Earth 001 and designated watcher and protector of the new Web of Life after the first one was destroyed in Spider-Geddon. She enlists Miles to stop what’s corrupting the Web of Life.
- Expy: Of Madame Webb. She isn’t exactly like her but she pretty much does for Miles what Webb did for Peter.
- Just a Kid: When Miles finally meets her after being dragged through multiple dimensions by her, he is surprised to see a girl younger than him.
- Passing the Torch: Her core belief when it comes to the newly formed Web of Life. The reason why she reached out to Miles and not Peter is because he, Annie May (the new Patternmaker who wove this web), and she are new just like this Web of Life. It is their responsibility to protect it now.
- The Watcher: Her role in yet another newly revealed part of the Spider-Mythos is to be the Spider at the center of the Web and Life and Destiny and watch it for threats within and without.
Kenneth
Kenneth
Shift
Created by the Asessor as a Human Weapon to be sold to the highest bidder, Shift is a clone created from Miles' genetic template. Although the circumstances of Shift's creation initially puts him at odds with Miles, Shift's naturally gentle temperament and unwillingness to hurt Miles' sister Billie leads him to turn on Selim, the leader of the Miles' clones. Thanks to circumstance, Shift is the only one of the clones to survive and is accepted by Miles as his brother, becoming a staunch ally of Spider-Man throughout his adventures.
- Afraid of Doctors: Due to the circumstances of his creation and the horrific childhood he endured, Shift is terrified of anything that reminds him of the Assessor's lab. He struggles and flails when EMTs try to bring him to the hospital for treatment, convincing Miles to finally bring Shift home to the Morales family, as Rio is a nurse who can look after him.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: In the short story "The Day Shift", a hungry Shift is drawn to the smell of an Afghan kebab seller's cart. The owner of the cart sees Shift and offers him a free kebab that Shift happily eats. Soon afterward, the kebab seller is harrassed by a group of racist teenagers. Shift quickly grows extra arms and roars at the teenagers to scare them off. The kebab seller doesn't fear Shift's abilities, assuming he's just an android, or a mutant, or some other super being and thanks him with another kebab.
- Big Little Brother: Shift is at least a head taller than Miles and twice as wide but is less than a year old due to being a rapidly-grown clone. Shfit looks up to Miles as a big brother too, seeing him as a role model to become a superhero.
- Commonality Connection: Shift quickly strikes up a friendship with Ms. Marvel, a fellow shapeshifter. Shift is clearly excited to be friends with someone with powers like his while Kamala works with Shift to better control his physical state. By Issue #18, she teaches Shift to be able to speak short sentences after he was previously The Unintelligible.
- Disney Death: Shift's heart stops after taking a souped-up blast from Scorpion during the climax fight of Miles Morales: Spider-Man #18. This terrifies his friends and family, convincing Miles to stop trying to talk Rabble down and instead bring her in. The heroes manage to recusitate him before the end of the fight, much to Miles' relief.
- Eyes Do Not Belong There: In the "Empire of the Spider" storyline, the Shift who remained under Selim's command has grown additional faces on his shoulders, back, and chest, complete with additional eyes and teeth.
- Face of a Thug: Shift's naturally grotesque proportions and inability to express himself through words tend to scare the people he's trying to help. He's dismayed to see others screaming in terror at his approach and fleeing even as he's saving their lives.
- Gentle Giant: Shift is a naturally kind and gentle soul who wants to follow Miles' example and help others. Shift is also much bigger than Miles, standing a least a head taller and being twice as wide even while Shift has his body contracted into a roughly Heroic Build.
- Good Is Not Soft: Due to being raised as a Human Weapon, Shift's turn to superheroics comes with some growing pains as he threatens to tear the heads off the Assessor's armed guards. Miles has to talk Shift out of it and explain that superheroes don't kill or maim people. Even after this, Shift is more than willing to terrify his foes with his ability to shapeshift and slams supervillain's heads against the pavement hard enough to crack concrete.
- Homeless Hero: Due to Shift's condition and appearance, Miles struggles with finding a way to introduce Shift to his family. This leads Shift to hide out in various locales around Brooklyn, such as inside tunnels or underneath Brooklyn Visions, instead of a proper home. This ends at the end of Issue #19 of Ziglar's run, when Miles introduces him to Jefferson and Rio.
- Human Weapon: Shfit is a clone of Miles created to be sold to the highest bidder. Shift's creation was imperfect and turned much of him into an amorphous blob, rendering him incapable of speech. However, he would later be tortured into learning how to manipulate this for his benefit, allowing him to freely shapeshift parts of his body into additional limbs.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Shift can turns the biomass on his back into additional arms or even Combat Tentacles to grasp at and attack his enemies.
- Redemption Equals Life: Shift is the first of Miles' clones to balk at Selim's plans and rebels against Selim to protect Billie. This, combined with an accident that leads Miles to accidentally stabilize Shift's biology enough to stop his Rapid Aging and cellular death problem, makes Shift the only one of Miles' clones to survive.
- Shapeshifter Baggage: Shift is significantly larger than Miles even when fully contracted. This makes it difficult for him to compress himself the way Ms. Marvel can or shrink himself to a smaller, more humanoid state that could more easily pass in normal society.
- Shapeshifter Default Form: Shift's default state is similar to Miles' in appearance but with folds of additional flesh in areas that are constantly shifting around, making him look like Spider-Man who got "stung by bees". He gradually learns to tighten up his body to look more like someone with Hulk-like Heroic Build proportions, but his physique is often lop-sided, such as having one arm bigger than the other.
- Smarter Than You Look: Shift's inability to speak and brutish appearance belies that he's just as, if not even more intelligent, than Miles, operating a multiversal asset location network to track the Prowler through time and space. Shift is also a gifted artist, emitting a colorful gas that he can use like spray paint to produce detailed graffiti art.
- Superhero Speciation: Shift has spider-like agility, strength, and durability likes Miles, but lacks his ability to produce bio-electricity. Instead, Shift's unstable biology allows him to freely expand and contract his body, enabling him to shapeshift at will. This ranges from simply sprouting extra arms to becoming a full-on Humanoid Abomination.
- The Unintelligible: Shift's constantly amorphous biology makes it impossible for Shift to maintain vocal cords to enunciate words, resulting in all of his attempts to speak coming out as a "Glurp" sound. Shift is forced to communicate mostly through gestures as a result, though he continues to try to speak. Miles reacts and speaks to him with implicit understanding as a sign of their closeness. After working with Kamala, a fellow shapeshifter, Shift begins learning to speak in short sentences.
Misty Knight
Mercedes "Misty" Knight
"You see, a trap y'all always fall into is getting so caught up in the now. Thinking you gotta sacrifice everything if you want to keep the streets safe forever. Which, trust, I was the same way when I started. But I've been at this long enough to realize it's not all about us protecting them from the streets. It's about making the streets safe enough so that the community can do it themselves."
A cybernetically-enhanced private eye and one half of the Daughters of the Dragon, Misty Knight is the premire Afro Asskicker of the Marvel Universe and a respected member of New York's street-level community of heroes. After being hired to investigate a recent string of tech heists happening in Brooklyn, Misty teamed-up with Miles Morales to take down the supervillain responsible while saving his loved ones who were held hostage. Having taken a shine to the Spider-Man during their colaboration, Misty decided to offically take Miles under her wing as an intern at her Detective Agency.
Colleen Wing
Colleen Wing
"Form follows function. And right now, I'd say yours is leading you directly into the trash."
A notorious redheaded Japanese-American Master Swordswoman and the other half of the Daughters of the Dragon, Colleen Wing is the premire Street Samurai of the Marvel Universe and Misty Knight's life-long partner. When Miles needed to learn how to properly wield his new Venom Saber ability, Colleen became the young spider's mentor in the way of the sword and supported him alongside Misty during a city-wide Gang War.
Ultimate Universe Supporting Characters
Katie Bishop
Katie Bishop
Throughout the series, usually when Miles and Ganke are talking during class or school, there has been a girl who has been eyeing Miles. Somehow didn't know Miles was Spider-Man despite being in hearing range whenever he and Ganke talked about it. After the Time Skip, she and Miles are dating. And she hasn't learnt he's Spider-Man.
