Why Miles Morales Deserves His Own Spot on the Marvel Rivals Roster

Marvel Rivals may still be in its development stage, but that hasn’t stopped developers from moving at lightning speed with major announcements. With the game currently set to release in December of this year, the spotlight has especially turned towards new characters. The official roster is off to a great start, and the supposed leaked roster is even more robust, but both are lacking a major hero that would take Marvel Rivals to the next level.

As a hero shooter, Marvel Rivals‘ alternate skins are a huge appeal for each character, and for the game as a whole. There are plenty of characters within the expansive Marvel Universe that could be included as alternate skins of existing characters. While some may think that Miles Morales could fall into this category, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Miles Morales Could Inspire a Unique Moveset in Marvel Rivals

Marvel Rivals Could Turn Some Characters into Costumes

It’s not hard to imagine that Marvel Rivals may turn certain characters into alternate costumes in order to bolster its skin library. Likewise, one could argue that certain characters aren’t necessarily distinct enough to warrant their own spot on the roster. Few superheroes have as many alternate versions as Spider-Man does, so it’s understandable why he would come up in this conversation. However, Miles Morales easily dodges both of the major obstacles that may stand in the way of other characters.

One great example of a character that Marvel Rivals could leverage as a potential skin is Red Hulk. Red Hulk’s abilities are similar enough to his green counterpart, and the character doesn’t otherwise carry enough importance to land a spot on the roster. Red Hulk will appear in Captain America: Brave New World next year, which makes this window of opportunity seem all the more obvious. Coincidentally, it also goes to show why Miles Morales is a completely different case.

Miles Morales Couldn’t Be More Different from Peter Parker

One might think that Miles Morales is similar enough to Peter Parker in order to fall under the Spider-Man umbrella in Marvel Rivals. After all, Miles Morales and Peter Parker are both Spider-Man in more than name alone. They both crawl up walls, swing around New York City, and embody responsibility for their powers. Despite this, Miles has plenty of additional powers that could easily be crafted into a unique design.

Thanks to the Insomniac games and Spider-Verse films, it’s common knowledge that Miles Morales has two primary abilities in addition to the traditional Spider-Man suite. Miles can turn invisible at will by camouflaging with his environment, and he can discharge electricity in what’s referred to as a Venom Strike. These two powers already distinguish Miles a great deal from Peter’s standard abilities, but they also happen to be the tip of the iceberg.

Miles Morales has taken his electrical abilities to new heights in recent years. Most impressively, Miles has shown the ability to create bio-electric constructs, including but not limited to a sword known as the Venom Saber. Miles Morales is a version of Spider-Man that often far exceeds Peter in terms of sheer power, and he hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down. Miles unleashed a Super Saiyan-like transformation earlier this year, and he is set to receive a Vibranium Spider-Man suit in late October.

Marvel Rivals Can’t Afford to Pass Up Miles Morales

Miles Morales Has Surpassed His Humble Beginnings

Thanks to his ever-expanding suite of distinct powers, Miles Morales is evidently unique enough for Marvel Rivals‘ developers to craft a creative moveset for him. However, that only accounts for why Miles could become playable, not why he should become playable. Miles Morales isn’t simply unique — he is important.

Miles Morales made his debut in 2011 as part of the Ultimate Marvel imprint. Miles was conceived of as the successor to Peter Parker in the Ultimate Universe, but he has since evolved into so much more. Not only is Miles now a part of Marvel’s main continuity, he is arguably one of Marvel’s most important characters in the modern age.

Miles Morales Means the World to Many Marvel Fans

While Peter Parker introduced many of the ideas that are essential to Spider-Man, Miles Morales has always beautifully built upon this foundation. Spider-Man’s popularity has always hinged on the fact that anyone could be beneath the mask, and Miles proves that this extends beyond straight white men. Miles Morales has allowed many more kids around the world to see themselves in Spider-Man, and it’s no coincidence that he remains one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes in recent years.

Miles is the lead hero of a film franchise, with the Spider-Verse films serving as most people’s primary interaction with the character. Furthermore, Miles Morales stars in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 alongside Peter. Both of these adaptations have proven that Miles’ popularity extends beyond his symbolic importance. If Miles can lead and co-lead multiple huge projects, surely he can land a spot alongside Peter in Marvel Rivals.

Peter already isn’t alone, as Marvel Rivals features Peni Parker as a playable character. Peni is another alternate version of Spider-Man, and one that was largely popularized thanks to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This shows the game’s willingness to double-dip into Spider-Man’s source material, although Miles exists as so much more than an alternate costume. Miles Morales wields unique powers and is uniquely important, both of which prove that he deserves his own spot on the Marvel Rivals roster.