Last week’s announcement of Sony and Marvel Studios finally coming together will go down in the history books for sure, and may even pave the way for other wayward franchises to find their way back home. Since his creation by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in 1962, the wall crawler has been a major part of nearly every Marvel milestone to date. Even Marvel’s current movie success has ol’ Web-Head to thank with his 2001 blockbuster Spider-Man when it blew the door open for more comic book movies to come. So it would be crazy to turn our back on all of that and kill Peter Parker, right?
No, that makes now the perfect time to KILL PETER PARKER!
While Spider-man is enjoying a new life in the comics after losing his body to Dr Octopus, his movie career has been spotty. After five films, two timelines, and an upcoming third actor to play Peter Parker it’s safe to say that there’s not much more you can do with the character. After a character’s origin film each sequel plays off as more of a showcase for villains than it does for building the hero’s mythos; Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise is a good example of that. That makes this opportunity the best time for Spider-Man to once again change what people think of comic book movies.
With the announcement that Spider-man will appear in Captain America: Civil War, Peter will get the chance to play the same pivotal role that he did in the comic book event of the same name, except that “Captain America” part. *SPOILER ALERT* In the 2006 event Spider-Man reveals his identity to the world to be the nerdy and loveable Peter Parker. The world is shocked, J. Jonah Jameson questions his life’s work, and Aunt May faints. It’s a moment that changes the Marvel landscape, up until it then changes back in 2007’s One More Day, story. That moment of Spider-Man’s unmasking can really shock people in theaters, but Iron Man has already done that. If Marvel really wants to BLOW THEIR MINDS that act should then bring the events that cause Peter Parker’s death.
The death of a hero and everyman like Peter Parker could shake the MCU to its core while throwing comic book fans off their all-knowing pedestals of always knowing more about the films than their strictly movie fan counterpart. *SPOILER ALERT FOR THE REST OF THE PARAGRAPH* Ultimate Peter Parker’s death saving Captain America would be a great situation to emulate in Civil War. Rumor is that Civil War will also follow up with the aftermath from the comic storyline that would end with the assassination of Captain America. These two deaths in one movie, done well, could make it the crown jewel of the MCU for-e-ver.
Now all of this of course seems crazy; why would Marvel work so hard for to get the permission to use Spider-Man in their films if they just turn around and kill him? Like I said before, to change what people think of comic book movies. Not to accuse Marvel Studios of anything, but the current cast of the cinematic heroes is awfully white. Although the inclusion of Sam Wilson (Falcon) and long-time presence of Nick Fury have kept the films from being a total whitewash, there are no heroes of any minority staring in their own films until the arrival of Black Panther, which just got pushed back for a new solo Spider-Man movie. That’s why Marvel should kill Peter Parker, and in said solo Spider-Man movie, introduce Miles Morales.
Since his introduction in 2011, Miles Morales has quickly become an increasingly popular character and crux of the now ending Marvel Universe. Miles is also a distinctly teenaged boy with an African American father and Hispanic mother, which would make him wholly unique in the cast of MCU characters. Giving Miles Morales his own film could not only shake up a genre that is dangerously close to becoming redundant, but also brings a new hero to film-goers that are eager to see something truly new and different.
Morales’ Spider-Man has a slightly different power set and very different set of daily problems. The girl troubles of Peter Parker are replaced with family struggles, conflicting loyalties, and the burden of living in the shadow of a beloved hero. The inclusion of Miles Morales doesn’t need to be the exclusion of the Sinister Six or Venom movies that have been rumored for years, it could just star the new Spider-Man.
The next Spider-Man film could be something new, without the baggage of who did it better, Raimi or Web, or who wore the mask better, Maguire or Garfield. The biggest problem however is that there are no young black actors that any production house would be willing to bank on, and without a star to draw people in companies like Sony become hesitant. Marvel has taken chances are rising starts like Chris Hemsworth and overseas sensation Tom Hiddleston, but there’s no telling who has the stronger influence over the creative rights.
For fans that do want to see Miles Morales on the silver screen, the only thing that can be done is to support social media movements on Twitter and Facebook and to share articles like this one. In an age where creative heads of business look to social media for what’s trending and what the people want, now is the time to be vocal about wanting something new, Spider-Man or otherwise.
Despite Peter’s long and rich history that is perfect for mining movie after movie for, Miles can give movie fans something new. Just because it didn’t already happen in a comic book doesn’t mean it can’t be a comic book movie. Lets make the MCU better together by making the next Spider-Man movie the Ultimate Spider-Man movie.