Others expressed displeasure at the replacement of Peter Parker, with The Guardian, Fox News, and Culture Map Houston reporting that some fans viewed the decision as an attempt by Marvel Comics to exhibit political correctness, and that the introduction of a minority Spider-Man was simply a publicity stunt to attract more readers,[7][8][9][10] a charge Alonso denied.

Marvel Comics' then-editor-in-chief Axel Alonso describes the catalyst, "When we were planning 'Ultimatum,' we realized that we were standing at the brink of America electing its first African-American President and we acknowledged that maybe it was time to take a good look at one of our icons."

[7] When Marvel's editorial staff decided that the Ultimate universe's Peter Parker would be killed in the 2011 storyline "Death of Spider-Man", the character Miles Morales was created.

"[15] In creating the visual look for Miles, Pichelli followed her usual practice of approaching the design by giving thought to the character's personality, including the background that influenced it, and the distinctive traits that he would exhibit, such as the clothing he wears, his body language and expressions.

[18] Pichelli, who works with a Cintiq 12wx graphic tablet,[16] added more screentones to her illustrations to give what she called "a more 'pop' feeling to the book", which she felt would be fitting to the series.

Miles Morales was also made a member of the eponymous team in All-New Ultimates, a series written by Michel Fiffe and drawn by Amilcar Pinna.

[30][31] The twelfth and final issue of Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man concluded with a cliffhanger that led directly into the 2015 "Secret Wars" storyline.

[37] On November 7, 2017, it was announced that Bendis, having signed an exclusive contract with DC Comics, would be leaving Marvel in early 2018,[38] and Spider-Man canceled with issue #240 (May 2018).

[43] On July 9, 2020, Marvel announced that an original graphic novel, Miles Morales: Shock Waves, would be released in 2021 in partnership with Scholastic, written by Opposite of Always author Justin A. Reynolds, with art by Pablo Leon.

[44] Miles Morales first appeared in Ultimate Comics: Fallout #4, which was published in August 2011, in which he foils an assault by Kangaroo a short time after Peter Parker's death.

Morales develops superhuman abilities similar to those Peter has,[50] but does not tell his parents, due to his father's distrust of superheroes,[23] confiding only in his best friend Ganke Lee.

[2][25] In a 2013 storyline, when investigative journalist Betty Brant incorrectly concludes that Miles' father, Jefferson, is the new Spider-Man, she is murdered[56] by Markus, who has become the Venom symbiote's newest host.

[80] His relationship with Bishop apparently did not occur in this continuity, as Miles begins seeing classmate Barbara Rodriguez, whom he calls his "first serious girlfriend", who is unaware of his double life.

[85] Guilt-ridden, Miles eventually tells Kamala of her death and the cost of her revival, "breaking her heart" and ending their friendship, before leaving the team in issue #4.

[90][91] Bitten by a genetically engineered spider known as specimen 42, which is slightly different from the one that granted Peter Parker superhuman powers, Miles Morales possesses abilities similar to the original Spider-Man's, including enhanced strength, agility, and reflexes, the ability to adhere to walls and ceilings with his hands and feet (even through clothing),[23][92] and a "spider sense" that warns him of danger with a buzzing sensation in his head.

[80] When Miles employs this ability, his eyes glow with yellow energy, which then explodes outwards in a radiant burst that can not only repel a large group of opponents,[99] but also destroy thick ropes and chains that have been used to restrain him.

[8] Chris Huntington of The New York Times lauded the creation of Morales, relating that it gave his adopted Ethiopian son Dagim a superhero who looks like him.

The response to the black Spider-Man shows why we need one", in which writer Alexandra Petri wrote that the character should be judged on the quality of its stories rather than on his appearance or ethnicity.

[11] Radio host and conservative pundit Lou Dobbs expressed outrage over the original Spider-Man being replaced by Morales, stating during a television commentary, "Peter Parker, who was a white orphan from Queens, was killed off in June during a fight with his nemesis, the Green Goblin…Marvel Comics saying it's replacing the iconic character with Miles Morales, who is part Latino and part Black."

Political satirist Jon Stewart mocked Dobbs' criticism on The Daily Show, while also pointing out that Morales replaced Spider-Man only in the Ultimate universe, and that the original Peter Parker would still be appearing in several titles.

[108] Axel Alonso denied the character was created out of political correctness, stating "Simple fact is Marvel comics reflect the world in all its shapes, sizes and colors.

[109] Original Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee approved of Miles, stating that "Doing our bit to try to make our nation, and the world, color blind is definitely the right thing.

[112] James Hunt of Comic Book Resources rated the issue #1 four and a half out of five stars, lauding Bendis for emphasizing Morales' character and his supporting cast instead of rushing him into costume.

[119] This was followed up in the 2017 sequel miniseries Spider-Men II, in which the Earth-616 version of Miles Morales makes his first appearance,[120] and is revealed to be a fully-grown adult with a scarred face.

He establishes a crime partnership with Fisk,[129] and floods the area with a drug derived from Green Goblin's blood that mutates people into monstrous slaves called Goblinoids.

[130] During the melee, Aaron induces an explosion that destroys the portal generator and sends the two villains back to the Ultimate Universe, but which kills himself in the process, a loss that devastates Miles.

[133][134][135] In the 2017 "Sitting in a Tree" storyline that ran in Spider-Man and Spider-Gwen, Miles is transported to Earth-8, where that dimension's versions of him and fellow costumed crimefighter Gwen Stacy have been married for 20 years,[136] and have two children.

[138][139][140] In the 2017 book Venomverse: War Stories #1, a version of Miles appears with other heroes in the world of the Venomized Doctor Doom, in which each person is bonded to a symbiote.

Issue 4, written by Yehudi Mercado and drawn by Paco Medina and Luigi Zagaria, garnered controversy for its stereotypical language and racist depictions of black culture.

[147][149][150] Writer Brian Michael Bendis stated that he favored adapting Miles Morales into a Spider-Man feature film in some way,[164] as did actor Andrew Garfield.