Bendis Says Spider-Men II is Crucial for Miles Morales

In 2011 writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sarah Pichelli introduced readers to Marvel Comics’ newest Spider-Man, a teenager named Miles Morales who thanks to a spider bite would embark upon an epic journey that would take him across dimensions and lead to encounters with larger-than-life heroes and sinister villains. A pivotal chapter in Miles' initial journey was 2012's Spider-Men series where Bendis and Pichelli teamed Miles, who was then the Spider-Man of the Ultimate Universe, with the Peter Parker of the Marvel Universe.

In the aftermath of his reality's destruction in the 2015 Secret Wars event Miles and a number of his friends and family were relocated to the Marvel Universe where he continues his fight against crime as Spider-Man, with Peter Parker's blessing. But is carrying on the legacy of Spider-Man the correct path for Miles? And what role will Miles' Marvel Universe counterpart play in the character's journey moving forward? Bendis and Pichelli are currently tackling those questions and more in the five-issue sequel mini-series, Spider-Men II where Peter and Miles team up to investigate the mystery of Miles’ Marvel U counterpart.

Bendis spoke with CBR about the series, how his protagonists reconcile the fact that they hail from different dimensions, the mystery of the Marvel U's Miles Morales, and how Spider-Men II is a major chapter in the long-form Miles Morales story that Bendis will tell throughout the year and beyond.

CBR: One of the big comic book moments for Miles right now is Spider-Men II a series that re-teams him with the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker. This series was originally teased back in 2012. Has it changed at all over the years?

Brian Bendis: Yes -- one of the reasons I was so excited about doing it was because of how much it changed. That also spoke to how much growth Miles had been through. He's a different age. He's living in a different universe. A lot of things have changed, but there's a much bigger question embracing the book right now.

EXCLUSIVE: Art from Spider-Men II #3, by Sarah Pichelli and Elizabetta D'Amico

We're exploring it in Spider-Men II, and some of it was even brought up in the last issue of Spider-Man. The question is: Peter Parker said Miles is Spider-Man, but if Peter hadn't been Spider-Man first, what would Miles have been? Is there more for him? Is there something beyond this? Is this just a stepping stone to something else? Those questions are things a young man would ask and it's a journey we're going to embrace fully this whole year in Spider-Men II and beyond.

One interesting aspect of Spider-Men II that we don't often see in Miles' regular series is the fact that he's aware he's originally from the destroyed Ultimate Universe. In issue #1 we saw that Peter still occasionally wrestles with that fact, but can you talk a little more about how Miles feels about that at the beginning of the series?

It will be brought up very clearly in an upcoming issue of Spider-Men II. It's an enormous feeling of responsibility. The shape of the universe is something that's out of his control, but he knows something about it and it's so enormous his brain just has to go, “Hey!”

You hear about people who lived through horror or something that's beyond their comprehension. They just put those experiences in a little box and put it on a shelf. That will be discussed. We'll also look at how it's affected him, and how it's affected the choices they're making going forward.

In these first two issues, we've only caught a brief glimpse of the Miles Morales that originated in the Marvel Universe, but he appears to be a wealthy figure with connections to illicit activities. What can you tell us about the character and your inspiration for him? How dangerous is he?

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How Important Is the 'Other' Miles Morales?

Brian Bendis: The entirety of issue #3 will explore those questions completely. You'll see what his secret connections are to the Marvel Universe, and why no one has ever heard his name before. Suffice to say there are reasons, they are important, and they involve major players in the Marvel Universe. I'm very, very happy about what Sara did with that issue. I cannot wait for people to see it.

The Miles of the Marvel Universe has facial scars that remind me a lot of another character you wrote during your New Avengers days, the Punisher villain, Jigsaw, who was part of the Hood's gang.

REVIEW: Spider-Men II #1 Recaptures the Bendis, Pichelli & Ponsor Magic

The scars weren't described as being Jigsaw-like. They ended up looking that way after Sara designed him. I liked it and thought, “Let's keep it.” The story of those scars is the story of why we have never heard of this Miles Morales before. I'm happy to say that will be in issue #3.

Spider-Men II #1 began in medias res, so we have some slight hints as to where the story is going, and so far it looks like it will be a globe-hopping, buddy adventure.

Yes, it's very much in the grand sense of the great Marvel team-ups, but much like the original series, a very deep emotion creeps into the story. You get these two characters together and they kind of bring out some real honesty in each other.

The first series was about loss and loneliness, and this one is about legacy. It's also about what we discussed earlier: the control over the universe that you will never have. These are the things that Peter and Miles oddly share, and they have very few people to talk with about those things.

It's great to have Sara back drawing Miles and company. Some of my favorite things in the series so far include the scenes in Brooklyn Visions Academy and how fearsome her Taskmaster looks. How does it feel to be back working with Sara?

In our world, we never skipped a second. We went right from our last issue of Spider-Men and right into this. So there's been no break for us. Since we first met each other I don't believe there's been a moment where we're not working on something together.

I would not have done Spider-Men II without her. It's hard to describe. I'll do the monthly without her and with her blessing. It's always her book if she wants it, but I couldn't imagine doing this series with anyone else. That's partly because this series was so emotional, and I knew it was about the legacies of Miles and Peter.

Also, for artists who look up to her and sometimes get baffled by what she's accomplishing on the page, her characters are living and breathing. She gives so much character in what people are wearing. There's a story behind everything Miles' new girlfriend Barbara Rodriguez is wearing and what Miles is wearing. She puts so much thought into that. That's the difference between the goods and the greats, and that's why Sara is great.

It’s a pretty big time for Miles, both in comics and other media. There's the Miles Morales: Spider-Man novel by acclaimed Y.A. author Jason Reynolds. Spider-Man: Homecoming set the stage for Miles' possible introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. An animated film starring Miles is currently in production. And one of the biggest moments in the trailer for the upcoming Spider-Man video game was a reveal featuring Miles. How does it feel to have the character getting all this exposure? And why do you think it's happening now?

Miles is only a few years old, which in comic books is almost an infancy. In the Defenders press, I keep seeing Jessica Jones described as a “hot, new character.” Hot, new, character? I had her before I had my four children! [Laughs]

My point is, for a character to be this young and this embraced by both his audience, and other creatives like filmmakers and writers, is so flattering! It's hard to describe. It's like you gave birth to a baby, that baby went off to college, and is doing really well. Everything you hear is great news. That's how I feel.

At the same time, I've taken it as an opportunity to do something really, really big with the character this year. This is such an opportunity, and we're really going to go for it. And for those who were asking, yes I am a consultant on the animated Spider-Man film.

Check back soon for part two of our interview with Brian Bendis, where we'll chat about the next big chapter in Miles Morales' journey: the one-shot Generations: Miles Morales Spider-Man and Peter Parker Spider-Man, and the dangers that await Miles as his book enters the Marvel Legacy era.