One of the most popular new characters to debut in the Marvel Universe over the last five years is Miles Morales. Not only did Miles have to follow in the footsteps of the Ultimate Universe Peter Parker after the latter's death, he had to win over readers and fans to prove himself worthy to call himself Spider-Man. Now, after appearing in various volumes of his solo series, animation and an upcoming feature film, it's safe to say Miles has done just that.

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The person who's guided the majority of Miles' comic adventures is his co-creator, Brian Michael Bendis. Along with fellow co-creator, Sara Pichelli, the prolific writer introduced the new Spider-Man to the world in the Ultimate Universe, had him meet the original Peter Parker in 2012's Spider-Men crossover, brought him to the Marvel Prime Universe following 2015's Secret Wars, and coordinated a reunion with Peter in last year's Spider-Men II. Now, after signing an exclusive contract with DC Comics, Bendis time as the primary writer for Miles Morales is fast coming to an end.

Before he departs, however, Bendis appears to be prepping Miles for a life-altering decision. The first clues were sown in the pages of Spider-Man and its Generations one-shot, and with the finale of Spider-Men II, we may be poised to see the teenage hero follow in his father's footsteps as he transitions from web-slinging to super-spying.

Spider-Man No More?

Over the better part of 2017, Miles began to question whether or not he should continue to follow in Peter Parker's footsteps as Spider-Man. Between his mother discovering he's Spider-Man and the beating he took at the hands of the gangster Hammerhead, Miles is finding it hard to juggle his personal and superhero lives. Right when Miles feels like he's "out of sorts," Ganke offers up an answer to what's going on with his best friend.

Ganke's line of thinking makes sense. "You're Spider-Man because [Peter] was Spider-Man first," Ganke explains to Miles. What if Miles was the first person to be bitten by a radioactive spider (or in Miles' case, a genetically altered spider)? Would he have automatically chosen to suit up and become everybody's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man without Peter's example? These questions have Miles reflecting on what it is he truly wants out of life. Yes, he's pretty good at being Spider-Man, but perhaps he's destined to carve out his own superhero legacy.

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Bendis kept this plotline moving in the Generations: Miles Morales Spider-Man & Peter Parker Spider-Man one-shot. This adventure saw Miles transported through time to interact with a college-aged Peter. The idea for the one-shots was that heroes would be sent to the past to learn a valuable lesson from their mentors, essentially serving as a springboard for Marvel Legacy.

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Miles found a younger Peter Parker during one of the lowest points of his early career. Aunt May was dying of a rare blood disease, and Doctor Octopus held the cure. During their fight, Doc Ock dropped an entire underground water laboratory down on Peter. Somehow, Peter found the strength to power out of the harrowing situation and get Aunt May the cure in time to save her life. The iconic shot of Peter lifting the rubble took place in Amazing Spider-Man in 1965, and was recreated in the cinematic film Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Before the one-shot ends, Miles comments that perhaps the reason he was sent back to the past was to experience how being Spider-Man was something personal to Peter. "Spider-Man is yours," Miles says. That sure sounds like a person who is beginning to reconsider the line of work he signed up for. Additionally, as Miles slips Peter's mask back into his sleeping hands, a panel shows Peter instinctively clutching the mask tighter, with a visible "SQUEEZE" sound effect. It's as if Bendis and artist Ramon Perez are reminding the reader that being Spider-Man is everything to Peter.

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Like Father, Like Son

Miles' father, Jefferson Davis, was previously an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. before his son was born. Jefferson tried to leave the spy life in his past to be a family man, but he recently offered up his services to the intelligence agency, in return for his son's safety. In a bit of irony, it was Miles who had to help his dad after a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. mission left him missing in an alternate dimension (which included a team-up with Spider-Gwen).

RELATED: Miles Morales Discovers the Shocking Identity of the Iron Spider

It was afterward that Ganke dropped the thought in Miles' head that he should consider giving up being Spider-Man. This led Miles on a soul-searching expedition to Tokyo, where a chance encounter with a street robbery drew the attention of Tomoe, the Techno Golem. The Inhuman ganglord invited Miles to her underground casino, where he ultimately brought the entire organization down, thanks to the gift of a tuxedo from a mysterious benefactor. This mystery figured turned out to be the time-traveling mutant Cable, who saw a bright future for Miles in the world of espionage.

Miles-Morales-Cable

Cable showing an interest in Miles is interesting for a couple of reasons. First, Cable is mostly known for being associated with the X-Men franchise, though he did spend a short amount of time as a member of the Avengers Unity Squad. He's hardly, if ever, spent much time interacting with the Spider-Man family of titles. Secondly, coming from the future, Cable has knowledge of how certain current-day events will transpire. He's got his good eye on Miles, and is looking to guide the superteen where his special talents would be best utilized, which is espionage. And that isn't a playground where one would normally see a Spider-Man.

His Own Man

Another possibility for Miles is seeing him adopt a brand new codename, essentially differentiating himself as just another Spider-Man in the Marvel Universe. We know Miles believes being Spider-Man is Peter's thing, and is putting some thought into Ganke's earlier comment regarding the matter. In the final pages of Spider-Men II, the topic came up again between the two best friends. "If you're not Spider-Man, what will you be?" Ganke asked. "What could possibly be better than being Spider-Man?" Miles' response was three simple words: "My own man." This scene played out while Miles tucked his Spider-Man outfit into his gym bag, almost as if to say, "out of sight, out of mind."

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Even if Miles decides to go the super-spy route, he will have to go by something besides "Spider-Man." Miles Morales, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. has a nice ring to it. Or, he could choose to go by his father's last name of Davis, like he did during his undercover Tokyo mission. If Miles decides to stay in the Spider-Man wheelhouse, he could opt for something like Spy-D, a reference to the web-slinger's shortened nickname.

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New Creative Team On The Horizon

As we mentioned earlier, Miles' current writer, Brian Michael Bendis, will go DC exclusive later this year. Fans are curious to find out what Marvel would do with his creations like Miles, Riri Williams and Jessica Jones upon his departure, and Bendis has reassured readers the publisher was giving him time to set up the characters for the next big thing.

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However, this statement doesn't confirm whether Miles will have an ongoing series post-Bendis, or if Marvel will move forward with Bendis’ intended plans without him. What if Marvel allows a new creator the freedom to come up with their own story, which has nothing to do with Miles becoming a super-spy or transitioning away from Spider-Man? Considering Miles' popularity, one doubt that can probably be put to bed is whether he will continue to star in an ongoing comic.

Miles Morales, Multimedia Star

2018 looks to be a big year for Miles Morales. Along with his comic exploits, he'll also headline the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse animated movie in December. While plot details remain scarce, we can surmise from the film's title and initial teaser trailer that Miles will interact with heroes from across the Spider-Verse, akin to the 2014 Marvel crossover event.

When/If Marvel decides to update Miles' superhero name, they could slip that into the film, to coincide with a reveal later in the year in the comics. Miles is also a guest-star in Marvel's Spider-Man on Disney XD, where a similar tactic can take place. Since Miles stars in television and film platforms, it makes sense to give him a new name for branding purposes. We may be seeing the beginning of a similar plan in Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, after its press release referred to Spider-Gwen as Ghost-Spider, a possible new moniker for the hero.

RELATED: How Generations & Legacy Turn Miles Morales' World Upside Down

We have a few more months to go before we learn Marvel's plans for Miles Morales going forward without Bendis. The writer is doing his part by teeing up several enticing scenarios for the Spider-Man, and it will be up to the publisher to decide what new path Miles will choose as he embarks on a bright future.