WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22 by Saladin Ahmed, Natacha Bustos, David Curiel & VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Miles Morales since he became Spider-Man, and a not-insignificant amount of that controversy surrounds his father and his name, Jefferson Davis.
While the fact that Miles Morales' father shared a name with the President of the Confederate States was deeply uncomfortable, that has officially changed. In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #22, Marvel has officially changed Jeferson's name to Jefferson Morales, with Jefferson himself acknowledging the baggage that comes with his old name and questioning why his parents named him that. Although he isn't any more specific as to the problematic nature of the name, it still serves as a milestone in the development of Jefferson's character.
The name change comes near the beginning of the issue when Jeff hangs up a sign that reads, "Welcome to the Morales Home." When Miles asked why it didn't say Davis-Morales, Jeff dropped a bombshell on his son, telling Miles that he changed his name legally to Jeff Morales. Jeff talked about the baggage from his life as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and touched briefly on the name itself, calling it tainted. According to Jeff, he has no idea why his parents named him that, but since they are gone he can't ask them. Jeff then said that they have been through a lot, and it is now time to start over.
When Jeff said he had no idea why his parents named him Jefferson Davis, he was indirectly addressing a question fans have asked for years. Since Jefferson first appeared in Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli's Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 in 2011, the curious decision and problematic nature of his name has only become more apparent as Miles has catapulted to the upper echelon of Marvel's heroes.
In the annals of American history, Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederate States from 1861-1865 and he owned over 100 slaves. At the conclusion of the Civil War, Davis was arrested and accused by President Andrew Johnson of being a conspirator in the murder of Abraham Lincoln. These facts made naming the father of one of Marvel's most prominent P.O.C. deeply questionable.
Marvel has never made any official statement regarding the controversy surrounding the name, but Jefferson's name remained the same, even as he evolved from being a police officer in the Ultimate Marvel Universe to a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in the mainstream Marvel Universe. However, the topic that mostly lived on in fan debates has finally been acknowledged in the comic. Jefferson clarified that the name was a bad choice, attributing it to his biological parents. But now, he is now officially Jefferson Morales, and one of the most controversial names in Marvel Comics has changed for the better.