WARNING: The following article contains spoilers from Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30, on sale now from Marvel Comics.
Miles Morales debuted as Spider-Man ten years ago in a story in Ultimate Fallout #4 story by Brian Michael Bendis, Sara Pichelli, and Justin Ponsor. It would only seem fitting that after everything Miles has been through since taking on the Spider-Man mantle that he would get an update to his costume, especially after recent events.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30, by Saladin Ahmed, Carmen Carnero, Erick Arciniega and VC’s Cory Petit, does just that, with a new suit that is a refreshing change-up to traditional superhero costumes in the past. Debuting on the last page of the previous issue, Miles’ new suit is comprised of a baggy sweatshirt with a gaiter that goes up to his mouth and high-top sneakers. While it is completely new to the comics world, Miles' suit draws on several design elements that were part of his PlayStation 5 game.
Over the past decade, Miles has had a difficult introduction into superhero life. He carried the guilt of not being able to save his mother from Venom. His father rejected him when Miles revealed his secret identity, blaming him for his uncle and mother’s death. When his universe was destroyed, he was transported to Doom’s Battleworld during Secret Wars. The result was a merging of all universes to create one primary universe, where Miles was surprised by the fact that his mother and uncle were still alive. Grateful, he easily adjusted to this new world as everything else in his life was basically the same. Since then, he has doubted himself during Civil War II’s revelation that he was going to murder Captain America, created a group of young heroes with Ms. Marvel called the Champions, and has even turned into Captain Universe during Spider-Geddon.
His new costume is a result of his most recent arc, his own personal Clone Saga. After rescuing his sister Billie from his even clone Selim, his original black and red suit was in tatters. Instead of returning to the original suit design which he felt was exploited by Selim, he wanted something to restore the city’s faith in Spider-Man. With the help of a designer named Kenneth, Miles did not go long without a costume. Rather than taking a more traditional, form-fitting approach, Miles’ new costume is much more appropriate to Miles’ personality. While superhero suits are usually tight, spandex suits, the new suit made for Miles seems inspired by his real-world clothes -- from his baggy crewneck down to his high-top basketball sneakers.
Building off of similar elements in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, his new costume shares many of the traits those who have played the PS5 video game Miles Morales: Spider-Man. The second installment to the Spider-Man games offers Miles's perspective as he begins his hero’s journey, while giving players the chance to create new suits that offer modifications and abilities. Many of these variations include designs that are more in line with Miles’ style, like sweatshirts, baggy pants and high-top sneakers. One that especially comes to mind is the ‘Bodega Cat Costume’ that includes a baggy sweatshirt over Miles’ costume along with running shoes.
While a back-up story from this issue and other flash-forwards have indicated that Miles will eventually return to his traditional costume, this new design is a refreshing take on the superhero suit approach and could pave the way to seeing other new variations to costumes in the Marvel community.