Rather than continuing Peter Parker's story right away, players will be web-slinging as another Spider-Man on PS5 first. Spider-Man: Miles Morales, a standalone story in the same universe as the PS4 game, will have the titular new hero learn to be the iconic Marvel hero while Peter is away. While Miles' story may have some similar beats compared to the first Spider-Man game from 2018, Mr. Morales' version of Spider-Man is very different from Peter Parker in a lot of distinct ways.
Typically, the standard archetype of Spider-Man is usually associated with Peter Parker, which makes sense. He was the first to take on the role of Spider-Man in the comics, so many consider his abilities to be the gold standard of the character. While Miles has a lot of the familiar trappings of Spider-Man like web shooting and web slinging, he has several distinct abilities that make his depiction of the hero very unique. Here's how the two Spider-Men compare based on their abilities, and what makes each of their portrayals unique come Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
The Staples of Spider-Man
Starting with the obvious similarities, Spider-Man always has the abilities to swing from a web and shoot webs at enemies to bind them. Spider-Man will always retain the superhuman strength, endurance, and agility the character is known for unless it's a significantly different spin-off. In the case of Miles Morales, while he does have very unique abilities that make his Spider-Man unique, his core attributes will always mimic the original Spider-Man. Things like Spider-Man's endurance or agility are a staple of the character in nearly all depictions so obviously these aspects would never be changed. Granted, the two may have slight differences in the way they move or fight, but both Miles and Peter will always have these powers inherent to the superhero.
Originally Miles was a character in the alternate Ultimate Marvel continuity, but was later included in the main Marvel universe. Lore-wise, there's a specific reason why Miles and Peter's version of the superhero are quite different from one another. According to the comics, Miles Morales is bitten by a different genetically engineered spider that has some different attributes. While the two retain some of the basic spider-inspired web abilities, that's where most of the similarities end.
Miles Morales' Version of the Hero
Even though their core capabilities share many similarities, there's a few key abilities that Miles' version of Spider-Man has that Peter Parker simply does not. For offensive abilities, Miles Morales has a unique "Venom Strike" attack that he can use to incapacitate foes. The "venom" portion of the name is just for stylistic flair, as the strike is more akin to an electromagnetic attack, and no poisoning/venom is actually applied. Miles can use this ability to stun enemies for a takedown, and with experience, he is typically able to control the amount of power is in each venom strike. He can also use venom strike to break or repel certain objects depending on the material.
Miles also has the unique ability of camouflage, allowing him to blend in with his surroundings and utilize stealth tactics. This particular ability varies in application; Miles' camouflage ability either allows him to physically disappear to the naked eye entirely, or its a combination of his surroundings that allows him to seamlessly blend with whatever he's around. Miles' camouflage ability not only applies to his skin or Spider-suit, but his normal clothes as well. While the science behind that isn't exactly proven or explained in Spider-Man or Marvel lore, theories claim that the cells in his body can expand out to the cells in the fabrics of his clothes as well.
Peter Parker only has one specific ability that's better than Miles' capabilities, which is his Spider-Sense. Peter's spider-sense is more acute than Miles' sense, meaning Miles can only anticipate more immediate danger whereas Peter's spider-sense can warn him much farther ahead of time. Miles has exhibited better spider-sense in key moments throughout the Marvel continuity, but only in short bursts.
A New Spider-Man, For Now
Now in terms of the game Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Insomniac Games has confirmed all of Miles' canon abilities will carry over into his in-game abilities as well. Both the Venom Strike and Camouflage abilities will be available to players throughout the game, presumably with their own respective upgrade trees like in PS4's Spider-Man. Even in the reveal trailer some of these abilities are shown off in quick glimpses, most prominently Miles' Venom Strike. As far as we know, these abilities basically resemble their canon representations in the comics, though that could change when Insomniac shows more off from the game.
Miles Morales' version of Spider-Man basically has more specific abilities that only he can utilize, but only slightly lacks in certain areas where Peter Parker's Spider-Man shines. Differentiating the two was key when developing Miles' original character, so having Miles inherit his abilities from the comics in Spider-Man: Miles Morales truly shakes up the gameplay of the original in an interesting way.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales launches exclusively for the PlayStation 5 in holiday 2020.
