Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales walks a thin line between an expansion of 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man, and a standalone title in its own right. The game is focused around Miles Morales, one of the many characters who have taken on the mantle of Spider-Man in Marvel's Comics.
Miles first appears in Marvel's Spider-Man as an ally and protegee of Peter Parker's Spider-Man, who befriends the 17-year-old after his father's death. Although he is playable in some sections of the original title, Miles comes into his own in the sequel, having received similar powers to Spider-Man. Although many of the characters in the new title are carried over from the comics, there are a couple of new additions. One of these is Miles' friend Phin Mason, though as the story progresses, it becomes clear that Phin isn't as original as she appears to be.
The Childhood Friend
Phin Mason is one of Miles' oldest friends in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and very possibly his love interest. The two grew up together in New York, and became best friends at school. It was there that they worked together to win the "Spacebound Young Researchers Award."
Phin also has an older brother, Rick Mason, who is another of Miles' childhood friends. It's Rick's death at the hands of the negligent Roxxon corporation that kickstarts the main plot of Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Over the course of the game it's revealed that Rick discovered the hazardous side-effects of Nuform, Roxxon's new energy source, and was killed after trying to pull the plug on the project. In order to take revenge against Roxxon for his death, particularly against CEO Simon Krieger, Phin assumes the identity of "The Tinkerer."
The Tinkerer
In her role as The Tinkerer, Phin designs and builds a variety of powerful gadgets. She uses these to outfit both herself and The Underground, a high-tech terrorist group, who join her in her vendetta against Roxxon. It's their private war with the energy company that brings Miles Morales into the fight, as their battles spill over into the city streets.
After realizing the identity of The Tinkerer, and the reason for her vendetta, Miles must face the difficult task of foiling his best friend's plot. Phin's ultimate plan to destroy Roxxon involves blowing up the newly-built Roxxon Energy Plaza with an overloaded cannister of their own Nuform energy. Thereby proving to the public just how dangerous Nuform is.
However, what Phin doesn't know is that classic villain Simon Krieger has modified the reactor in the plaza, and going through with her plan won't just destroy the building, but all of Harlem. Blinded by rage, Phin ignores Miles' warnings and fights him off in order to activate the Nuform. However, once she realizes that he was telling the truth, she sacrifices herself to detonate the Nuform high above the city, saving Harlem.
In Other Media
While The Tinkerer is a classic Spider-Man villain, the version in Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is very unusual. For starters, Phin Mason is normally Phineas Mason, an older male inventor with the same brilliant intellect and a talent for creating advanced weaponry. Rather than fight Spider-Man directly, in the comics The Tinkerer normally takes on a support role, supplying other villains with his inventions.
The Tinkerer also fulfilled this role in the Spider-Man: Homecoming movie, in which he was portrayed by Michael Chernus. In the movie, Peter Parker attempts to stop Phineas' boss, Adrian Toomes, from selling alien tech repurposed by The Tinkerer. Although his associates are defeated and arrested by the end of the movie, Phineas' fate remains unknown.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales releases on November 12, 2020, for PS4 and PS5.
