With the release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Sony’s Spider-Man universe needs a Spider-Man, but the web-slinger should be Miles Morales, not Peter Parker. 2018’s Venom and 2021’s Let There Be Carnage each center on characters whose comic counterparts are defined by their relation to Marvel’s flagship character, Spider-Man. The films established new versions of Eddie Brock and Cletus Kassady, each with no confirmed relation to Spider-Man and whose symbiotes have no relation to him either, robbing them of the spider powers they’d had in the comic source material.
While Spider-Man doesn’t appear in Venom, its sequel features a shocking post-credits scene. Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote are transported into another reality, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Still confused about what happened, Eddie and Venom watch a news broadcast of J. Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons) revealing to the world that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, and the symbiote seems strangely familiar with the web-slinger. With two Venom films released and Morbius and Sinister Six films on the way, Sony will need a Spider-Man of its own sooner or later, and Miles Morales would be a better choice than another iteration of Peter Parker for several reasons.
By having Venom teleported into the MCU, Sony establishes that their Spider-Man movies do not take place in that continuity. Venom’s teleportation likely ties into Doctor Strange’s multiverse-affecting spell in Spider-Man: No Way Home and Venom may have his first encounter with a Spider-Man in the upcoming film. When Venom presumably returns to his home continuity, he will need to face his Spider-Man eventually, and Miles Morales would be a different hero for Eddie to face, one with an established fan base who’d give Sony a new Spider-Man without making the repetitive decision of creating yet another Peter Parker.
Introduced in the Ultimate Marvel comic universe, Miles Morales took the mantle of Spider-Man following Peter’s apparent death. With unique superpowers, a new outfit, and a likable characterization, Miles quickly became a fan-favorite Marvel hero. Miles made his cinematic debut in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, but he has yet to make a live-action debut, despite being indirectly mentioned in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Making Miles the Spider-Man of Sony’s universe would be a well-earned payoff to years of well-received Miles Morales stories.
Assuming that Venom faces off against Spider-Man during his time in the MCU, it may also feel repetitive to have him come into contact with a different version of Peter Parker in the Sony universe. Miles Morales, despite sharing many of the same powers as Peter Parker, has a different personality and would be a different sort of enemy (or begrudging ally) to Venom in his future solo outings.
Longtime Spider-Man viewers may also be tired of seeing new versions of Peter Parker introduced, given the three major cinematic iterations of him and the MCU’s avoidance of telling Peter’s origin story a third time. The Venom symbiote may be familiar with Peter Parker because of its ability to perceive the multiverse (and given the Sam Raimi version of Venom having fought a Spider-Man), but introducing a live-action Miles would break new ground for viewers and Venom. After Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Sony needs a Spider-Man for their universe, and Miles Morales is their best choice.
