Would It Work...

[Digifiend]

If Marvel takes the financial risk of putting their flagship character on ice again, it would have to be for a new character taking over ASM's place like Otto. Miles wouldn't work because we already get Miles and he has his own space, therefore instead of getting something truly new and different for a while, we're just losing something.

Yeah, Peter has two ongoing solo books. No way Miles would take over both. Amazing yes, but the other one would just be axed as he already has a book and thus would have two.

[Mister Mets]

DC does legacy characters all the time. Even the resets back to the "old" Flash and Green Latern were resets back to legacy characters.

Marvel's married itself so strongly to this singular timeline, that that may be the problem. If Miles had stayed in his own universe, and Marvel had made a genuine effort to sell 1610 as just as legitimate as 616, we could have watched how it shook out over the years.

DC isn't swapping out their big characters for legacies. There's a difference between launching Barry Allen several years after the cancellation of the Jay Garrick Flash, or even swapping out Barry Allen for Wally West, and getting rid of Spider-Man.

Peter Parker is a bigger and better character.

[Frontier]

I think it could work in a limited sense - think Dick Grayson running the show for a year and a half during Morrison's run - but Peter will always be the one everyone not reading comics monthly will know. It couldn't/wouldn't last. But as a story conceit, sure - Miles was a competent and believable lead in Spidergeddon and there'd be plenty of interesting stories with him bouncing off Peter's rogues, trying to work with Jonah, etc. As mentioned above, it'd also need to be a believable reason for Peter to not be around - "Oh, MJ and I are going to work on us" wouldn't work.

I think that gets into one of the issues I could conceivably see with Miles taking over as sole Spider-Man...would he have to carry both Peter's supporting cast as well as his own? Including villains?

I think it could work just fine. Miles has an iconic outfit, a fairly simple origin (either inspired by Peter's sacrifice or motivated by altruism inspired by Spider-man) which lends itself to a unique take, Miles has a unique power to him, and you don't necessarily require a unique rogues gallery. Miles in pretty much every way is designed to eventually succeed Peter Parker.

Miles is designed to really work well in a universe where Peter is dead and he's the only Spider-Man.

I don't think Miles could support a flat-out takeover, but a "dynamic duo" works seeing as it does sell as ITSV proved.

I don't think they were really much of a "dynamic duo" in that movie. That was more him and Gwen in my opinion.

Besides the whole endgame of ITSV was leaving Miles and Peter alone in their respective universes instead of inhabiting the same one.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

There are some villains like Aaron Davis Prowler who work better with Miles than they will with Peter. Just like Kingpin fundamentally works far better with Daredevil than with Spider-Man any day of the week.

A good writer can reconfigure some villains, especially Roderick Kingsley into Miles villains. Kingsley can become for Miles the character he once was for Peter and now can never be again.

So if you do that, then it can work.

[Snoop Dogg]

make jonah spider-man for two years

[Frontier]

There are some villains like Aaron Davis Prowler who work better with Miles than they will with Peter. Just like Kingpin fundamentally works far better with Daredevil than with Spider-Man any day of the week.

Peter doesn't need Aaron. He has Hobie.

Kingpin works fairly well as a Spider-Man villain. It's not the deep enmity he has with Daredevil, but it works.

A good writer can reconfigure some villains, especially Roderick Kingsley into Miles villains. Kingsley can become for Miles the character he once was for Peter and now can never be again.

As far as a fresh slate I think Hobgoblin could work with Miles (and let's face it, the Hobgoblin in that Sinister Six arc in Bendis' run was Macendale, not Kingsley), but I'd rather give Miles an original Goblin villain if he has to have one.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

Peter doesn't need Aaron. He has Hobie.

Huh...Hobie Brown is a long-since reformed character who hasn't been a villain since the days of Lee-Romita, who reformed him and made that an essential part of his character.

Kingpin works fairly well as a Spider-Man villain. It's not the deep enmity he has with Daredevil, but it works.

You know Kingpin might work better against Miles come to think of it.

As far as a fresh slate I think Hobgoblin could work with Miles (and let's face it, the Hobgoblin in that Sinister Six arc in Bendis' run was Macendale, not Kingsley), but I'd rather give Miles an original Goblin villain if he has to have one.

One way of setting Miles as "legacy but Peter's true heir" which he is, is to have him set up against someone who has gone against Peter and held his own. Kingsley fits that well. Have Miles Morales go after him. And having two guys who are more or less legacies for Peter and Norman Osborn would be a great dynamic.

[Snoop Dogg]

what if we put all the spider-characters in a glass dome and have them fight to the death for franchise dominance

like japanese beetle fighting, each of the characters' writers can massage them with a brush that will active their fighting hormones

my money's on kaine

[a moment closer]

It worked in the Ultimate Universe but it won't work in the 616 for long. Five to Ten years max if Marvel decided to go that route for some reason. And, why?

Miles is Spider-Man in his own solo and the Champions book.
Peter is Spider-Man in Amazing, Friendly Neighborhood, Symbiote, Spider-Man/Deadpool, various video game titles, War of the Realms, and other team-up books. He sells!
Gwen Stacy is Ghost Spider in her solo book.
Silk is in the Agents of Atlas book.
Jessica Drew is Spider-Woman in the upcoming Strikeforce book.
Eddie Brock is Venom in his solo book and the Savage Avengers.
The Absolute Carnage event has numerous symbiotes or ex-symbiotes.
And last but not least, Otto Octavius is the Superior Spider-Man in his solo book.

That's a lot of books being sold at once and it's f'ing great! Why mess that up just so Miles can be the main Spider-Man?

[boots]

what if we put all the spider-characters in a glass dome and have them fight to the death for franchise dominance

like japanese beetle fighting, each of the characters' writers can massage them with a brush that will active their fighting hormones

my money's on kaine

at least there's one voice of reason around here

[Jman27]

maybe if peter was permanently done with the franchise and they dont include him anymore. But it will take time maybe years. But new things dont stick for more than 2 years at most

[Frontier]

Huh...Hobie Brown is a long-since reformed character who hasn't been a villain since the days of Lee-Romita, who reformed him and made that an essential part of his character.

And he's all Peter's .

You know Kingpin might work better against Miles come to think of it.

In so much as he worked for Peter.

One way of setting Miles as "legacy but Peter's true heir" which he is, is to have him set up against someone who has gone against Peter and held his own. Kingsley fits that well. Have Miles Morales go after him. And having two guys who are more or less legacies for Peter and Norman Osborn would be a great dynamic.

I think Miles is definitely part of Peter's legacy but I wouldn't call him his "true heir," at least in 616. He'll never really be that in 616 and I don't think that's the relationship dynamic they have right now.

Miles has already fought a few of Peter's villains by now. I don't disagree that Miles vs. Kingsley would be interesting though, but I think Harry was more Norman's legacy then Kingsley was (at least as far as intention).

what if we put all the spider-characters in a glass dome and have them fight to the death for franchise dominance

like japanese beetle fighting, each of the characters' writers can massage them with a brush that will active their fighting hormones

my money's on kaine

This sounds like the ANAD era .

[Tycon]

make jonah spider-man for two years

instead of Gordon Bat-Bunny we get Jonah Spider-Hare

[kingaliencracker]

I guess they could do it, but why would they? The Peter Parker incarnation of Spider-Man is doing just fine, sales and popularity wise. Miles himself is doing just fine as the second Spider-Man with Peter still active.

Do I think they could do it and not miss a beat, or perhaps even increase sales? Perhaps temporarily, just as the Clone Saga did. But I think after a few months fans will want Peter Parker back. There are some characters you just can't replace.

[Revolutionary_Jack]

In any case, Miles Morales wasn't imported to 616 to replace Peter Parker. He was imported because Marvel felt they created a classic character and having him corralled in a continuity that was on the way down wasn't much if they could simply import him to 616 instead. Miles is the biggest new Spider-Man character since Venom and Carnage. What distinguishes Miles Morales and makes him Peter's one true legacy is that he adds to Peter's story without subtracting from it. Whereas that's not the case with the other candidates.

Ben Reilly is a subtraction, Dr. Octopus is a double subtraction (since he removed Peter from his title while also removing himself from the rogues gallery), and even Mayday Parker/Spider-Girl is a subtraction since for her to be Spider-Girl, Peter needs to be older and retired. In these cases, the characters existence and purpose either comes at the expense of Peter being the active Spider-Man, or in the case of Dr. Octopus, at the expense of a popular iconic Ditko rogue.

Whereas you can have Miles as a teenage Spider-Man and Peter as the grownup adult Spider-Man and you can have a contrast and dynamic between them that illustrates some differences and similarities. In the case of Miles, Peter can see Miles and see both a success (his legacy as Spider-Man is meaningful and found value in the generation directly succeeding his) but also a kind of failure (since obviously Peter's not going to be the last guy with his powers and his responsibility which he would feel is some kind of failure on his part). So there's a poignancy in their interactions. The Spider-Man PS4 game captures that well, that mixed emotions. Right now, writers haven't tapped into that very well but it's there for the taking.