Marvel has released a preview of a new Miles Morales: Spider-Man comic, written by Bryan Edward Hill with art by Nico Leon, which the publisher is framing as confirmation that Miles is its best contemporary take on Spider-Man. The story matters to fans because the character, popularised on screen by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse, has increasingly been positioned as a distinct hero rather than simply a stand-in for Peter Parker, giving readers a version of Spider-Man defined by his own personality, powers and relationships.

Miles Morales was created in 2011 by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli, inspired partly by Donald Glover's character Troy in the sitcom Community. In the new issue's preview, the Brooklyn-based hero is shown balancing his intelligence and personal life, including a flirtatious project collaboration with Valentina, alongside his duties saving New Yorkers, such as rescuing a construction worker, underscoring the qualities that set him apart as his own version of the web-slinger.