What Does 'Miles Morales Is Miles Morales' Mean? The 'Peter Parker Is Spider-Man' Controversy Explained

The new PlayStation 5 exclusive game Spider-Man 2 game is getting rave reviews from players, but not everyone is satisfied. In particular, some content creators on X are voicing their opinions on Insomniac games' decision to focus on Miles Morales' Spider-Man going forward, using the confusing phrase "Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Miles Morales is Miles Morales." So what do they mean by that? Here's what you need to know.

What Does 'Peter Parker Is Spider-Man, Miles Morales Is Miles Morales' Mean?

The phrase "Peter Parker is Spider-Man, Miles Morales is Miles Morales" was popularized back in 2021 by YouTuber Nerdrotics, best known for his videos where he voices his opinions on various Marvel comics properties. That December, he made a post to X simply reading, "Spider-Man is Peter Parker. Miles Morales is Miles Morales," sparking debates in the comments, with some accusing Nerdrotics of being racist.

Nerdrotics explained the phrase in a video, claiming his motivation was to "state the perception of the character" based on his perception of owning a comic shop. In his opinion, Marvel is trying to replace Peter Parker with Morales, but "9-out-of-10" people think of Peter Parker when you say Spider-Man, not Morales. He says the phrase "doesn't mean Miles Morales isn't a Spider-Man," he's just not the Spider-Man.

Many assume that Nerdrotics' opinion is based in racism because Morales is Black. On top of that, Nerrotics used the similar phrase "Steve Rogers is Captain America" when Sam Wilson, played by Black actor Anthony Mackie, replaced the hero in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Despite this, the phrase has spread across social media over the past few years as a way to protest Marvel's focus on Morales as the new "main" Spider-Man.

How Is 'Miles Morales Is Miles Morales' Used Online?

The phrase is mostly used to protest Marvel's increasing focus on Miles Morales as Spider-Man, despite also regularly making Spider-Man content with Peter Parker. Seemingly, whenever the phrase is used online, it sparks debates and arguments as Morales supporters claim that the phrase is racist. In their eyes, the hate for Morales is driven by racism.

Lately, the phrase has come back into popularity on sites like X following the release of Insomniac Games' critically acclaimed game Spider-Man 2, which allows players to play as both Parker and Morales. Recently in an interview, writers for the game announced they would focus on Morales as the "main" Spider-Man in their future games, which ruffled some players' feathers, who saw it as a further move to replace Parker with Morales.

One YouTuber in particular, Melonie Mac Go Boom, went viral in the worst way for supporting the phrase in a recent video. Her opinion inspired a whole new influx of memes claiming she and the phrase in general are racist.

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For the full history of Miles Morales is Miles Morales, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.