New 'Spider-Man' Gets An Afro-Latino Twist

By Michael Lopez

A while back, we mentioned how Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso had wanted to incorporate a little more diversity into the company's line of comic books. And starting this week, he's carrying through on that promise with the introduction of Mario Morales, a new Afro-Latino Spider-Man.

Don't worry purists, good old Peter Parker will still exist in the traditional Spidey comics. But in the parallel universe that Marvel has created for its Ultimate Spider-Man comic, Mario will be the one climbing up walls and shooting out webs.

Launched back in 2000, Marvel's Ultimate line offers a fresh take on the brand's traditional super heroes. Here, new contemporary storylines could be born and beloved characters can be killed off without hesitation. Over the summer, Peter Parker bit the dust at the hands of the Green Goblin.

And this Wednesday, readers will get to meet his replacement. Though Marvel execs are staying tight-lipped on how exactly Mario got his web-slinging abilities, they did promise a fleshed out storyline within the next few months. All we know now is, he’s a teenager and he will be getting advice from classic Spidey icons like Gwen Stacy and Aunt Mae.

Alonso, for one, feels very excited about the transition, as he explained to USA Today.

"What you have is a Spider-Man for the 21st century who's reflective of our culture and diversity. We think that readers will fall in love with Miles Morales the same way they fell in love with Peter Parker."

And outside of his cultural background, writer Brian Michael Bendis promises that Morales will have different super powers as well. Though he only provided a few sketchy details about Mario's mysterious background.

"He's younger than Peter Parker, he's coming from a completely different background, a completely different world view," Bendis explained. "It's Peter Parker's death that inspires this kid to step up."

Who knows? Maybe if Morales becomes popular enough, Marvel can find a way to incorporate him into next summer’s highly-touted Avengers movie.

Are you excited about the first Afro-Latino Spider-Man? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Axel Alonso, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Comics, Mario Morales, Marvel, Spider Man, Ultimate Spider-Man