The Death Of Spider-Man Miles Morales Revealed By Marvel

Marvel's new line of The End comic one-shots explores the 'final story' of various number superheroes -- imagining what it would be like if characters could actually have ends, deaths, and closing arcs (instead of essentially never dying, with only temporary changes to their status quo). And in Miles Morales: The End, fans get to witness the death of Spider-Man himself, Miles Morales.

At present in the Marvel Universe, Morales is still fighting crime as one of the younger and newer heroes. Having just welcomed his baby sister, Billie Morales to Marvel Comics, and set to take on a major role in the new Champions series, seeing the end of the once-Ultimate Spider-Man is a heartbreaking shock.

After protecting the people of Brooklyn as their mayor and protector for years, Miles gives it his all in one last battle to protect what's left of mankind. Now an old man, Miles lives in a world where most of the population has been ravaged due to the emergence of super-germs. Not only that, but Miles also protects the sanctuary of Brooklyn from a rogue force known as the One America Army. Led by a corrupt imitation of Captain America, Captain Last. In their initial fight, Miles and his troops easily handle Last and his army, keeping them away from Brooklyn and the large dome protecting it from threats, including the germs.

However, Captain Last returns, having taken a serum to fuse himself with the germs without dying, supercharging him and allowing him to break through the dome. With the One America Army pouring through and threatening to destroy everything Miles and his people have worked to build, Spider-Man makes his last stand. He gives everything he has to protect this holdout for humanity, delivering one last massive bioelectric charge and taking out Captain Last's monstrous form once and for all. Unfortunately, but heroically, this was at the expense of his own life. The people of Brooklyn live on and survive, honoring his memory.

What's really great about this one-shot is how well writer Saladin Ahmed captures Miles' character despite him having reached old age. He carries his responsibilities as mayor and protector well with maturity, all while still having a spark of positivity and desire to make sure his people are happy beyond just being safe. Likewise, artist Damion Scott succeeds in creating a stark contrast between the darkness the world now resides in, and the brightness of what Miles and his people have built in spite of it. Scott's depiction of Miles' new upgraded Spider suit is pretty cool as well.

It's pretty interesting to see the life of a currently young and new hero's life fast-forwarded to old age and fighting his last fight. Miles Morales has come onto the scene recently in Marvel Comics within the last decade, having been one of the few Ultimate Universe heroes to make the jump to the standard continuity 616 universe. Now, he has original Spider-Man Peter Parker as a mentor and friend, and fights alongside other young teen heroes such as Kamala Khan and Amadeus Cho.