Spider-Man is a hero who is largely molded by his personal relationships. In Insomniac’sMarvel’s Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker’s love interest is already cemented as Mary Jane, but the question still remains up in the air for Miles Morales. SinceSpider-Man 2features both versions of Spider-Man as playable characters, it seems likely that fans will get another deep exploration into Miles Morales and his cast of companions.
While Miles Morales has been paired in the past withGwen Stacy, notably absent from Insomniac’sSpider-Manseries, the game appears to lean in the direction of street artist Hailey Cooper for a love interest to match Harlem’s Spider-Man. However, there are a ton of other avenues the developers could take.
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Hailey Cooper Seems Like the Top Choice for Miles Morales
Despite only having a few minutes of in-game interaction, Hailey and Miles have emerged as the fan-favorite pairing. They are both strongly community-minded people, and even in her small role, Hailey already cemented herself as a brave, helpful counterpart to Spider-Man. Not only that, Miles andHailey’s communication through ASLhighlights a unique bond that could prove important - as Hailey is one of the few people that can communicate with Spider-Man with less chance of jeopardizing his identity.
The inclusion of Venom in the upcoming title suggests thesymbiote could infect either Spider-Man, so the relationship between Hailey and Miles seems primed to take on a more serious role. Hailey being confronted with a corrupted version of Miles and having to help him through the experience could be the perfect way to explore their relationship and dig deeper into Hailey as her own character. As their interactions thus far have been memorable but sugary sweet, a darker twist would help to flesh out both individuals.
Gwen Stacy, Other Heroes Could Appear in Spider-Man 2
Given the scope ofSpider-Man 2, the question of Miles Morales' love interest may be pushed to the side in an effort to giveother Spider-Man side charactersa chance to shine. If that’s the case, the introduction of Gwen Stacy seems inevitable, likely as Spider-Gwen to leave room for a third playable character in the future. As the plot currently stands, the inclusion of Spider-Gwen seems like a stretch, but such a move would make it so that the developers can explore the relationship between Stacy and Morales while always tying it to gameplay. While Gwen Stacy doesn’t seem as perfect a pairing as Hailey Cooper in this universe, it’s hard to deny the storytelling ease that would be associated with having two central characters interested in one another.
But Gwen Stacy isn’t the only heroic love interest that has been explored for Miles Morales. In comics, Miles has also shown his interest in Kamala Khan - aka Ms. Marvel, and was once datingKatie Bishop - an alternate reality version of the same character who became Hawkeye. Unlike Cooper or Stacy, the idea that Morales will end up with a superhero outside the Spider-Man mythos seems less reasonable.
On the off-chance that Insomniac is interested inexploring a Ms. Marvel gameor something similar, fans could end up seeing this unlikely pairing as a way to introduce a new series. While Insomniac has a handful of different approaches it could take, and other places they could draw inspiration from, it seems like the current trajectory presents Hailey Cooper as the most likely option.
