Here’s How & Why Miles Morales Has Electricity Powers

Marvel Comics has countless universes apart from the main continuity – the Earth-616 universe. However, character versions from different universes keep coming into the main continuity with new power sets – like Miles Morales’ Spider-Man. Morales possesses powers that Peter Parker’s Spidey doesn’t, but how and why does Miles Morales have electricity powers?

Miles Morales gained his powers similar to Peter Parker – getting bit by a radioactive, genetically-modified spider. The bite gave him similar powers to Parker, but seeing the spider was different; the results were different, too. Hence, Miles gained the bio-electric ‘stings’ that mimic a spider’s sting.

Now, those powers, at first, manifested as electric shocks of varying strength coming out of Morales’ hands, but as he grew more and more accustomed to his powers and started exploring his boundaries, his electricity powers blossomed into a whole new stratosphere of power. Here’s everything you need to know about Miles Morales’s unique electricity powers.

About Miles Morales

Miles Morales is a fairly new character in Marvel Comics, having first appeared in ‘Ultimate Fallout #4’ in 2011. He is a 13-year-old version of Spider-Man from Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, Earth-1610. Over time, he became a part of the main Earth-616 continuity, but his origins stem elsewhere.

Miles is a boy from a biracial family born to a Puerto Rican mother and an African American father. Those who don’t read comics might know Miles Morales from the Academy Award-winning animated movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, while others might know him as Kid Arachnid from the Disney XD show Ultimate Spider-Man.

The character also appeared as the main protagonist in the Spider-Man: Miles Morales video game after having a part in Marvel’s Spider-Man game in 2018, where he worked alongside Peter Parker, who helped him get accustomed to his newfound powers.

Miles was just a teenage boy when he was bitten by ‘Experiment 42’ – a biogenetically-altered spider created by Norman Osborn’s Oscorp that escaped his enclosure. Like Peter Parker, the bite didn’t take long to alter Miles’s DNA profile and manifest spider-like powers.

Miles Morales and Peter Parker share most of the same awesome powers, such as incredible superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, balance, wall/ceiling crawling, high jumping, and near-precognitive reflexes, known as the Spider-Sense.

However, Miles Morales has some additional powers that Peter Parker doesn’t have, and most of them are connected to his unique, powerful electricity-based abilities.

How does Miles Morales have electricity powers?

Miles Morales’s electricity powers came from the spider bite that gave him his other powers. It’s not biologically accurate, as I’m unaware of a spider species that can produce electricity, but remember that the spider was genetically altered and experimented on – hence, anything was possible.

Miles’s electricity powers are also known as his Venom Blasts. Essentially, Miles can produce electricity through a process called bio-electrogenesis and channel it through his hands and fingers in the form of powerful blasts.

At first, Miles could only use those electrical powers as ‘stings’ – similar to a spider’s sting – that can vary in power, depending on how much energy Morales channels. It could be mild, used to stun an enemy, or powerful enough to separate a Symbiote from its host’s body – which requires incredible energy.

As the years went on, Miles Morales continued to explore the limitations of his powers – as did Peter Parker in his own time. He realized that the Venom Blast – aka his electricity powers – could be used in a number of different ways, not just shocks or stings through his fingertips.

That’s when Miles developed his Venom Punch – essentially, channeling the electric energy into his fists to amplify his punching power significantly. He could also create channeled threads throughout his fingertips, allowing Morales to use his electric powers from a distance. He can also send shocks through solid objects to stun an enemy touching the object.

Miles’s electricity powers keep expanding as he keeps pushing his boundaries and finding new ways to channel his powers. 

Why does Miles Morales have electricity powers?

Now that we know how Miles Morales got his electricity-based powers, the question that remains is – why? There’s no biological reason for a spider-based character to have electric blasts, as spiders aren’t really known for their electrical properties. So, how come the writers opted for electricity powers when it comes to Morales?

Well, at first, the electrical blasts were envisioned as ‘stings’ – similar to a spider’s venomous stinger. The venom varies with each spider – some are incredibly strong and can even kill, while others only cause pain or stun the victim. Their effects manifest in different ways as well – the same way Miles’s electricity manifests in a bunch of different ways.

Essentially, I believe that the writers opted to give Miles electricity powers instead of a venomous sting because that’s not really a heroic feat to have, right? Imagine a superhero who injects venom into anyone he ever fights – it just seems too brutal.

That’s the main reason why Miles Morales has electricity powers – they wanted to do something different with the character, but at the same time, they needed something that could grow or diminish based on what the storyline requires.

Also, they wanted to make Miles Morales different – perhaps even greater than our good old Peter Parker. And I get that – if Miles was basically the same character as Peter, then what’s the point? Still, I do believe things are starting to go just a little too far…

Other unique Miles Morales powers

Even without electricity, there are some things that Miles Morales can do, but other Spideys – including Peter Parker – cannot. One of the most epic powers that other Spider-Men don’t have, but Morales has, is the art of camouflage.

Miles can blend into his surrounding seamlessly, including his clothes, which allows him to be practically invisible. He uses it for stealth – sneaking up on enemies or fleeing from them.

While it was never completely explained how Miles can do what he does (or, at least to my memory), we can speculate based on his other powers. It’s not simply a bodily pigmentation change such as in a chameleon because Miles’ clothes go invisible as well.

Instead – seeing that he has all those electricity powers, I believe that Miles can use the electromagnetic field his body produces to somehow reflect and break the light around him, creating an illusion of invisibility.

Another thing I must mention is just how far the writers are taking Miles’s electricity skills and powers. For instance, his Mega Venom Blast can destroy an entire Hydra laboratory when Morales uses it only once. It leaves him exhausted, but it’s insanely powerful.

Then you have the energy threads coming out of his fingers. Miles has to use artificial web-shooters to produce webbing, but he can produce threads made purely out of electric energy as he did in ‘Spider-Man Vol. 2 #235’, and he can basically swing around on them, capture and stun enemies, etc.

But lastly, while Miles fought a new villain named Rabble in ‘Miles Morales: Spider-Man Vol. 2 #5’, he realized that he could form bio-electric constructs from his electric energy powers. He literally created a bio-electric sword and used it to attack Rabble.

That’s what I meant when I said that the electricity thing is going a bit too far, but that’s just my opinion. I just can’t wait to see what the writers come up with for Miles Morales and ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,’ which comes out in theaters on June 2, 2023.

What do you think about Miles’ electric powers? Let us know in the comments!