Miles Morales is one of the most interesting characters in Spider-Man comics. He's a clever, young, up-and-coming hero from another universe entirely, and he's already been leaving his mark on Earth-616. After all, his timely intervention in Secret Wars helped ensure that the multiverse would continue to exist in the first place.
Unfortunately, despite his many accomplishments, Miles has been living in the shadow of his predecessor, Peter Parker. Ever since he first put on the Spider-Man mask, he has had to live up to expectations and to the legacy of his fellow hero. Still, there are some things that Miles can do to escape Peter's shadow.
10 Leave New York City
New York City has always been home to Marvel's many Spider-Men. Considering how many supervillains are in the city, it makes sense that Miles would stick around too. Yet it certainly doesn't help him stand apart when he's in the exact same city that Peter Parker and so many other heroes call their own.
Miles has tried to do his best to stand apart by sticking to Brooklyn. It does help differentiate him from the Queens and Manhattan-based Peter, but it just isn't far enough. Miles really needs to head somewhere where he'll be the only Spider-Man around.
9 Return To The Ultimate Universe
Part of what distinguished Miles was that he was originally the last Spider-Man. After Peter died in the Ultimate universe, Miles was able to lead one of the best Ultimate comics. He was the only Spider-Man around, and he was able to wrestle with the true meaning of the Web-Slinger's legacy.
Now though, Peter is around. Miles' status as the surviving Spider-Man has gone to the wayside, taking away a major reason for putting on the mask. If Miles can get back to the Ultimate universe, he would finally have a place in the wide worlds of Marvel again.
8 Develop His Own Rogue Squad
Outside of Prowler, who has proven to be an extraordinary villain, Miles really doesn't have a group of rogues of his own. He's faced off against Carnage, Scorpion, and Rhino in the past. None of them stand out as anything more than generic Peter Parker villains.
Superheroes are only as good as their villains, and Miles just doesn't have many villains of his own. It's a problem that has led to him borrowing from Peter's arcs, and it's limiting Miles. He needs to start getting some villains who are uniquely his own, or he'll always just play second fiddle to Peter.
7 Focus On The Champions
While Peter does sometimes join teams like the Fantastic Four and the Avengers, he's usually better known as a solo hero. Miles, on the other hand, can continue to set himself apart as a team-based hero. It certainly helps that he's already a member of the Champions.
The Champions are already better than the Avengers, because they're a team of kids just trying to do their best. They have unique challenges and complex roles in the Marvel universe. If Miles just sticks to that team, he can prove that he's more than just a copy of Peter. Alongside his fellow founders, Kamala Khan and Sam Alexander, they can carve out a place of their own.
6 Take Off The Mask
Peter is a hero who refuses to give away his identity. He has a family to protect and a legacy that would suffer if anyone finds out who he is. Miles, meanwhile, has the same problems, but that doesn't mean that he needs to react to it the same way that Peter does.
If Miles takes off the mask and permanently gives away his identity, he can have new challenges of his own. No longer will Miles be able to suffer through the same plots that Peter does. Instead, that key factor will make a clear difference in their lives. Miles will need to protect his family in his own way, while Peter focuses on his own strategy. It can even offer some fun interactions between the two, as Miles' outing forces them to diverge.
5 Get A Lasting Love Interest
Spider-Man has always struggled with his love life. While Peter Parker has had a long string of canon girlfriends, he struggles to stay with one for very long. Gwen Stacy died, his marriage to MJ was erased from existence, and his other relationships fall apart after too long.
Miles can escape Peter's shadow by actually settling down. He can explore relationships like a typical teenager, and then he can find a lasting love interest that he can actually stick with. After all, if Peter is never allowed to settle down, that doesn't mean that Miles can't. Eventually, if Miles can start a family, while Peter stays a bachelor, it will easily distinguish him.
4 Develop More Multiversal Connections
Miles is one of the few characters to swing over to the 616 universe from the Ultimate universe. That makes him unique among Marvel's heroes, and it should be something that gets a little more exploration. After all, Peter's just a regular 616 citizen, so emphasizing Miles' 1610 origins is important.
The Spider-Verse has already become ingrained into Miles' character, thanks to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. There's no reason that the comics can't take advantage of that. Miles should be jumping across the multiverse, leaving his mark everywhere he goes. While Peter stays stuck in 616, Miles can embrace his status as a multiverse traveler.
3 Earn The Love Of The Public
Spider-Man doesn't exactly get much love in Marvel Comics. While things do occasionally look up for him, years of work by the Daily Bugle still mean that New York usually despises Peter. J. Jonah Jameson isn't all bad, but he's caused some massive damage for Peter. It's the reason that he's so often left on his own.
Miles, however, can make a difference and prove himself to be a little different from Peter. If he can run a PR campaign that can get the people of his chosen city to defend him, he can start to really make himself the first "Spider-Man" that people really think about.
2 Emphasize The Non-Spider Powers
Miles doesn't just have the same spider-based powers that Peter has. While he's also a web-slinging wall-crawler, he also has the power to camouflage himself and generate electricity. His venom blast has helped him take down villains that Peter would have struggled with for days.
If Miles starts to rely on those extra powers more, he can stand apart and maybe even move beyond the Spider-Man role that he's been pigeonholed into. Miles can really become more than just a minor hero. Instead, he can become one of the strongest characters Marvel has.
1 Change The Name
If there's any problem that really ties Miles to Peter, it's the name. It isn't always easy to tell which Spider-Man is being referred to at any given time when they're both called Spider-Man. Spider-Gwen at least stands apart by calling herself Spider-Woman, and even that can cause confusion with Jessica Drew.
Silk, Chasm, and Spider-Man 2099 all have features in their names that set them apart. If Miles really wants to distinguish himself from Peter, he'll need to figure out a name for himself. Now that he's in Earth-616, it just doesn't make much sense to have two Spider-Men running around.