Sony Pictures has big plans for Spider-Man. The studio looks to be taking a similar approach as Marvel Studios in that they’re building a cinematic universe around their iconic superhero franchise. Not only will we be seeing two sequels to ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’, but there will also be spinoffs ‘Venom’ and ‘The Sinister Six’. But with all these films in Spidey’s future, what about the actor behind the mask? Back in December, Andrew Garfield mentioned that he might not return for the fourth film. If that’s the case, then who will take up the mantle of the web-slinger? The actor has a pretty good answer for that: Miles Morales.

Introduced in 2011 by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, Miles Morales is the new Spider-Man in Marvel’s Ultimates Universe after their Peter Parker passed away. Taking inspiration from President Barack Obama and actor Donald Glover when creating the character, Miles is a Black Hispanic teenager from Brooklyn who received his powers from a genetically engineered spider produced when Norman Osborn attempted to duplicate Spider-Man’s abilities. The second Ultimate Spider-Man has gained quite the following, including Andrew Garfield, who seems to think that the multi-cultural hero is the next logical step for the ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ film franchise. In an interview with Comic Book Resources, the actor talks about bringing the character into their movies:

“I have given that thought. I think one of the amazing things about Spider-Man is that you don’t see skin color when he’s in the suit. You don’t see any religious beliefs. You don’t see any denominations. Everyone can project themselves into that suit. It’s incredibly powerful in that way. So of course I think it’s important that the openness, the casting, in terms of who could be Spider-Man, could be absolutely anyone. A hero is a hero, whether you’re a man, woman, gay, lesbian, straight, black, white or red all over — it doesn’t matter.

Miles Morales was a huge moment in this character’s comic book life. And I do believe that we can do that. It’s something I’m really interested in figuring out; an eloquent way of coexisting, or passing on the torch. I don’t have an answer, but I think it’s actually a really important move. I think it’s a really beautiful and important move.”

While his comments certainly make a lot of sense, it appears that the producers of the franchise disagree with their star’s perception of the next step. In an interview with The Playlist, producer Avi Arad dismissed the notion of bringing in Miles Morales, Ben Reilly, Miguel O’Hara, or any other version of Spider-Man besides Peter Parker:

“No. The one thing you cannot do, when you have a phenomena that has stood the test of time, you have to be true to the real character inside – who is Peter Parker? What are the biggest effects on his life? Then you can draw in time, and you can consider today’s world in many ways. But to have multiple ones… I don’t know if you remember, but Marvel tried it. And it was almost the end of Spider-Man.”

Producer Matt Tomlach continued by saying that the producers who take over after them may have a different idea about the future of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, but for now, they’ll be telling Peter Parker’s story in their movies. In my opinion, it’s kind of a bummer that the producers are thinking this way. If they brought in Miles, then that would eliminate the need to recast Peter Parker. It’s a much more natural way to continue with the franchise should Garfield decide to move on. Plus, having a multicultural superhero in theaters across the country for once would be pretty amazing.

What do you think about Miles Morales entering Sony’s ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ franchise after Andrew Garfield hangs up the tights? Do you agree with Avi Arad and Matt Tomlach’s stance on bringing in other versions of the web-slinger into their cinematic universe? Share your thoughts in the comments below.