Miles likely became the Prowler on Earth-42 in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, because he did not have a positive role model.
The Prowler has returned in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Well, sort-of.
However, this time Earth-42’s version of Miles Morales is culpable for bringing this villain to life after the death of his father and the further destruction of the city.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Why did Miles become the Prowler?
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse certainly has more unexpected twists and turns than, well, a Spider-Society member typically swinging from one building to another.
But one plot point that has left fans gob-smacked is the Prowler’s return to the series.
Okay, admittedly, it may not be completely accurate to say that the Prowler has returned to the Spider-Verse.
This Earth-42 version of the Prowler is completely different to the original Earth-1610 one and this time, Miles Morales is actually behind this infamous villain’s mask.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has not yet revealed exactly how the Earth-42 Miles went over to the dark side.
But it is pretty evident that the death of his father and positive role model, Jefferson Davis, had a lot to do with how he became the Prowler.
Fans have also been quick to point out that Uncle Aaron, who took up much of the responsibility of being a father-figure to this version of Miles, could likely also have guided Miles into a life of crime.
Earth-42 also does not have a Spider-Man
Another crucial part of the Spider-Verse puzzle, which is revealed in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is that the spider that bit Miles in the first movie, actually came from Earth-42.
This means that the Earth-42 Miles never had a hero to look up to and could only learn from the chaos around him, which likely also helped him along in his journey to becoming the Prowler in this universe.
Was Miles’s spider meant to bite Earth-42 Miles?
The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse movie has not officially confirmed whether the spider that bit Earth-1610 Miles (and originally came from Earth-42) was actually destined to bite the Earth-42 Miles and stop him from becoming this universe’s Prowler.
But given that these two worlds are almost exact mirrors of one another, it seems highly likely.
What will happen next?
The Spider-Verse is such a mess of storylines and universes that it is almost impossible to predict what happens next.
That being said, we continue to hold out hope that both the Spider-Man Miles and the Prowler Miles will find a way to see eye-to-eye (or rather, mask-to-mask) in the next film.
Before they have to face off against the entire Spider-Society in the next film.