Spider-Man: Miles Morales Rewards Players For Side-Quest Completion With Black Lives Matter Mural

Spencer Baculi |

Nov 9, 2020

Black Lives Matter has received a prominent tribute in the upcoming Spider-Man: Miles Morales, with a mural dedicated to the movement being presented alongside a new in-game costume as a reward for completing a set of side quests.

Like its base game, Spider-Man: Miles Morales features a slew of alternate costumes that can be unlocked through the completion of various in-game tasks.

These include previously seen costumes, such as Miles’ Spider-Verse suit or his training outfit from the conclusion of the base game’s story, as well as suits designed specifically for the game, including a 2099-inspired outfit and a suit deemed the ‘Crimson Cowl’, which Marvel and Sony erroneously claim is the first example of a Spider-suit with a hood.

Ben Reilly would like a word.

Among the many suits included in the game is a game-original ‘Uptown Pride’ suit, which sees the red highlights on Miles’ traditional outfit replaced with a shining gold finish, that can be unlocked after the player completes a specific series of side quests revolving around helping the people of Harlem.

It is alongside the unlock of the Uptown Pride suit that the Black Lives Matter tribute can be found, as after unlocking the suit players are presented with a short cutscene that sees the camera revolving around Miles, showing off the appearance of his new suit, before intentionally settling on an over-the-shoulder shot of Miles standing in front of a giant, building-sized mural that has “Black Lives Matter” written upon a rainbow-colored background (despite it’s appearance, it is currently unknown if the rainbow design was meant to evoke the imagery of the Pride Flag).

This emphasis and placement of Miles as a figurehead of the Black Lives Matter movement is questionable and tone deaf to the character’s origins.

One of the movement’s most heavily and vocally promoted goals is the abolishment (and in some cases, physical injury or death) of organized police forces and Miles Morales’ father is a respected member of not only the NYPD, but S.H.I.E.L.D. as well.