Origins: Who is Spider-Man 2099?
From Hugh of @hughv302
On June 2nd, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse will be released in theaters and will once again follow the story of Miles Morales as he travels through the multiverse meeting many more Spider-People of all shapes and sizes. The most notable of all the variants that he encounters is Miguel O'Hara aka Spider-Man 2099, who is the leader of an elite group of Spider-People known as the Spider-Society. But who is Miguel O'Hara? What universe is he from? How is he different from the other Spider-People? Find out more below!
Origin
With most comic book characters there is always multiple origins, identities, incarnations and adaptations of certain characters across comics but due to the unique nature of this Spider-Man variant he only has one known origin that has remained mostly unchanged throughout the characters existence in comics. Miguel O’Hara hails from the alternate universe of Earth-928, during a future time after the end of the “Heroic Age.” He grows up in Nueva York with his eccentric mother, Conchata, younger brother Gabriel, and the abusive man he believes to be his father, George. Brilliant and precocious, Miguel is awarded enrollment in the Alchemax School for Gifted Youngsters (formerly the X-Men’s Headquarters) in Westchester under the fair direction of headmistress Angela Daskalakis. Here he befriends Xina Kwan, who helps Miguel defend himself against the bullying of Kron Stone, son of Alchemax’s Vice President of Research and Development, Tyler Stone. With Xina’s encouragement, Miguel musters the bravery to have Kron expelled from the school. Years later as young adults, Miguel and Xina date until Miguel cheats on her with Gabriel’s girlfriend, Dana D’Angelo. In time, Miguel and Dana get engaged. Confident and smugly self-assured, Miguel then becomes project head of the genetics program for Alchemax, performing research inspired by Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, of the Heroic Age involving alterations of animals’ genetic structure. He attempts to quit Alchemax after they fatally use a criminal as a test subject to expedite research, but is told that Tyler Stone has poisoned him with an addictive drug called Rapture for attempting to quit. Once the drug binds to his system, he would need it for the rest of his life, and since only Alchemax legally sells the drug, Miguel is forced to continue employment at Alchemax or buy the drug illegally through the black market. Miguel tries to genetically reset his body but his jealous supervisor, Aaron Delgato, sabotages his experiment and as a result it causes the machines to alter Miguel's genetic code to be "50% spider DNA." Miguel survives the process and is cured of the addiction to the drug but his DNA is spliced with the genes of a spider and gains several powers similar to all of the Spider-People but he is one of the few to have not gained it through radiation. The splicing also gives him fangs and talons, which he uses to make his escape from the lab, and inadvertently gets Aaron Delgato killed in the process. Realizing that there is now a person with abilities similar to Spider-Man, Tyler Stone sends agents to hunt this person. To conceal his identity while he fights his pursuers, Miguel dons a bodysuit with a mask that he once wore for the Mexican Day of the Dead festival. Miguel chooses this costume in particular because it is the only clothing he has that is made from "UMF" (Unstable Molecule Fabric), meaning it is the only clothing he owns that will not be torn or shred by the spider-talons that now occupy his hands and feet. After seeing him operate in public, a group of Thorites (worshippers of Thor) come to believe that Miguel is the legendary Spider-Man back from the dead, and that he is the harbinger of Thor's eventual return. Originally focused on finding a cure for his condition, Miguel's further adventures as Spider-Man 2099 cause him to realize how ignorant of the world he was and how he had turned a blind eye to the oppression and pain the corporations of the world have caused. He is also surprised at the effect his presence has on the people who have been oppressed for so long, particularly his own mother, who ironically also hates the man her eldest son has become yet admires the exploits of Spider-Man 2099. After this, Miguel decides to embrace his identity as Spider-Man. Donning his costume, he publicly proclaims himself to be an enemy to all the megacorps, saying he will use his powers to fight for ordinary people against those in power who abuse their influence and authority. He would end up having a number of enemies during his superhero career. His first villain is of course his boss Tyler Stone at Alchemex, the mega-corporation that controls the United States, creates products for consumer needs and owns the Public Eye, a police force, which Miguel is often monitoring so they don't destroy the future as he knows it. Tyler Stone is also revealed to be Miguel’s biological father due to his mother having an affair with Tyler Stone at some point in her life. There is also Kron Stone, Tyler Stone’s son and Miguel’s half-brother. He becomes bonded with the mutated Venom symbiote becoming Venom 2099 battling Miguel on multiple occasions. Other villains Miguel comes up against include The Specialist, Vulture 2099, Hobgoblin 2211, Venture, and even Doctor Doom. He would also end up having a number of allies as well with the first among them being Lyla, his holographic aid and artificial intelligence that listens and records his journal entries. She sometimes assists him in taking down fearsome foes and solving problems. Dana D’Angelo and Xina Kwan are the on-again off-again romantic partners in Miguel’s life. They both support him but experience jealousy towards one another, and eventually Dana dies saving Xina in battle against Venom 2099. When trying to stop a terrible future from happening, Miguel travels back in time and befriends Peter Parker of Earth-616. When Miguel gets stranded in present-day New York City, he works at Parker Industries as Parker’s head of Research and Development. There, he uses his access to technology to research ways to fix the future. Miguel also fights alongside a dozen other Spider-People from across the Multiverse to help stop a terrifying family known as the Inheritors, who feed on the life force of Spider-Totems.
Powers & Weaknesses
Genetically imprinted with spider DNA, Miguel has superhuman strength (lifting 10 tons under optimal conditions), speed, stamina, reflexes and agility, and enhanced durability. He can jump up to 30 feet. He has enlarged fangs, which can secrete paralyzing venom. His fingers and toes have retractable talons used for climbing walls and rending substances as durable as cinderblock. Both forearms contain spinerettes capable of releasing adhesive strands of a webbing-like substance from the backs of his wrists. Miguel has an enhanced fast-healing metabolism, and enhanced sensory acuity enabling him to see in the dark, at great distances, and track fast-moving objects clearly; however, he is more sensitive to light than normal humans. However, his enhanced vision make his eyes are extremely sensitive to light. Outside of his spider DNA, Miguel is a highly skilled geneticist. His costume is composed of unstable molecules resistant to tears from his talons, and includes a light byte airfoil on his back, emitting low-level anti-gravity particles enabling him to glide on air currents. His updated suit can cast mirages and includes a chameleon function that allows him to blend into his environment. His suit also allows him to glide large distances making it easier for him to navigate across the city. It is not known if he has any major weaknesses other than his sensitive eyes and his powers can’t be drained since his power is genetic based and not radiation based like with the other Spider-People making him one ofd the strongest Spider-Man variants to exist in the multiverse.
What to expect?
Miguel O’Hara is a more flawed and serious Spider-Man compared to Peter Parker & Miles Morales as a result of his upbringing in the world of 2099, which will probably lead to some very interesting interactions between them including conflicting views on what it means to be Spider-Man. The film’s trailers indicate the central conflict of the film will be between Miles & Miguel over a moral dilemma that puts the fate of the multiverse at risk. What causes the two to fight each other is still being kept largely under wraps but it is clear that their motives are fueled by their different life experiences in their respective universes. One of the trailers also revealed that Miguel has a wife and child in his universe, which he never really had in the comics. He’s been with several love interests but the closest one he was with in comics was Xina Kwan so it can be assumed that it is her that is with Miguel in the film. The family is more than likely Miguel’s primary motive for wanting to protect the multiverse from any threats by any means necessary, even if it means fighting other Spider-People.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 2nd, 2023.
