Beyond the canon events and multiversal chaos, Spider-Man 2099’s rage runs deeper than rules — it’s personal, existential, and painfully human.
Across the Spider-Verse broke all the rules when it came out, both with its stunning visuals and big multiverse storyline, as well as with its bold characters. Spider-Man stories where the hero might be in the wrong for the first time were made public. Along with Miles Morales, the hero, there was a Spider-Man like no other: Miguel O’Hara, the stern and angry Spider-Man 2099.
As soon as Miguel leaps at Miles in the trailer, it is clear that this isn’t a teacher-student relationship. Throughout the movie, Miguel’s deeds were so bad that they put him on the same level as Kingpin or The Spot. His anger hides something much more sad, though: he is broken, angry, and jealous, just like Miles was.
The trouble is that he is a kid.
To figure out why Miguel hates Miles, let’s start with the obvious. Miles Morales is only sixteen. Even though he’s brave, clever, and very smart, he’s still just a kid at heart. Miguel, on the other hand, is a tough veteran who has seen lives and worlds fall apart. He can’t wait any longer.
When Miles meets Miguel for the first time at the Spider Society, the huge interdimensional hub for Spider-People, it’s clear right away that they are not on the same level. Miguel has seen too much. He’s worn out. He is very strict about following the rules, and anyone who doesn’t, like Gwen, Spider-Punk, or Miles, is a threat.
Because of this, Miguel sees chaos when Miles, a Spider-Man who is quick, bright, and creative, shows up with his rebellious energy and naïve hope. He sees trouble. Somewhat, he’s right—Miles’ story has already shown that a single small change can change the whole world.
Everything changes when Miles isn’t Peter Parker.
The fact that Miles is not Peter Parker might be what keeps them apart the most. Peter Parker is the model, the ideal, and the person who “gets it” for Miguel when it comes to Spider-Man. On the other hand, Miles learned how to be his own Spider-Man from a Peter who valued independence. He didn’t receive the mantle due to sorrow; he earned it by making wise choices and being kind.
Miguel is in charge of a vast army of Spider-People, most of whom are Peter variants. He thinks Miles is different, both genetically and morally. All of Peter’s friends, even Spectacular Spider-Man, believe that “canon events,” the sad moments that make Spider-Man who he is, are holy. Uncle Ben needs to die. Captain Stacy needs to go down.
Miles, though, doesn’t agree with that. He has the nerve to think that Spider-Man is real even without tragedy. By doing this, he goes against everything Miguel built, which is an entire system based on the idea that suffering is fate.
The Spider that shouldn’t have blended.
Miles wasn’t meant to be Spider-Man, which is another uncomfortable truth about him. It was a spider from another world that bit him. Kingpin’s collider brought it into his world. That cosmic mistake set off a chain of events that shattered reality, creating The Spot and awakening the multiverse.
But is Miles to blame? Not really. The collider wasn’t built by him. He did not make The Spot. After the chaos, he just turned into Spider-Man, which is what all Spider-Men have had to do. Miguel has a different view, though. He thinks that Miles is the first oddity and the cause of all the problems in the multiverse. He doesn’t fit with the idea of what Spider-Man “should be.” The irony is terrible, though, because Miguel broke those rules too.
The spider that pretended to be god.
Miguel O’Hara is not only haunted by the universe, but he is also one of its bad guys. Before he was in charge of the Spider Society, Miguel did the worst thing possible: he discovered a world where his version had died and been replaced by another, living with that man’s family. It was an act of selfishness and sadness that was passed off as kindness.
The world did not forgive him. Under the weight of his meddling, it fell apart. Since then, Miguel has lived as both a killer and a sinner, looking for strange creatures to make up for the world he destroyed.
That’s where Miles comes in. Miguel sees in him everything he’s lost: a whole world, friends and family who love him, and a Spider-Man who can win without getting hurt. Miguel’s world fell apart, but Miles’s is thriving. So Miguel’s anger isn’t based on logic when Miles tries to go against him, to question the idea of canon, to say “no” to fate. It’s all about envy. It’s about how awful it is to see someone destroying everything you’ve worked hard for.
A hero who will not break.
At the end of the movie, Miles not only gets away from Miguel, but he also beats him. To get home, he uses the Spider Society’s technology against them. He doesn’t fight to show himself, but to save his father. It’s not selfish for him to rebel. This is selfless.
That’s the last insult to Miguel. Miles does well where he failed. When he was younger, Spider-Man did something impossible: he went against fate and lived. Miguel is a man who lives by rules and guilt. He sees his ideals fall apart in front of him because Miguel has always been wrong if Miles is right.
Someone who has lost everything hates the boy who still has it.
In the end, Miguel doesn’t hate Miles because of anomalies, canon events, or even the fall of multiple universes. It’s about losing someone. Because Miguel tried to trick fate, he lost his family, his world, and his happiness. In the meantime, Miles shows that fate isn’t set in stone. He’s the living embodiment of hope, and Miguel can’t stand to look at him any longer.
It’s not good vs. evil when Spider-Man 2099 looks down at the young Spider-Man from Brooklyn. There is anger versus strength. The man who messed up everything is looking at the boy who still thinks things can be fixed.
