Miles Morales was bitten by a radioactive spider. And would become Spider-Man. Yet, What If he was infected with gamma radiation instead. What If the Kid Arachnid became a raging green giant?
In the third issue of Miles Morales’s What If series, we examine a reality in which he became the Hulk. If you have not seen or read issues one and two, I recommend them. It may be surprising to some with this comic but trust me when I say that this is a great story! Once more, we are brought to a revised version of Miles’s origins. The slight difference creates a new and beautiful story. So, it is time to witness maybe the most emotional story for Miles thus far. Let’s ponder the question, What If…?
Our story starts with the Prowler. He was waiting for someone who did not end up showing. As he is about to leave, he encounters a few men. One of which he is about to cut with his claws. Before that happens, one of the armed men introduces himself. This is Emil Blonsky, the Abomination. Aaron is informed that Emil’s boss purposely ditched their meeting.
Blonsky then praises the work of the Prowler. Next, he offers him a job to steal from Dr. Bruce Banner. Blonsky wants Aaron to take a gamma bomb, tucked away in a briefcase. As the plan is set, Aaron refuses. He wants to focus on being in Miles’s life more. Yet, Blonsky reveals that Miles and the young man’s parents are being spied on. If Aaron refuses the job, the Morales-Davis family dies.
Prowler is not happy with this as Blonsky is excited to receive his new toy. We are then brought to Avengers Tower, years later. Doc Samson is Miles’ therapist. In another reality, he too was given powers, after coming into contact with gamma radiation. The pair talk about how Aaron was important to Miles’s transformation. Miles is still baffled on why Aaron was the Prowler. Also, he’s questioning why Samson has green hair. According to him, he lost a bet to Tony Stark. The doctor then circles back to when Miles was infected by the gamma.
Here we are reintroduced to Miles gaining his powers. This is similar to when he was bitten by a spider. He was enjoying a popsicle as his uncle was in the other room on a call. The person he was on the phone with promised to collect the briefcase on time. That person is Emil Blonsky. Miles continues his story, explaining that his hate for spiders led to the following events. He was swatting a spider on the case and it fell. Miles then steps on one of the bombs.
The room is filled with gamma attaching itself to Miles. His further explanation of events shows he does not remember what happened. However, all he knows from that day is that it was the last time Aaron and Miles’s father talked with one another. He then continues as we see him waking up sweaty and making his way to the bathroom. The discovery of his green skin and how he avoided telling his parents. Rio starts getting concerned as she finds Miles’s pants ripped and stretched.
Meanwhile, Miles is hanging out with Ganke. He tells him about the situation. Yet, Ganke does not believe him. After accidentally stepping on one of Ganke’s legos, Miles turns green again. Yelling at his friend, Ganke is in excitement over the brief transformation. We also see Ganke calming Miles down after a girl rejects a study date with him. Funny enough, the girl was named Betty. Aside from that, he is thankful for Ganke helping him out.
Miles is about to go to Ganke’s house for a sleepover, but this was to trick his parents. He is actually going to find his uncle and Blonsky. He felt horrified in the warehouse after seeing his uncle’s mask up again. Also, when Aaron shoots Blonsky after provoking his family. This causes Blonsky to drop the case and three bombs go off.
The Abomination is born. He grabs Aaron and crushes his head like a watermelon. This enrages Miles as he turns fully into the Hulk. The confrontation ends quickly as Miles kills Blonsky. Back in the present, Miles is once again crying and turning. He sees himself as nothing more than a monster. However, Samson calms Miles down. He does so by telling him to embrace his abilities. Adding that the people in his life will make him a hero. First Miles will have to turn his anger into compassion. Miles lets go of his anger as he hugs Samson.
This was a better story than the last. Anthony Piper knocks it out of the park with his writing! I absolutely enjoyed what was done here. The events leading up to Miles gaining his abilities were simple, but also creative. It’s so funny how I reviewed his story and felt as if I was in his shoes. Also, Miles stepped on the lego; a common action and reaction. The narration was great! Next, seeing the gradual transformation of Miles’s Hulk was awesome. Especially seeing his true form. The pacing for such a short story was bold! Next, Aaron again being responsible for Miles’s powers continues an awesome theme.
It is a fixed point in time. Speaking of Aaron, Miles does not honestly know why he tried killing Blonsky. This adds even more to Miles’s arc, It is really tragic as he only saw his uncle as a criminal despite his feelings after Aaron’s death. Finally, seeing Samson hold Miles in this cry for help was beautifully done! The words flowing from Samson in the last two pages carried so much weight and balance to the story.
As for the art, Chris Sotomayor once more does an amazing job! The same can be said for the co-artist, Edgar Salazar! The small details, Miles in the black shirt and red pants were reminiscent of his Spider-Man suit. I love finding these small easter eggs! I also enjoyed seeing Miles’ origins similar to his ultimate/616 counterpart. Another cool detail! Then, the boxes that carried Miles’s and Samson’s words were simply creative too. The dark green for Miles with the red outline was foreshadowing and continuation of his story.
Next, seeing Miles wake up with a stuffed monster behind him was another indication of him being Hulk. Once more, the gradual transformation sold this story to me. Sweaty and green one night. Getting more ripped as he turns the next. His uncle’s murder completing his turn was nice! Miles letting the Hulk drive provided the story’s best illustrations. And that ending carried a lot of weight too! Simple and creative.
Finally, the cover artists did a great job too! Paco Medina and Nolan Woodard deserve praise too. As mentioned in one of my past posts, green represents rebirth. Seeing Miles Morales evolve in this way was really cool to see. Especially with the wise words from Samson. The cover helped show what we were waiting for. A reimagination, but also a resurrection of the character. The aspect continues as the sweatshirt and pants Miles wears are the color scheme of the original Hulk. I need a continuation of this story now!
What If…? Miles Morales Became The Hulk is available now at your local comic book shop.
Want to discuss things further? Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. And for more film, gaming, anime, and TV news, trailers, and updates make sure to keep it locked right here at The Nerdy Basement. While you’re here, please consider supporting us on Patreon! It’s an easy way of supporting us so we can keep providing you with your Nerdy News!