“I’ve Been Holding Back”: Miles Morales’ New Costume Proves He’s the Most Powerful Spider-Man

Warning: Spoilers for Miles Morales: Spider-Man #18!In Spider-Man’s corner of the Marvel Universe, Miles Morales’ version of the character is equal in strength to Peter Parker’s, with Miles’ unique skills giving him a slight edge over the original Web-Head in terms of raw power. Capable of utilizing his Venom Blast to charge up electricity and use it to enhance his attacks, Miles has just received a brand new costume courtesy of this incredible Venom-based ability, one that proves he’s the most powerful Spider-Man around.

A fresh new look seen in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #18, this upgraded design comes at a time when Miles, Ms. Marvel, and Shift, Miles’ shape-shifting clone, are locked in battle with a new band of enemies dubbed the Cape Killers.

Consisting of Agent Gao, Scorpion, Taskmaster, Hightail, and Gust, Miles is the first to tussle with this villainous team, forcing him to put all his power into a single electrified punch, the intensity of which, once unleashed, quite literally changes Miles’ costume into an upgraded set of spandex that puts his power on a whole other level!

Miles Morales Upgrades His Costume With An Overcharged Venom Blast Attack

Miles Morales: Spider-Man (Cody Ziglar and Various Artists)

Charging his fist with an immense amount of Venom Blast power after Miles’ Venom Saber doesn’t do the trick, Miles talks smack to Taskmaster, saying, “Seems like you don’t understand… I’ve been holding back,” then lets loose a fully powered punch aimed squarely at his face. An attack that electrifies Miles’ entire body with crackling energy, Miles’ costume transforms from his usual black and red suit marked by webs and a spider logo to a black suit highlighted by yellow/orange accents and large spider eyes, a look that imbues Miles with more power than he’s used to handling.

Temporarily turning Taskmaster into a smoking heap on the ground, Scorpion comments on how “Those spider-freaks pull their punches, trust me,” confirming that in this instance, Miles really wasn’t kidding about not holding back, officially solidifying him as a superhero capable of harnessing a kind of power that transcends his humble “friendly neighborhood” image and brings Miles into the conversation as one of the most powerful Marvel heroes, period. Subtly but effectively improving Miles’ already iconic character design as well, this new suit’s added color, pulsing energy visuals, and overall power boost is a development that suits the character well.

Miles’ “Venom Blast” Costume Turns Him Into The Most Powerful Spider-Man

This costume change may not carry over into the next issue of Miles Morales: Spider-Man as Miles’ spike in energy seems to have dissipated by issue’s end, but that doesn’t change how Herculean it made him in the short time he wielded it, making Miles one of the strongest Spider-Men to have ever held the mantle — Peter’s Cosmic Spider-Man variant notwithstanding. Regardless of whether or not this new “form” will be sticking around or simply be added to Miles Morales’ repertoire of Venom-based attacks, it still gave his Spider-Man a design that fans — and hopefully cosplayers — will love.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #18 is available from Marvel Comics.