Marvel Comics has revealed that the new man behind the Spider-Man mask will be Miles Morales, a half Black, half Latino science geek, who was inspired to become a hero by Peter Parker’s death.

In the latest edition of the Ultimate Fallout series, Morales pulls back the disguise and shows his face for the first time. Fans will have to wait until the official Spider-Man relaunch next month to find out how he came to be the superhero, according to Daily Mail.

There could also be another surprise for fans as well. His creators said that in the future they would not rule out making him gay.

Peter Parker first appeared as the superhero in 1962. After having been bitten by a radioactive spider, he developed the strength and agility of an arachnid.

Parker was killed off by the Green Goblin in June–a move that shocked fans worldwide. Subsequently, Morales was inspired to become a hero after learning of Parker's death. Marvel revealed that Morales has a connection to Parker in terms of how he got his powers, but he will have abilities other than spider senses and shooting webs out of his hands.

“The theme is the same: With great power comes great responsibility,” Spider-Man writer Brian Michael Bendis told USA Today. “[But] he’s younger than Peter Parker, he’s coming from a completely different background, a completely different world view.”

Marvel’s editor-in-chief, Axel Alonso, describes the new hero as “a Spider-Man for the 21st century, who’s reflective of our culture and diversity. As someone who grew up on a steady diet of Luke Cage, Hero for Hire and Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu, I am personally invested,” he explained.

Italian artist Sara Pichelli, who designed Spider-Man’s new look, added:
“Maybe sooner or later a Black or gay – or both – hero will be considered something absolutely normal.”

(Photo: Marvel Comics)