The latest issue of Marvel's Miles Morales series just dropped a major update to the character's family lore, as the young Spider-hero's own personal "Clone Saga" takes another step forward, with his clone "Shift" adopting the name Jaime Morales, honoring Miles' grandfather and officially becoming more enmeshed with the Morales family.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31 – written by Cody Ziglar, with art by Luigi Zagaria – moves the story of Miles' "brother" Shift a step forward, reinforcing that Marvel considers the character to be an integral part of this corner of the publisher's vast Spider-Man mythos.

Fans have immediately begun to speculate what is in store for Shift, the freshly christened Jaime Morales, in the short and long-term future of the franchise – with some even suggesting that among Marvel's plethora of Spider-titles, he be the next to receive his own series.

Miles Morales' Adopted Brother Shift Takes His Next Step As A Part Of The Morales Family & The Marvel Universe

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31 – Written By Cody Ziglar; Art By Luigi Zagaria; Color By Bryan Valenza; Lettering By Corey Petit

a legitimate Marvel powerhouse in of raw strength. Yet lately there has been an added element of pathos to the character's arc, as he has been welcomed into the Morales family as an adopted brother – and now, taking the name "Jaime Morales" definitively makes him a member.

Marvel's long-running Miles Morales: Spider-Man series was relaunched from #1 in 2023; Shift debuted in issue #26 of the first volume of the series, while his big milestone occures in the newly released thirty-first issue of volume two.

Beyond becoming part of Miles' family, Shift has also been integrating more fully into the Marvel Universe as a whole; as Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30 notes, fan-favorite young Marvel hero Kamala Khan "has been giving Shift speech lessons," to help him learn to express himself more clearly. Currently, Shift has a notable speech pattern, befitting his role as a "gentle giant" type of character – gentle, that is, when not putting his massive form and impressive Spider-powers to good use taking out bad guys.

Shift's Upgrade Is A Meaningful Use Of The Morales Family, A Fixture In Spider-Man Lore

Miles' Network Is Vital

One of the stand-out aspects of Miles Morales' heroic journey as Spider-Man has been the deliberate inversion of Peter Parker's experience during his time as a fledgling hero. That is, Peter grew up without his parents, and the loss of his Uncle Ben was foundational to his story, leaving Aunt May as his only family connection for much of the franchise's history. By contrast, the Morales family is a pivotal part of Miles' life, helping to ground him and give him a measure of stability outside the constant upheaval of his superhero career.

Shift is officially now "Jaime Morales" in Marvel canon, a name that both pays tribute to the family that has taken him in, while also giving the character his own distinct identity.

The way that network has welcomed Shift with open arms has been a memorable, heartwarming part of Miles Morales: Spider-Man's ongoing storyline, and the confirmation that they view the hulking clone as a true member of the family is a touching next step on that path. Shift is officially now "Jaime Morales" in Marvel canon, a name that both pays tribute to the family that has taken him in, while also giving the character his own distinct identity, suggesting that he will be a factor in Miles Morales' story moving forward, and could potentially have his own solo heroic career one day.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31 is available now from Marvel Comics.