'Marvel's Spider-Man 2' Explained: Who Is Aaron Davis?

Families can get complicated, especially if the family in question belongs to the spectacular Spider-Man, which serves a major crux in Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man games. For Miles Morales, the idea of wearing a costume and keeping a secret identity around New York City runs in the family, with his uncle Aaron Davis moonlighting as the tech-upgraded master thief Prowler. Aaron’s alter ego not only put him directly at odds with his brother Jefferson Davis, but also Jeff’s teenage son Miles Morales (who is secretly saving the city as Spider-Man), due to their opposing moral outlook.

Here is everything you need to know about Prowler, from the costumed criminal’s extensive backstory to the part he plays in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and how it all compares to Prowler’s history in the comics.

Prowler’s Impact Before Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Aaron Davis is introduced in Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales as having been estranged from Jeff Davis and Jeff’s wife Rio Morales for some time before the events of the game. Despite this, Miles continued to hang out with Aaron, even though his parents saw Aaron as a bad influence. After Aaron learned Miles was the new Spider-Man, Miles discovered shortly thereafter that Aaron was the hi-tech burglar Prowler after crossing paths with him while infiltrating a Roxxon Corporation lab.

Aaron admitted to Miles that his criminal career caused the rift between him and Jeff, with Jeff dying before the two brothers could reconcile, haunting him for the rest of his life. Unbeknownst to Miles, Prowler was secretly working for Roxxon to root out the terrorist army The Underground and manipulated his nephew to gain information on the criminals and their plans. Miles and Prowler come to blows when Aaron tries to prevent his nephew from dying protecting New York just like Jeff had, with Miles defeating and incapacitating his uncle. After Spider-Man stopped The Underground, Aaron willingly turned himself into the authorities and testified against Roxxon.

Prowler’s Role in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

Approximately 10 months after the events of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Aaron is released from prison on good behavior and part of his plea deal to provide testimony on Roxxon’s illegal activities. Genuinely intending to redeem himself for his own criminal past, Aaron and Rio reconciled, with Rio helping Aaron get an apartment in the same complex that she and Miles lived in. Aaron reached out to Miles separately, with the two men sharing their own reconciliation after Miles overcame some understandable caution about how honest his uncle was.

Retiring his Prowler alter ego for good as part of his parole agreement, Aaron tasked Miles with recovering his tech from hidden hideouts around New York City. Aaron specifically coded the security systems of these locations so that only Miles could access them, with Miles reluctantly agreeing. Though still suspicious of his uncle’s true intentions, it was Rio who convinced Miles that Aaron’s attempt at atonement was genuine this time.

Prowler’s History in the Comics

Like Miles and his family, Aaron Davis was introduced as a character in the Ultimate Universe, debuting in ULTIMATE COMICS: SPIDER-MAN (2011) #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli. After breaking into Oscorp, Aaron inadvertently brought a genetically engineered spider back home with him, where it bit Miles before dying, altering his DNA to give him superpowers. Learning that his nephew was the new Spider-Man, Aaron manipulated Miles into helping him fight the Scorpion before threatening to expose his secret identity if he didn’t continue working with him. In the ensuing struggle, Aaron’s Prowler gauntlets overloaded and exploded, killing him and maintaining Miles’ secret.

After the multiverse is reborn at the end of SECRET WARS (2015), with elements of the Ultimate Universe incorporated into the main Marvel Universe, Aaron is alive and well again because of the changes to reality. Now wearing upgraded Prowler armor, Aaron formed his own version of the Sinister Six and confronted Miles. After a heart-to-heart with his nephew, Aaron reformed and used his Prowler persona to stop an attack by the displaced Ultimate Green Goblin. Initially presumed dead by his heroic sacrifice to send the Goblin back to the Ultimate Universe, Aaron is discovered trapped in an alternate universe where Miles rescued him and brought him back home.

Like the Prowler of Marvel’s Spider-Man, the Prowler from the comics is inspired by his nephew’s selfless example as Spider-Man and eventually overcomes his criminal ways. This Prowler now is one of Miles’ closest allies and a reformed figure in the Davis-Morales family moving forward, as Spider-Man proves that anyone can have a second chance.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is available now only on PlayStation 5. Order the title on PlayStation Store, PlayStation Direct or your friendly neighborhood retailer!

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