Miles Morales debuted in 2011 as an African-American and Latin Spider-Man. As with most comic book companies, Marvel has several universes at work at once. Morales existed in the Ultimate universe until a crossover event placed him in Marvel's main 616 universe (the stories and characters you're most familiar with).
On the movie front, after Sony gave up on their Amazing Spider-Man universe with Andrew Garfield they made a deal with Disney to share Spidey in the MCU. Sony gets to reap the benefits of the billions Tom Holland will make over in the MCU, while they are still free to play with the rest of Spidey's catalog.
Sony is also dropping Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse this holiday season, which is an animated movie. Focusing on Miles Morales, the film will help Sony bring several characters from Spider-Man's gallery into the forefront. At New York Comic Con this past weekend, Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, actors Jake Johnson, Shameik Moore, Luna Lauren Velez, and Brian Tyree Henry, and directors Bob Persichetti and Peter Ramsey blessed fans with footage from the film. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Lord and Miller told the audience Morales was always a focus for them.
"We said we wouldn’t want to do it unless it was Miles Morales’ story," said Miller. The first 35 minutes of the animated film was shown to the packed room. Reactions were mostly positive, as Morales' relationship with his family, the humor, and the gorgeous animation were highlights of the preview. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse drops on December 14.