"Why no capes?" Miles asked.
"Hmm?" May looked at him curiously.
"The older Peter really had a thing about Spider Man not wearing a cape," Miles explained.
May nodded slightly. "When Peter started out, he didn't plan on being a hero. He wanted to use his powers as a preformer."
Miles nodded attentively.
"His 'stage' outfit had a cape, you see. Anyway," May sighed, "he was leaving a show when a criminal ran by. Peter didn't stop him, thinking it wasn't his problem. Later on, the man killed someone in a failed robbery."
"Oh wow," Miles winced.
May didn't mention it had been Peter's uncle who had died. There didn't seem much point. "So after that, I don't think he ever wore the cape outfit again," she said, "and I expect something similar happened with the other Peter."
"I'm sorry," Miles said quietly.
"You didn't know," she patted his arm.