Peter Parker

Publication history

Creation and development

In 1962, with the success of the Fantastic Four, Marvel Comics editor and head writer Stan Lee was looking for a new superhero idea. He said the teenage demand for comic books and a character with whom they could identify led to the creation of Spider-Man. As with Fantastic Four, Lee saw Spider-Man as an opportunity to "get out of his system" what he felt was missing in comic books.

There are many conflicting stories about the inspiration and precise authorship of the various aspects of Spider-Man's appearance and character. In his autobiography, Lee cites the non-superhuman pulp magazine crime fighter the Spider as a great influence. Besides the name, the Spider was wanted by both the law and the criminal underworld (a defining theme of Spider-Man's early years) and had through years of ceaseless struggle developed a "sixth sense", which warns him of danger, the inspiration for Spider-Man's "spider-sense". In a multitude of print and video interviews, Lee also says he was inspired by seeing a spider climb up a wall—adding in his autobiography that he has told that story so often he has become unsure of whether or not this is true.

Although at the time teenage superheroes were usually given names ending with "boy", Lee says he chose "Spider-Man" because he wanted the character to age as the series progressed, and felt the name "Spider-Boy" would have made the character sound inferior to other superheroes. Comics scholar Ben Saunders points out that this emphasis on adolescence was an important innovation for superhero comics.

Lee required Marvel publisher Martin Goodman's approval for the character. In a 1986 interview, Lee gives his arguments against Goodman's objections. Goodman eventually agreed to a Spider-Man tryout in what Lee, in numerous interviews, recalled as what would be the final issue of the science-fiction and supernatural anthology series Amazing Adult Fantasy, which was renamed Amazing Fantasy for issue #15 (cover-dated August 1962, on sale June 5, 1962). In particular, Lee states that the decision that Amazing Fantasy would be canceled after issue #15 was the only reason Goodman allowed him to present Spider-Man. While this was the final issue, its editorial page anticipated the continuing appearances of Spider-Man in future issues.

Lee received Goodman's approval for the name Spider-Man and the "ordinary teen" concept and approached artist Jack Kirby. As comics historian Greg Theakston recounts, Kirby told Lee about an unpublished character on which he had collaborated with Joe Simon in the 1950s, in which an orphaned boy living with an old couple finds a magic ring that granted him superhuman powers. Lee and Kirby "immediately sat down for a story conference", Theakston writes, and Lee afterward directed Kirby to flesh out the character and draw some pages. Steve Ditko would be the inker. When Kirby showed Lee the first six pages, Lee recalled, "I hated the way he was doing it! Not that he did it badly—it just wasn't the character I wanted; it was too heroic". Lee turned to Ditko, who developed an art style Lee found satisfactory. Ditko recalled:

1960s

A few months after Spider-Man's introduction, publisher Goodman reviewed the sales figures for that issue and was shocked to find it was one of the nascent Marvel's highest-selling comics. A solo ongoing series followed, beginning with The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (cover-dated March 1963). The title eventually became Marvel's top-selling series with the character swiftly becoming a cultural icon; a 1965 Esquire poll of college campuses found that college students ranked Spider-Man and fellow Marvel hero the Hulk alongside Bob Dylan and Che Guevara as their favorite revolutionary icons. One interviewee selected Spider-Man because he was "beset by woes, money problems, and the question of existence. In short, he is one of us." Ditko introduced Peter Parker's boss, J. Jonah Jameson, newspaper publisher of the Daily Bugle, who despises Spider-Man and slanders him despite his heroism. Parker experiences frequent high-school drama involving his love interest, Betty Brant, and a classroom bully, Flash Thompson.

In the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man (March 1963), despite his superpowers, Peter struggles to help his widowed Aunt May pay the rent, is taunted by Flash, and continues fighting crime and saving the city as Spider-Man. Peter gets hired as a freelance photographer Jameson to take pictures of Spider-Man, with Jameson unaware that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. Ben Saunders identifies nineteen different supervillains who appear in the early Spider-Man stories of Lee and Ditko, sixteen of which become recurring figures in the Marvel Universe. These enemies include Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Chameleon, Lizard, Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, Electro, and Mysterio. Peter finds juggling his personal and superhero life difficult. Ditko's quirky art provided a stark contrast to the more cleanly dynamic stylings of Marvel's most prominent artist, Jack Kirby.

Following Ditko's departure after issue #38 (July 1966), John Romita Sr. replaced him as penciller and would draw the series for the next several years. In 1968, Romita also drew the character's extra-length stories in the comics magazine The Spectacular Spider-Man, a proto-graphic novel designed to appeal to older readers. It lasted for two issues and represented the first Spider-Man spin-off publication, aside from the original series' summer Annuals that began in 1964. Romita's illustrations of the character were substantially more glamorous and influenced by romance comics of the time; Parker's social status markedly improved. Romita introduced a new prominent enemy for Spider-Man, the gangster Wilson Fisk, also known as Kingpin. In this period, Peter graduates from high school, and enrolls at Empire State University (a fictional institution evoking the real-life Columbia University and New York University), where he meets roommate and best friend Harry Osborn and girlfriend Gwen Stacy. As Peter deals with Harry's drug problems, and Harry's father, Norman Osborn, is revealed to be the Green Goblin, Peter attempts to give up his costumed identity for a while. Gwen Stacy's father, New York City Police detective Captain George Stacy, is accidentally killed during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus (issue #90, November 1970).

1970s

An early 1970s Spider-Man story ultimately led to the revision of the Comics Code Authority. Previously, the Code forbade the depiction of the use of illegal drugs, even negatively. However, in 1970, the Nixon administration's Department of Health, Education, and Welfare asked Stan Lee to publish an anti-drug message in one of Marvel's top-selling titles. Lee chose the top-selling The Amazing Spider-Man; issues #96–98 (May–July 1971) feature a story arc depicting the negative effects of drug use. In the story, Peter Parker's friend Harry Osborn becomes addicted to pills. When Spider-Man fights the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn, Harry's father), Spider-Man defeats him by revealing Harry's drug addiction. While the story had a clear anti-drug message, the Comics Code Authority refused to issue its seal of approval. Marvel nevertheless published the three issues without the Comics Code Authority's approval or seal. The issues sold so well that the industry's self-censorship was undercut, and the Code was subsequently revised.

By 1972, with Spider-Man as its flagship character, Marvel had begun to outsell its primary competitor, DC. In that year, a second monthly ongoing series starring Spider-Man began: Marvel Team-Up, in which Spider-Man was paired with other superheroes and supervillains. From that point on, there have generally been at least two ongoing Spider-Man series at any time. Gerry Conway became the primary writer of the series from 1972 to 1975, and Ross Andru was the penciller from October 1973 to July 1978. In 1973, Gwen Stacy was tragically killed during her rescue from the Green Goblin, a turning point for Spider-Man. In issue #121 (June 1973), the Green Goblin throws Gwen Stacy from a tower of either the Brooklyn Bridge (as depicted in the art) or the George Washington Bridge (as given in the text). She dies during Spider-Man's rescue attempt, and Spider-Man swears revenge against his nemesis; a note on the letters page of issue #125 states: "It saddens us to say that the whiplash effect she underwent when Spidey's webbing stopped her so suddenly was, in fact, what killed her." The following issue, Spider-Man vengefully attacks and overpowers the Green Goblin, who kills himself accidentally in the ensuing battle with Spider-Man.

In 1974, the Punisher, a murderous vigilante who later became particularly popular, first appeared in the series. Len Wein became the new writer in December 1975. He was replaced in June 1978, initially by Bill Mantlo and later by Marv Wolfman. Sal Buscema, Jim Starlin, Keith Pollard, and John Byrne were all featured artists in the late 1970s.

1980s

In the early 1980s, Roger Stern and John Romita Jr. (the son of the primary artist in the late 1960s) became the primary creative team of The Amazing Spider-Man.

A third series featuring Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, launched in 1985 to replace Marvel Team-Up. In the mid-1980s, Spider-Man was also a significant character in the Secret Wars miniseries, which led to his adoption of a new black costume. At the end of the decade, this costume was revealed to be a symbiote which became a prominent new enemy, Venom. From 1984 to 1988, Spider-Man wore a black costume with a white spider design on his chest. The new costume originated in the Secret Wars miniseries on an alien planet where Spider-Man participates in a battle between Earth's major superheroes and supervillains. He continues wearing the costume when he returns, starting in The Amazing Spider-Man #252. The creators then revealed the costume was an alien symbiote, which Spider-Man rejects after a difficult struggle, though the symbiote returns several times as Venom for revenge.

In 1987, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson were married; the creative team in this period was Jim Shooter as plot writer and Paul Ryan as penciller. Peter proposes to Mary Jane in The Amazing Spider-Man #290 (July 1987), and she accepts two issues later, with the wedding taking place in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (1987)—promoted with a real-life mock wedding using actors at Shea Stadium, with Stan Lee officiating, on June 5, 1987. David Michelinie, who scripted based on a plot by editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, said in 2007, "I didn't think they actually should [have gotten] married. ... I had actually planned another version, one that wasn't used."

October 1985 to 1986 in The Spectacular Spider-Man featured a storyline inspired by film noir, "The Death of Jean DeWolff". October to November 1987 were devoted to an equally dark story that crossed over among the three Spider-Man titles, "Kraven's Last Hunt". Todd McFarlane became the new artist of The Amazing Spider-Man in March 1988; his rendition of Spider-Man distinguished itself by "'impossible' anatomy, huge eyes, poses that were more spiderlike than human, skewed frames, and brand-new spaghetti webbing."

1990s

The launch of a fourth monthly title in 1990, the "adjectiveless" Spider-Man (with the storyline "Torment"), written and drawn by popular artist Todd McFarlane, debuted with several different covers, all with the same interior content. All four versions combined sold over three million copies, an industry record at the time. Several miniseries, one-shot issues, and loosely related comics were also published in this decade, and Spider-Man made frequent cameos and guest appearances in other comic book series. In 1996, The Sensational Spider-Man was created to replace Web of Spider-Man.

In the mid-1990s, there was a very long storyline in which a clone of Spider-Man first created in an earlier storyline of the 1970s returned, and it was unclear which of the two versions of Peter Parker was the original. This lasted for three years. In the controversial 1990s storyline the "Clone Saga", a clone of Parker, created in a storyline of the 1970s, re-appears after living incognito as Ben Reilly and allies with Parker. To the surprise of both, new tests indicate Ben is the original and Peter is the clone. Complicating matters, Mary Jane announces in The Spectacular Spider-Man #220 (Jan. 1995) that she is pregnant with Peter's baby. Later, however, a resurrected Norman Osborn has Mary Jane poisoned, causing premature labor and the death of her and Peter's unborn daughter. It is later revealed that The Green Goblin switched the results of the clone test in an attempt to destroy Peter's life by making him believe himself to be the clone. Ben is killed while saving Peter, in Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 (Dec. 1996), and his body immediately crumbles into dust, confirming Ben was the clone.

In 1998, writer-artist John Byrne revamped the origin of Spider-Man in the 13-issue limited series Spider-Man: Chapter One (Dec. 1998–Oct. 1999), similar to Byrne's adding details and some revisions to Superman's origin in DC Comics' The Man of Steel. During that time, the original The Amazing Spider-Man ended, and The Amazing Spider-Man started with volume 2, #1 (Jan. 1999).

In issue #97 (Nov. 1998) of the second series titled Peter Parker: Spider-Man, Parker learns Norman Osborn kidnapped Aunt May and her apparent death in The Amazing Spider-Man #400 (April 1995) had been a hoax. Shortly afterward, Mary Jane appears to be killed in an airplane explosion. She is subsequently revealed to be alive, but she and Peter are then completely separated.

2000s

In October 2000, an alternative interpretation and updated re-imagining of the character appeared in Ultimate Spider-Man, written by Brian Michael Bendis.

Beginning in June 2001, J. Michael Straczynski, who had created the science fiction TV show Babylon Five, became the primary writer of The Amazing Spider-Man. In this period, Peter, now employed as a teacher at his old high school, meets the enigmatic Ezekiel Sims, who possesses similar spider powers and suggests that Peter, having gained such abilities, might not have been a fluke—that Parker has a connection to a totemic spider spirit. In vol. 2, #37 (#478, Jan. 2002), Aunt May discovers her nephew is Spider-Man.

Beginning in 2005, Spider-Man joined the Avengers and appeared in the New Avengers series written by Bendis. After a deranged, superpowered former high-school classmate destroys their respective homes, Peter, Mary Jane, and May move into Stark Tower, and Peter begins working as Tony Stark's assistant while freelancing for The Daily Bugle and continuing his teacher career. In the 12-part 2005 story arc "The Other", Peter undergoes a transformation that evolves his powers. In the comic Civil War #2 (June 2006), part of the company-wide crossover arc of that title, the U.S. government's Superhuman Registration Act leads Spider-Man to reveal his true identity publicly. A growing unease about the Registration Act prompts him to escape with May and Mary Jane and joins the anti-registration underground.

In 2007, the "One More Day" storyline un-did Peter Parker's marriage to Mary Jane Watson; the demon Mephisto magically erased the event from the memory of everyone in the world. In issue #537 (Dec. 2006), Aunt May is critically wounded from Wilson Fisk's sniper, and enters into a coma. Peter, desperate to save her, exhausts all possibilities and makes a pact with the demon-lord Mephisto, who saves May's life in exchange for Peter and Mary Jane agreeing to have their marriage and all memory of it disappear. In this changed reality, Spider-Man's identity is secret once again, and in #545 (Jan. 2008), Mary Jane returns and is cold toward him. The controversial storyline "One More Day" rolled back much of the fictional continuity at the behest of editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, who said, "Peter being single is an intrinsic part of the very foundation of the world of Spider-Man". It caused unusual public friction between Quesada and writer Straczynski, who "told Joe that I was going to take my name off the last two issues of the [story] arc", but was talked out of doing so. At issue with Straczynski's climax to the arc, Quesada said, was...that we didn't receive the story and methodology to the resolution that we were all expecting. What made that very problematic is that we had four writers and artists well underway on [the sequel arc] "Brand New Day" that were expecting and needed "One More Day" to end in the way that we had all agreed it would. ... The fact that we had to ask for the story to move back to its original intent understandably made Joe upset and caused some major delays and page increases in the series. Also, the science that Joe was going to apply to the retcon of the marriage would have made over 30 years of Spider-Man books worthless, because they never would have had happened. ...[I]t would have reset way too many things outside of the Spider-Man titles. We just couldn't go there....

2010s

In Ultimate Spider-Man, a storyline that began in 2011 narrated the death of the alternative version of Peter Parker, who was replaced by a younger character with similar powers, Miles Morales.

In 2012, Marvel launched Avenging Spider-Man as the first spin-off ongoing series in addition to The Amazing Spider-Man, since the previous ones were canceled at the end of 2007. Dan Slott became the primary writer of The Amazing Spider-Man in January 2011. The Amazing series temporarily ended with issue #700 in December 2012 and was replaced by The Superior Spider-Man, which had Doctor Octopus serve as the new Spider-Man by taking over Peter Parker's body. One of Doctor Octopus' Octobots swaps his and Spider-Man's personality, causing Peter to become trapped in the Doctor's dying body, while he in turn claimed Peter's life for himself. Though Peter failed to reverse the change, he manages to establish a weak link with the Doctor's mind, forcing him to relive all of his memories; Otto understands Peter's ideals of power and responsibility and swears to carry on with Peter's life with dignity as a "Superior" Spider-Man. Superior was an enormous commercial success for Marvel, and ran for 31 issues before the real Peter Parker returned in a newly relaunched The Amazing Spider-Man #1 in April 2014.

Later, realizing that he failed in his role as the "Superior" Spider-Man, Otto willingly allows Peter to reclaim his body in order to defeat Osborn and save a woman Otto loves. In the aftermath of these events, Peter began to amend the relationships damaged by Otto's arrogance and negligence, both as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. He additionally took up the reins of Parker Industries, a small company founded by Otto.

Peter soon learns a second person had been bitten by the radioactive spider, Cindy Moon. Spider-Man tracks her down and frees her from a bunker owned by the late Ezekiel Simms. Cindy goes on to adopt her own heroine identity as Silk. The Spider-Verse storyline began in November 2014, introducing new variants of Spider-Man, such as Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Gwen. Spider-Man encounters a contingent of spider-people from all over the Multiverse that banded together to fight the Inheritors, a group of psychic vampires who had begun to hunt down the spider-totems of other realities. During a mission to gather more recruits in 2099, the Spider-Army stumbled upon another party of spider-people led by a time displaced Superior Spider-Man (Who later lost memory of the event). Together, they neutralize the Inheritors.

Fictional character biography

Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, Peter Benjamin Parker's parents died in a plane crash when he was a child. He is raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May. At Midtown High School, Peter is an excellent student and scientific prodigy, but he is not popular with his peers. He is bitten by a radioactive spider at a science exhibit and subsequently develops superhuman strength, speed, and agility, as well as the ability to adhere to walls and ceilings. Through his knack for science, he develops a gadget that lets him fire adhesive webbing of his own design through small, wrist-mounted barrels. Initially seeking to capitalize on his new abilities, Parker dons a costume and, as "Spider-Man", becomes a novelty television star. However, he refuses to prevent the escape of a thief, who subsequently murders his beloved Uncle Ben. He tracks down the killer, and, overcome by guilt, devotes himself to applying his powers in the service of justice.

Peter struggles to help his widowed Aunt May pay the rent, has social problems as a student, and continues fighting crime and saving the city as Spider-Man. His heroic deeds engender the editorial wrath of newspaper publisher of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson, who holds a grudge against Spider-Man. Peter gets hired as a freelance photographer by Jameson to take pictures of Spider-Man, with him being unaware that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. Spider-Man fights various enemies, including archenemy and nemesis Green Goblin and then Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Chameleon, Lizard, Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, Electro, and Mysterio, defeating them one by one. Peter finds juggling his personal and superhero life difficult.

Peter graduates from high school and enrolls at Empire State University, where he meets roommate and best friend Harry Osborn and girlfriend Gwen Stacy, and Aunt May introduces him to Mary Jane Watson. As Peter deals with Harry's drug problems, and Harry's father, Norman Osborn, is revealed to be the Green Goblin, Peter attempts to give up his costumed identity for a while. Gwen Stacy's father, New York City Police detective Captain George Stacy, is accidentally killed during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. Later, the Green Goblin throws Gwen Stacy from a tower of a major bridge. She dies during Spider-Man's rescue attempt, and Spider-Man swears revenge against his nemesis the Green Goblin, who kills himself accidentally in an ensuing battle with Spider-Man.

Working through his grief, Peter eventually develops tentative feelings toward Mary Jane, and the two become close. A romantic relationship eventually develops, with Parker eventually proposing and being turned down. Peter graduates from college, and becomes involved with the flirtatious costumed thief Felicia Hardy, a.k.a. the Black Cat.

Personality and themes

Sally Kempton for the Village Voice opined in 1965 that "Spider-Man has a terrible identity problem, a marked inferiority complex, and a fear of women. He is antisocial, castration-ridden, racked with Oedipal guilt, and accident-prone ... [a] functioning neurotic". Spider-Man's writers often describe him as an everyman who stands in for the average reader; he has also been characterized as one of the first nerd heroes. Comics scholar Phillip Lamarr Cunningham says that "[Peter] Parker arguably epitomizes the conflation of everyman and nerd better than any popular culture figure." Agonizing over his choices, always attempting to do right, he is nonetheless viewed with suspicion by the authorities, who seem unsure as to whether he is a helpful vigilante or a clever criminal.

Cultural historian Bradford W. Wright notes:

Spider-Man's plight was to be misunderstood and persecuted by the very public that he swore to protect. In the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of the Daily Bugle, launches an editorial campaign against the "Spider-Man menace". The resulting negative publicity exacerbates popular suspicions about the mysterious Spider-Man and makes it impossible for him to earn any more money by performing. Eventually, the bad press leads the authorities to brand him an outlaw. Ironically, Peter finally lands a job as a photographer for Jameson's Daily Bugle.

The mid-1960s stories reflect the political tensions of the time; early 1960s Marvel stories often deal with the Cold War and communism. Wright writes:

From his high-school beginnings to his entry into college life, Spider-Man remained the superhero most relevant to the world of young people. Fittingly, then, his comic book also contained some of the earliest references to the politics of young people. In 1968, in the wake of actual militant student demonstrations at Columbia University, Peter Parker finds himself in the midst of similar unrest at his Empire State University.... Peter has to reconcile his natural sympathy for the students with his assumed obligation to combat lawlessness as Spider-Man. As a law-upholding liberal, he finds himself caught between militant leftism and angry conservatives.

Comics scholar Peter Lee identifies a theme of generational consciousness for Baby Boomers in Spider-Man stories of the 1960s, and an emphasis on a generation gap with their elders. Douglas Wolk emphasizes Parker's complex identity formation through conflict with paternal authority figures; many of his most prominent arch-enemies can be viewed as distorted father figures. Wolk also points out a continual theme of a frustrated bildungsroman, the classic narrative of transition from childhood to adulthood: Parker is often about to achieve the resolution of maturity before this progress is unfairly interrupted.

Powers, skills, and equipment

Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and subsequently developed spider-powers such as the ability to stick to walls and climb surfaces, the proportionate strength, speed, agility, and reflexes of a spider, and a "spider-sense" that warns him of danger. Commentators have speculated that a distance-dependent interaction between his body and surfaces, known as the van der Waals force, accounts for his sticking ability.

The character was originally conceived by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko as intellectually gifted, and later writers have depicted his intellect at genius level. Academically brilliant, Peter has expertise in the fields of applied science, chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, mathematics, and mechanics.

Spider-Man designed his own web-shooters that depend on an organic fluid, and use them to swing at amazing speeds from building to building on these webs, and shoot at his enemies as fighting weapons. He also invented spider-tracers that he is able to track with his spider-sense.

Supporting cast

Spider-Man has had a large range of supporting characters introduced in the comics that are essential in the issues and storylines that star him. After his parents died, Peter Parker was raised by his loving aunt, May Parker, and his uncle and father figure, Ben Parker. After Uncle Ben is murdered by a burglar, Aunt May is virtually Peter's only family, and she and Peter are very close.

J. Jonah Jameson is the publisher of the Daily Bugle and Peter Parker's boss. A harsh critic of Spider-Man, he constantly features negative articles about the superhero in his newspaper. Jameson can be interpreted as symbolic of demagogic, sensationalistic media. In contrast, Robbie Robertson, Jameson's editor and confidant, is always depicted as a supporter of both Spider-Man and his alter ego Peter Parker.

Eugene "Flash" Thompson is commonly depicted as Peter Parker's high school tormentor and bully, who idolizes Spider-Man, but is unaware that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. Later, he becomes a friend of Peter and adopts his own superhero identity, Agent Venom, after merging with the Venom symbiote. Meanwhile, Harry Osborn, son of Norman Osborn, is Peter's best friend, and experiences problems with drug addiction.

Enemies

Writers and artists over the years have established a rogues gallery of supervillains to face Spider-Man, in comics and in other media. As with Spider-Man, the majority of the villains' powers originate with scientific accidents or the misuse of scientific technology, and many have animal-themed costumes or powers. Comics scholar Rick Hudson argues that Spider-Man's enemies are in some sense "'ordinary guys' living in a fantastical world", in contrast to the operatic, gothic villains who Batman faces. In the early period written by Steve Ditko, Spider-Man's enemies are usually older men whose power comes from scientific inventions.

The Norman Osborn version of the Green Goblin is most commonly regarded as Spider-Man's arch-enemy. While Norman is usually portrayed as an amoral industrialist and the head of the Oscorp scientific corporation, the Goblin is a psychopathic alternate personality, born after Norman's exposure to some unstable chemicals that also increased his strength and agility. The Goblin is a Halloween-themed villain, dressing up like an actual goblin and utilizing a large arsenal of high tech weapons, including a glider and pumpkin-shaped explosives. Unlike most villains, who only aim to kill Spider-Man, the Goblin also targets his loved ones and shows no remorse in killing them as long as it caused pain to Spider-Man. His most infamous feat is killing Gwen Stacy in "The Night Gwen Stacy Died." While the Goblin was killed in the same story, he returned in the 1990s to plague Spider-Man once again. He also came into conflict with other heroes, such as the Avengers. Norman is sometimes depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man, even when not being the Green Goblin.

Doctor Octopus (a.k.a. Doc Ock) is a highly intelligent mad scientist who uses four mechanical appendages for both movement and combat. He has been described as Spider-Man's greatest enemy, and the man Peter Parker might have become if he had not been raised with a sense of responsibility. Doc Ock is infamous for defeating him the first time in battle and for almost marrying Peter's Aunt May. He is also the core leader of the Sinister Six. Later stories depicted his mind in Peter Parker's body, where he acted as the titular character.

The Eddie Brock incarnation of Venom is often regarded as Spider-Man's deadliest foe, and has been described as an evil mirror version of Spider-Man in many ways. He is also among Spider-Man's most popular villains. Originally a reporter who grew to despise Spider-Man, Eddie later came into contact with the Venom symbiote, which had been rejected by Spider-Man. The symbiote merges with Eddie and gives him the same powers as Spider-Man, in addition to making him immune to the web-slinger's "spider-sense". Venom's main goal is to ruin Peter Parker's life and mentally confuse him in any way he can. The character has a sense of honor and justice, and later starred in his own comic book stories, where he is depicted as an antihero and has a desire to protect innocent people from harm. On several occasions, he and Spider-Man even put their differences aside and became allies.

Romantic interests

As a high-schooler, Peter Parker's romantic interests first included his first crush, fellow high-school student Liz Allan, and his first date, with Betty Brant, who was secretary to the Daily Bugle newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson. Peter eventually falls in love with his college girlfriend Gwen Stacy, daughter of New York City Police Department detective Captain George Stacy. Her father is killed by Doctor Octopus, and Gwen blames Spider-Man for his death, not realizing Peter's secret identity. Gwen Stacy later dies after being held hostage by the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin throws her from a bridge and Spider-Man attempts to save her, but a "snap" sound effect suggests that Spider-Man's web broke her neck when it interrupted her fall. The event of her death and ramifications are revisited in many subsequent storylines.

Mary Jane Watson is first introduced in 1965, but does not become fully visible until the following year. Peter's Aunt May constantly suggests her as a blind date, which Peter continually postpones. When he finally meets her, she declares "Face It Tiger.... You Just Hit the Jackpot!", which becomes a repeated catchphrase. They date off and on through storylines over subsequent decades. She becomes Peter's best friend; in a storyline of 1987, they marry. However, in a story written two decades later, their marriage is erased from the memory of the world by Mephisto, in exchange for saving Aunt May's life.

Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, is a reformed cat burglar who was Spider-Man's only superhuman girlfriend and partner.

Children

The main incarnation of Spider-Man has never become a father. However, over the course of the comics, alternate versions of Peter Parker had biological children, usually with Mary Jane Watson. These include Spider-Girl (Mayday Parker) and Benjy Parker from the MC2 universe, and Spiderling (Annie Parker) from Earth-18119.

Alternate versions of Spider-Man

Within the Marvel Universe, there exists a multiverse with many variations of Spider-Man. An early character included in the 1980s is the fictional anthropomorphic animal parody of Spider-Man as a pig named Spider-Ham (Peter Porker). Many imprints of Spider-Men were created, like the futuristic version of Spider-Man in Marvel 2099 named Miguel O'Hara. In the Marvel Comics 2 imprint, Peter marries Mary Jane and has a daughter named Mayday Parker, who carries on Spider-Man's legacy, while Marvel Noir has a 1930s version of Peter Parker. Other themed versions exist within the early 2000s, such as a Marvel Mangaverse version and an Indian version from Spider-Man: India, Pavitr Prabhakar.

Ultimate Spider-Man was a popular modern retelling of Spider-Man, Peter Parker. The version of Peter Parker would later be depicted as being killed off and replaced by a Black Hispanic Spider-Man named Miles Morales.

The storyline "Spider-Verse" brought back many alternate takes on Spider-Man and introduced many new ones, such as an alternate world where Gwen Stacy gets bitten by a radioactive spider instead, along with a British-themed version named Spider-UK, who is Billy Braddock from the Captain Britain Corps.

Reception and legacy

In The Creation of Spider-Man, comic book writer-editor and historian Paul Kupperberg calls the character's superpowers "nothing too original"; what was original was that outside his secret identity, he was a "nerdy high school student". Going against typical superhero fare, Spider-Man included "heavy doses of soap-opera and elements of melodrama". Kupperberg feels that Lee and Ditko had created something new in the world of comics: "the flawed superhero with everyday problems". This idea spawned a comics revolution. The insecurity and anxieties in Marvel's early 1960s comic books, such as The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Fantastic Four, and The X-Men ushered in a new type of superhero, very different from the certain and all-powerful superheroes before them, and changed the public's perception of them. Later stories also affected the genre of superhero comics. Historians of the genre have argued that the dark, pessimistic conclusion of the 1973 story "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" is partly responsible for the shift from the idealistic Silver Age of Comic Books to the more violent and troubled Bronze Age of Comic Books.

Spider-Man has become one of the most recognizable fictional characters in the world, and has been used to sell toys, games, cereal, candy, soap, and many other products. After the comics depicted a real address in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, as May Parker's residence, its residents received many letters from children to the superhero. He has been used as the company mascot. When Marvel became the first comic book company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1991, The Wall Street Journal announced "Spider-Man is coming to Wall Street"; the event was in turn promoted with an actor in a Spider-Man costume accompanying Stan Lee to the Stock Exchange. Comics scholars Robert G. Weiner and Robert Moses Peaslee argue that Spider-Man is the clear flagship character of Marvel Comics and one of the best-known superheroes worldwide, only rivaled by Batman and Superman. They draw from research that indicates he is a globally recognizable character. They cite statistics that from 1966 to 2012 The Amazing Spider-Man sold an estimated 145-150 million copies. In 2014, Spider-Man was considered the world's most profitable superhero. Also in 2014, global retail sales of licensed products related to Spider-Man reached approximately $1.3 billion. Comparatively, this amount exceeds the global licensing revenue of Batman, Superman, and the Avengers combined.

Spider-Man joined the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1987 to 1998 as one of the balloon floats, designed by John Romita Sr., one of the character's signature artists. A new, different Spider-Man balloon float also appeared from 2009 to 2014.

Real-life comparisons

Real-life people who have been compared to Spider-Man for their climbing feats include:

In 1981, the skyscraper-safety activist Dan Goodwin, wearing a Spider-Man suit, scaled the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois, the Renaissance Tower in Dallas, Texas, and the John Hancock Center in Chicago, earning the nickname "Spider Dan."

Alain Robert, nicknamed "Spider-Man", is a rock and urban climber who has scaled more than 70 tall buildings using his hands and feet, without using additional devices. He sometimes wears a Spider-Man suit during his climbs. In May 2003, he was paid approximately $18,000 to climb the 95-meter (312 ft) Lloyd's building to promote the premiere of the movie Spider-Man on the British television channel Sky Movies.

"The Human Spider", alias Bill Strother, scaled the Lamar Building in Augusta, Georgia, in 1921.

In Argentina, criminals that climb buildings and trespass into private property through the open balconies are said to use the "Spider-Man method" (in Spanish, el Hombre Araña).

In other media

Spider-Man has appeared in comics, cartoons, films, video games, coloring books, novels, records, children's books, and theme park rides. On television, he first starred in the ABC animated series Spider-Man (1967–1970), Spidey Super Stories (1974–1977) on PBS, and the CBS live-action series The Amazing Spider-Man (1978–1979), starring Nicholas Hammond. Other animated series featuring the superhero include the syndicated Spider-Man (1981–1982), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981–1983), Fox Kids' Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994–1998), Spider-Man Unlimited (1999–2001), Spider-Man: The New Animated Series (2003), The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–2009), Ultimate Spider-Man (2012–2017), Disney XD's Spider-Man (2017–2020), and Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021–present). Spider-Man was first portrayed in live-action in Spidey Super Stories, a recurring skit on The Electric Company from 1974 to 1977.

A tokusatsu series featuring Spider-Man was produced by Toei and aired in Japan. It is commonly referred to by its Japanese pronunciation Supaidā-Man. Spider-Man also appeared in other print forms besides the comics, including novels, children's books, and the daily newspaper comic strip The Amazing Spider-Man, which debuted in January 1977, with the earliest installments written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Romita Sr. Spider-Man has been adapted to other media including games, toys, collectibles, and miscellaneous memorabilia, and has appeared as the main character in numerous computer and video games on over 15 gaming platforms.

Spider-Man was featured in a trilogy of live-action films directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire as the titular superhero. The first Spider-Man film of the trilogy was released on May 3, 2002, followed by Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). A third sequel was originally scheduled to be released in 2011; however, Sony later decided to reboot the franchise with a new director and cast. The reboot, titled The Amazing Spider-Man, was released on July 3, 2012, directed by Marc Webb, and starred Andrew Garfield as the new Spider-Man. It was followed by The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). In 2015, Sony and Disney made a deal for Spider-Man to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tom Holland made his debut as Spider-Man in the MCU film Captain America: Civil War (2016), before later starring in his standalone film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), directed by Jon Watts. Holland reprised his role as Spider-Man in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026). Maguire and Garfield reprise their roles in No Way Home. Jake Johnson voiced an alternate universe version of Spider-Man in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and reprised the role in its sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). Chris Pine also voiced another version of Peter Parker in Into the Spider-Verse. In 2021, Hudson Thames was cast as the voice of Spider-Man in animated anthology series What If...?, replacing Tom Holland. He later reprised the role for animated series Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (2025).