Merge:Spider-Man

With great power comes great responsibility.

--Ben Parker

Spider-Man (alter ego Peter Benjamin Parker), is a superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe, created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. First appearing in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962), he has become one of the world's most popular, enduring, and recognizable superheroes.

In the 1960s, when Spider-Man was first published, teenage characters were used mainly as sidekicks in comic books. The series broke new ground by making its hero, Peter Parker, a teenager himself, and giving him normal problems. His trouble with girls, work, and money made him easier to relate to than the superheroes who had gone before. Through the years, Spider-Man has appeared in many media, including several animated and live action television series, syndicated newspaper comic strips, and two very successful big-screen films, with a third set to debut in 2007.

Marvel has published many series featuring the character, the first and flagship title being The Amazing Spider-Man. Peter Parker grows from a shy high school student to a troubled college student to a married professional.

Creation of character
Various accounts of Spider-Man's creation have been given, with at times, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko (the official creators), Jack Kirby and Joe Simon claiming various degrees of credit for the character's concepts.

Stan Lee claimed in the 1980s that the idea for Spider-Man sprang out of the apparent increased teenage interest in the new Marvel comic books, and that he wanted to create a character that they would identify with. Lee cited the non-powered pulp magazine crime fighter The Spider as an influence.

In the Spider-Man movie DVD extras, Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters and Marvels and elsewhere, Lee said he was inspired by seeing a fly climb up a wall. When discussing this in documentaries, he often comments that he's told the story so many times that he is not sure if it is true or not.

However, Jack Kirby said in a 1982 interview that Lee had minimal involvement in the creation of the character. He claimed that he and Joe Simon had created a character called 'The Silver Spider' which was going to be published in the Black Magic anthology by Crestwood until that company went out of business.

Joe Simon, in his 1990 autobiography, disputes this account. He claimed that he came up with the character's name, while Kirby outlined the character's story and powers. Stan Lee liked the idea, but didn't like what Kirby actually drew: in Simon's words, "Captain America with cobwebs." Lee turned to artist Steve Ditko, who found the concept particularly appealing and developed a visual motif that Lee found satisfactory. Simon later elaborated: the Silver Spider he and Kirby had created was also the inspiration for The Fly, a character he had created for Archie Comics. Ditko immediately recognized it, and then designed his own version.

Steve Ditko's recollections in Comic Book Artist #3 (Winter 1999) were similar. Much earlier, in a rare contemporaneous account, Ditko specified his and Lee's contributions, in a mail interview with Gary Martin published in Comic Fan #2 (Summer 1965): "Stan Lee thought the name up.  I did costume, web gimmick on wrist & spider signal."

Multiple Series
Spider-Man is introduced in Amazing Fantasy #15, 1962. His own series, The Amazing Spider-Man, began the following year. In 1972, a second ongoing monthly series starring Spider-Man began: Marvel Team-Up, in which Spider-Man is paired with other heroes. In 1976, his second solo series began, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man, which ran parallel to the main series. Since then, there have been at least two ongoing Spider-Man series at any given time, and usually at least four comics starring the character are published each month. Numerous limited series, one-shots, and loosely related comics have also been published, and Spider-Man makes frequent cameos and guest appearances in other comic series.

As of 2006, Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, New Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Sensational Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the limited series Beyond! and Civil War regularly feature Spider-Man.

Challenging the Comics Code
In 1971, The Amazing Spider-Man was the first comic to challenge the rigid Comics Code. Previously, it was forbidden to depict illegal drugs, even negatively. However, The Amazing Spider-Man #96–98 (May–July 1971) features a story arc that shows the negative effects of drug abuse (a storyline conceived at the request of government drug-prevention authorities). Harry Osborn starts taking pills and becomes so ill that, when Spider-Man fights the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn), Spider-Man defeats Norman by simply showing him his sick son. The three issues were sold without the Comics Code Authority's approval or seal, but were met with such critical acclaim that the industry's self-censorship was undercut.

Early life
Peter Benjamin Parker's parents Richard and Mary Parker, CIA and later S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, are killed on a mission. The infant Peter Parker is left in the care of his Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker, who live in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, New York. The aging couple love Peter, but he is unpopular among those his own age. Over time, he grows to be a lonely, timid teenager. The exceptionally bright Peter shows more interest in his studies, especially science, than in any kind of social life. He is often the target of jokes by more popular students like Flash Thompson, the high school's star athlete.

Origin
When Peter Parker is 15 years old, he attends a science exhibition where he is bitten by a radioactive spider. The spider's bite gives Peter an array of spider-like powers, including wall-crawling, superhuman strength and agility, and an extra-sensory "spider-sense".

Peter sets out to find fame and fortune at first, winning a match against professional wrestler Crusher Hogan. Quickly becoming a minor celebrity, Peter appears on a television special. However, afterward, he allows a thief to escape the TV station, and tells a security guard that it isn't his problem. He later regrets this decision when he finds out the same robber has killed his Uncle Ben. Realizing that he could have prevented his uncle's death, Peter devotes himself to fighting crime and saving lives, driven by his uncle's words, "with great power there must also come great responsibility." This phrase (usually in the modified form "with great power comes great responsibility") subsequently achieved widespread fame.

Problems as Spider-Man
Spider-Man tries to do the right thing, but the authorities and the public view him with suspicion. Thanks to a continuous smear campaign by J. Jonah Jameson, publisher of The Daily Bugle, many people consider Spider-Man a menace to society. Ironically, Peter spends much of his life working as a freelance photographer for Jameson, primarily selling photographs of himself as Spider-Man to be used in negative articles and editorials.

Spider-Man amasses many enemies, as any superhero does when fighting crime and villainy. Some targeted him as Peter Parker or attacked his loved ones: the Green Goblin killed Peter's girlfriend Gwen Stacy. The stresses of Peter's dual identity often led to tension between himself and his wife Mary Jane Watson, or his friends.

Starting out
In the earliest Spider-Man stories, Peter Parker attends Midtown High School. Due to the death of his uncle, he and his aunt are desperate for money, so he gets a job as a photographer at the Daily Bugle, selling photos to J. Jonah Jameson. Peter dates his co-worker Betty Brant and comes into conflict with his high school rival Flash Thompson. He encounters many of his most famous enemies for the first time.

College life
Peter graduates from high school and enrolls at Empire State University. There, he meets Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy, who are friends with Flash Thompson. His aunt introduces him to Mary Jane Watson, whom he dates for a short time, but he soon falls in love with Gwen. Harry, meanwhile, becomes Peter's best friend and roommate, but starts using illegal drugs.

Harry's father, Norman Osborn, is revealed to be the Green Goblin, and discovers Spider-Man's secret identity. After Gwen's father is killed in a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, their relationship is put on hold when she travels to Europe. Shortly after she returns, Harry suffers a drug overdose.

The death of Gwen Stacy
While Harry is ill, the Green Goblin murders Gwen, and then dies in the ensuing battle with Spider-Man. In shock over her death, Peter withdraws from his friends, only to find support from Mary Jane, and they start dating. Harry discovers the truth about his father, and later becomes the second Green Goblin. Gwen's death has another unforeseen consequence: one of her professors, Miles Warren, clones Gwen and Peter. Both clones disappear, but Peter's clone returns years later as Ben Reilly. Mary Jane and Peter break up, as she is not ready for a committed relationship.

The alien costume and Venom

 * See also: Symbiote; Venom

During the Secret Wars limited series, Spider-Man is taken to an alien planet and participates in a battle between Earth's greatest heroes and villains. During the war, Peter's blue-and-red costume is destroyed. Peter finds a machine on the strange planet that seems to fashion a new black costume to replace his tattered one. The costume responds to Peter's thoughts, maintains an unlimited supply of web-fluid, and can change appearance at will. However, when Peter returns to Earth he discovers that the costume is actually an alien symbiote bent on permanently bonding with its host. Peter eventually rejects and defeats the symbiote, but it merges with reporter Eddie Brock, becoming the villain known as Venom. Brock is imprisoned and removed from his symbiote, but then escapes the prison when the symbiote returns. His cellmate, Cletus Kasady (a serial killer) merges with an infant symbiote that Venom left behind, thus becoming yet another villain, Carnage.

Clone Saga

 * Main article: Clone Saga

One of the most controversial storylines of the 1990s involves the Scarlet Spider, a clone of Spider-Man going by the name Ben Reilly; however, tests indicate that Reilly is the original, and Peter the clone. Mary Jane becomes pregnant and Peter retires, and gives the Spider-Man identity to Reilly. Reilly remains Spider-Man for several months, until a resurrected Norman Osborn reveals that he had manipulated the tests. After Reilly is impaled on the Goblin's Glider while saving Peter, his body crumbles into dust, proving definitively that he was the clone.

While Peter battles Osborn, Mary Jane is poisoned by one of his agents, and their baby seems to be stillborn; however, the agent then takes the baby away. Baby May has not been seen since.

Reinvented and relaunched
In 1999, after a decline in sales that began with the clone storyline, John Byrne revised the origin of Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Chapter One, just as he earlier had reinvented the origin of Superman in The Man of Steel. The changes were referenced in the contemporary comics (which Byrne co-wrote with Howard Mackie), but the attempt was not popular, and Marvel writers returned to the original Lee/Ditko origin.

Later in the Byrne/Mackie run, Peter learns that Aunt May had been kidnapped by Osborn, and her death was a hoax. Peter rescues May, then temporarily retires as Spider-Man. The publisher relaunched The Amazing Spider-Man and Peter Parker: Spider-Man with new #1 issues and canceled The Sensational Spider-Man vol. 1 and The Spectacular Spider-Man vol. 1. Peter eventually becomes Spider-Man again while keeping it secret from Mary Jane. Shortly afterward, she is apparently murdered by a stalker.

21st-century Spider-Man
Marvel hired Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski to write The Amazing Spider-Man, which was illustrated by John Romita, Jr. Straczynski and writer Paul Jenkins reunited Peter and Mary Jane, but they temporarily separate. Peter becomes a teacher at his old high school.

The enigmatic, wealthy CEO Ezekiel, suggests that the accident that gave Peter his abilities might not have been a fluke, and that Peter might have a connection to a totemic spider spirit. The vampire-like Morlun, who feeds on the powers possessed by those connected to animal totems, comes to New York and severely beats Spider-Man. However, Peter defeats Morlun by injecting himself with a radioactive material, making himself "impure" and weakening the villain. Peter defeats the villain, and Morlun's lackey kills his master. Spider-Man later battles Shathra, a mystical spider wasp being, and uses the power of the spider totem to defeat her. This battle prompts the end of Peter and Mary Jane's separation.

The companion series Peter Parker: Spider-Man (illustrated by Mark Buckingham) was relaunched as The Spectacular Spider-Man Volume 2, written by Paul Jenkins and illustrated by Humberto Ramos. Here Spider-Man battles Venom (Eddie Brock), who is revealed to be dying of cancer. An encounter with the Green Goblin leaves Peter's friend Flash Thompson in a coma with severe brain damage. After a lengthy battle, the Green Goblin and Spider-Man come to a truce, which ends when Osborn resumes killing in the series The Pulse and Marvel Knights Spider-Man.

After The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #58, the series returns to its original numbering at #500. Peter works as a science teacher at Midtown High School until 2004, when Charlie Weiderman destroys both Peter's apartment and Aunt May's house. Because of Spider-Man's membership in the Avengers, Peter, Mary Jane, and Aunt May move into Tony Stark's Stark Tower. Peter works as Stark's assistant while again freelancing for The Daily Bugle.

The Other

 * Main article: Spider-Man: The Other

In the 12-part 2005 story "The Other", which spanned the three main Spider-Man titles, Spider-Man is cursed, killed by Morlun, and undergoes a transformation that evolves his powers (see below), further connects him to the spider totem, and lays the foundation for further developments. After his return, Tony Stark makes him a new costume.

House of M

 * Main article: Spider-Man: House of M

In the alternate reality of House of M, a Marvel crossover, Spider-Man has everything he wants. His identity is widely known, and he is rich, famous, and married to Gwen Stacy. Aunt May and Uncle Ben are alive and in good health, and J. Jonah Jameson is Peter's often-abused publicist. Things unravel when, in a world where mutants rule the world, Spider-Man is revealed to have gotten his powers from a radioactive spider, and is not a born mutant.

Civil War

 * Main article: Civil War

In the multi-title, 2006 crossover Civil War, which divides the Marvel heroes on whether to abide by the Super-human Registration Act, Spider-Man unmasks himself at a live, televised news conference  at the U.S. Capitol in Civil War #2 (June 2006). He announces to the world, "My name is Peter Parker and I've been Spider-Man since I was 15 years old."

After exposing himself to the public, reactions range from extreme enthusiasm to anger. J. Jonah Jameson, who feels betrayed by Peter, has filed a lawsuit against Peter Parker, asking for the return of all the money paid to Peter for his Spider-Man photos over the years, plus punitive damages.

Tony Stark drafts Spider-Man into a task-force to hunt the rebel heroes and bring them to justice, severely upsetting Peter, as he feels blindsided by such a decision. Spider-Man also fights in the first major battle of the Civil War, battling his old idol Captain America until their fight is interrupted by Iron Man and Thor moments later. The day after the battle, the unregistered superheroes escape from relocation and Spidey battles Captain America, again. During the fight Spider-Man webs Cap's shield to the wall. Though Captain America leaves to assist other members of the resistance, Spider-Man - as a sign of respect - protects his shield from being stolen and in fact leaves the shield in a place where only his former comrade could find it.

Powers, abilities, equipment, and costumes
A bite from an irradiated spider causes a variety of changes in Peter Parker's body, giving him superpowers. In the original Lee-Ditko stories Spider-Man has the ability to cling to walls, superhuman strength, a sixth sense ("spider-sense") that alerts him to danger, perfect balance and equilibrium, and greatly enhanced speed and agility.

Peter Parker is highly intelligent, and uses his wits in addition to his powers. Beyond outsmarting his foes, he constructs many devices that complement his powers, most notably mechanical web-shooters, but also spider-tracers, a specially modified camera, and others. In storylines published in 2005 and 2006, he develops additional spider-like features including biological web-shooters, and toxic stingers that extend from his forearms.

Spider-Man has worn many costumes over the years, ranging from his traditional red-and-blue costume, to the black-and-white alien symbiote, to the technologically advanced red-and-gold costume designed by Tony Stark.

Enemies


Spider-Man has one of the best-known rogues galleries in comics. Some of his better-known villains include Carnage, Mysterio, the Vulture, Sandman, and the Lizard. Like Spider-Man himself, a majority of these villains' origins are based in scientific accidents or the misuse of scientific technology. Many also have animal-themed costumes or powers.

Spider-Man's most infamous and dangerous enemies are generally considered to be:
 * Green Goblin - Originally a normal scientist and ambitious businessman, Norman Osborn used an experimental formula which gave him superpowers but also drove him insane. When Spider-Man thwarted his plans to take over as crime boss of New York City, he dedicated himself to utterly destroying Spider-Man's life.  Their mutual animosity became personal when he killed Gwen Stacy.  He is also the mastermind behind the Clone Saga.  He is imitated by his son, Harry Osborn, and the Hobgoblin.
 * Doctor Octopus - Dr. Otto Octavius is a respected scientist, one of the world's foremost experts in radiation. He used four mechanical arms in his experiments, which bonded with his nervous system after an explosion.  He combines physical power with mad genius.
 * Venom - When Spider-Man rid himself of the alien symbiote costume, it bonded with reporter Eddie Brock, who hated Spider-Man. The symbiote gave Brock all of Spider-Man's powers, and even more dangerously, the knowledge of his secret identity.

Supporting Characters
Spider-Man was conceived as an ordinary person given great power, and as such, as much emphasis has been on his ordinary civilian life, friends, family, and loves as on his super-heroic adventures.

Some of the more important and well-known members of his extensive supporting cast include:


 * Aunt May &mdash; Peter Parker's loving aunt, who raised him since his parents died.
 * Gwen Stacy &mdash; Peter's college girlfriend, who is tragically murdered by the Green Goblin.
 * J. Jonah Jameson &mdash; the irascible publisher of the Daily Bugle newspaper. While he employed Peter Parker as a photographer for years, he is also Spider-Man's greatest critic and largely responsible for the public's distrust of the hero.
 * Mary Jane Watson &mdash; originally merely Gwen Stacy's competition, MJ eventually became Peter's best friend and wife.
 * Flash Thompson &mdash; Peter Parker's high school tormentor, later one of his closest friends. Due to brain damage, he suffers amnesia and returns to his bullying personality.
 * Harry Osborn &mdash; Peter's best friend in college, who eventually followed his father's footsteps and became the second Green Goblin.
 * Black Cat aka Felicia Hardy &mdash; a reformed cat burglar who became Spider-Man's lover and partner. Now a friend and private investigator.

Other Spider-Men in the Marvel Universe
In the comics, others use the Spider-Man identity. Some of these actually exist in the Marvel Universe (Earth-616):
 * Ben Reilly, a clone of Peter, who also fights crime as the "Scarlet Spider".
 * Kraven the Hunter dons Spider-Man's costume for a short time in "Kraven's Last Hunt".
 * Mattie Franklin, the niece of J. Jonah Jameson, assumes the role with a padded costume when Peter temporarily quits. She later becomes Spider-Woman for a time.
 * A Spider-Man robot is created by Kang the Conqueror to defeat the Avengers (Avengers vol. 1 #11). It is deactivated but later returns with the ability to drain temporal energy from people. It is destroyed by Ben Reilly and the Avengers. (Spider-Man Team-Up #4)

Other characters have used similar themes:
 * Blood Spider is an evil version of Spider-Man created by the Taskmaster and the Red Skull.
 * The Spider Doppelganger is an evil version of Spider-Man created by the Magus during the Infinity War.
 * Several characters have used the Spider-Woman identity:
 * Jessica Drew
 * Julia Carpenter (now called Arachne)
 * Mattie Franklin
 * Charlotte Witter
 * Madame Web, a precognitive ally of Spider-Man and the Spider-Women.
 * Ezekiel Sims has powers similar to those of Spider-Man, but mystical in origin. He is a member of the Spider Society and its front organization, WebCorps.
 * Araña, a young heroine with spider powers, formerly an employee of WebCorps.
 * Joe Wade, an F.B.I. agent transformed into an evil, cybernetic Scarlet Spider by Lady Octopus.
 * Venom and his descendant symbiotes.

Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man is a completely separate continuity: a modernized reboot of the Spider-Man story, starting from the very beginning, with a plot that is inspired by, but very different from, the original continuity. The main purpose of the series is to be accessible to new and young readers, as it is free from the decades of history of the original, but it has been embraced by many longtime fans as well.

In Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter is a high-school student who is bitten by a spider during a school field trip -- but instead of a radioactive spider (which reflected the Atomic Age in which Spider-Man's origin was written), it is a lab subject that has been genetically modified by Osborn Industries. The themes, characterization, and setting are completely updated to reflect modern life. It is set in the Ultimate Marvel universe.

Alternate continuities
Other related characters exist in alternate versions of the Marvel Universe. These include:


 * Spider-Man 2099 aka Miguel O'Hara of Marvel 2099. An engineer specializing in genetics at Alchemax, Miguel gains his powers from a gene-splicing incident.
 * Dr. Max Borne, the Spider-Man of the year 2211, first appeared in the Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2099 one-shot. His daughter Robin is the Hobgoblin of 2211.
 * Man-Spider, due to the removal of an Alternate Uncle Ben an Alternate Reality Spider-Man who had used his powers for fame and fortune devolves into a vicious Man-Spider. He eventually kills the Avengers and several other Superheroes.
 * Peter Parquagh is a counterpart to Peter in the miniseries Marvel 1602. In the sequel, 1602: New World, he takes the identity of the Spider.
 * In the series Exiles, which involves inter-dimensional travel, several alternate versions appear:
 * The Spider is an alternate-reality version of Spider-Man who has merged with the Carnage symbiote and has become a psychotic killer. The Spider originates from Earth-15 and is a member of Weapon X
 * Mary-Jane Watson, a.k.a. Spider-Woman, seen in Exiles issues #20-22, is part of a resistance against a nanotech plague. This version of Mary Jane is a lesbian.
 * A Spider-Man infected by a techno-organic virus comes from the same Universe as The Mary Jane Spider-Woman.
 * A Spider-Man who is a member of the Fantastic Five dies in a battle against The Spider.
 * A version of Spider-Man 2099 joins the Exiles when his identity is made public.
 * In the series Earth X and its sequels, Peter Parker is no longer a superhero, and has become a police officer. Three other related characters appear:
 * The Spiders Man is an enigmatic characters who makes illusions using webs that come from his sleeves. He has lumpy red skin that resembles Spider-Man's costume, and wears a tattered cloak.
 * Two alternate versions of Spider-Girl appear: one is called Venom, and the other was raised by Ben Reilly (Paradise X: Heralds).
 * In the "Age of Apocalypse", Peter Parker is executed by Apocalypse's regime simply because he is a potential ally for rebel Gwen Stacy.
 * Deadpool encounters an alternate version of Spider-man in an alternate universe which he refers to as "an Age of Apocalypse" (not the Age of Apocalypse) there, Spider-man is Pestilence, Horseman of Apocalypse.
 * Spider-Boy of the Amalgam Universe is a merged character of Spider-Man and Superboy after all characters from Marvel Comics and DC Comics are merged due to the war between the two universes.


 * Spider-Man comics are also published under the Marvel Adventures (formerly Marvel Age) banner. These versions are intended for younger audiences and are not part of the regular continuity.  Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane is similarly set outside of regular continuity.

Spider-Girl
The Spider-Girl comic book series, originally published under the MC2 imprint, features May "Mayday" Parker, Peter's daughter in an alternate continuity. This timeline diverged from regular continuity when Peter and Mary Jane's daughter is returned to them. In Spider-Girl, Peter has been retired from crime fighting since his final battle with the Green Goblin, which cost him a leg. Peter settled down to family life and works for the New York City Police Department as a forensic scientist. May, his teen daughter, follows in his footsteps against his wishes, but Peter eventually assists in her training. Peter appears in costume several times in Spider-Girl, either to restrain May and keep her out of danger, or to assist her. Peter is among the superheroes kidnapped by Loki in the spin-off Last Hero Standing.

Derivatives
Spider-Man has also inspired a number of derivatives:
 * Yu Komori (小森ユウ Komori Yū) in Spider-Man: The Manga by Ryoichi Ikegami.
 * Takuya Yamashiro (山城拓也, Yamashiro Takuya), the Spider-Man of Spider-Man (tokusatsu), produced by Toei Company.
 * Pavitr Prabhakar in the Indian adaptation of Spider-Man, Spider-Man: India, published by Gotham Entertainment Group.
 * Peter Porker, Spider-Ham, a porcine hero in a funny animal version of the Marvel Universe.
 * The Webswinger, in the heroic fantasy version of the Marvel Universe featured in the miniseries Avataars.
 * Marvel Mangaverse Spider-Man is a version of the character re-imagined as a ninja. In that version, Peter Parker is a member of the Spider Clan and takes revenge on the evil ninja Venom for the murder of his sensei, Uncle Ben.  He later trains Mary Jane Watson to become a ninja Spider-Woman.

Television
Spider-Man has been adapted to television numerous times, as a short-lived live-action television series, a Japanese tokusatsu series, and several animated cartoon series. There were also the "Spidey Super Stories" segments on the PBS educational series The Electric Company, which featured a Spider-Man who did not speak out loud but instead used only word balloons.

Spider-Man's first cartoon series ran from 1967-1970. It is still famous for its theme song, which began, "Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a spider can..." The web-swinger's longest-running show was Spider-Man: The Animated Series that ran from 1994-1998, with 65 episodes in five seasons.

Film
''
 * Spider-Man: On May 3, 2002, the feature film Spider-Man was released. It was directed by Sam Raimi and stars actor Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker. The film utilizes various CGI effects to bring Spider-Man to life. Although the film adaptation took liberties with the character's history and powers&mdash;notably, he was bitten by a genetically modified rather than a radioactive spider, had organic web-shooters rather than mechanical ones, and had a long-standing crush on Mary Jane Watson&mdash;it was generally held to be true to the character and was widely embraced by the viewing public. It opened at a record US$114.8 million and earned more than US$403 million in the U.S. and Canada, the highest North American gross of any film released that year, though surpassed internationally (see 2002 in film).  The villain of this film was the Green Goblin portrayed by Willem Dafoe.
 * Spider-Man 2 was 2004's second-most financially successful movie in North America and third internationally (see 2004 in film). It premiered in more North American movie theaters (4,152) than any previous movie. Its first-day gross (US$40.5 million) surpassed its predecessor's US$39.4 million record. Spider-Man 2 was also the first motion picture released in the Sony Universal Media Disc format for the PlayStation Portable, included for free with the first one million PSP systems released in the United States.  The villain of this film was Doctor Octopus portrayed by Alfred Molina.Both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 rank among the highest-grossing films of all time.
 * Spider-Man 3 began production in 2005 under director Raimi. The studio has announced a theatrical release date of May 4, 2007, on a budget reputed to be more than US$250 million. On February 23, 2006, the first photo was shown on SuperHeroHype.com of Spider-Man in a black costume, confirmed later that day by the official movie web site. The film will feature Thomas Haden Church as the Sandman and Topher Grace as Eddie Brock/Venom. Bryce Dallas Howard plays Gwen Stacy.

Stage
In 2002, the company 2MA produced the first live-action Spider-Man stunt show, staged in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The same show played at Tussauds Thorpe Park in 2003 and 2004. Spider-Man has also made stage appearances in Pantomime at the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre, UK.

At Universal Studios in California, a musical version of Spider-Man was produced, combining singing and live action sequences. The musical re-enacted the Green Goblin arc.

Games and Toys

 * Main article: Spider-Man computer and video games

Dozens of computer and video games starring Spider-Man, based on comics, animation, and movies, have been released for over 15 different gaming platforms. Spider-Man editions of Monopoly, chess, pinball, and many other games have also been made. Spider-Man has been included in every Marvel expansion of the tabletop miniature game Heroclix released to date. Spider-Man cards have been included in both the Overpower and VS System card games.

According to ToyFare magazine, more action figures of Spider-Man have been released than any other character except Batman. The first major Spider-Man toy was the 1966 Captain Action Spider-Man by Ideal, a costume made for the 12 inch Captain Action figure. It is estimated only 17-22 exist in the original box. ToyFare listed this Spider-Man as the most valuable action figure at $15,000 and up.

Numerous other Spider-Man action figures have been produced, from the Secret Wars line from Mattel, to the more recent from Toy Biz, (especially in the Spider-Man Classics line, Spider-Man movie lines, and the Marvel Legends line). Lego and Minimates versions have also been made. Over 5000 toys, collectibles, and miscellaneous items of memorabilia are in existence. Many of these are low-quality, unlicensed knock-offs. 

Spider-Man in music

 * The catchy original Spider-Man cartoon theme song has been covered and reinterpreted by numerous musical acts, including The Ramones, Aerosmith, and Tenacious D. The 2002 and 2004 movies have featured buskers performing the song; Jayce Bartok and Elyse Dinh respectively. For other versions, see: Spider-Man (1960s animation).
 * In 1972, Buddah Records released "Spider-Man: From Beyond The Grave," a rock musical story LP record with an included wordless comic strip for listeners to follow. Kingpin appears as the villain and Dr. Strange guest stars.
 * In 1975 Ramsey Lewis released a single titled "What's the Name of this Funk? (Spider Man)" [sic].
 * In 1975 Marvel Comics and Lifesong Records released an album entitled, "Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero." It contained songs of various styles altered to elucidate certain moments and feelings of Spider-Man's origin, such as "No One's Got a Crush on Peter" and "Peter Stays and the Spider-Man Goes" interspersed with narration clips by Stan Lee.
 * In 1983, Muse Records released Woody Shaw's jazz version of "Spider-Man Blues", based on the television theme, on Shaw's "Setting Standards" album.
 * In 1994, Joe Perry of Aerosmith wrote and performed the theme song for the Fox Kids Spider-Man animated series. Joe Perry is noted fan of Spider-Man.
 * The 2003 "Weird Al" Yankovic album Poodle Hat has a track entitled "Ode to a Superhero". It is a parody of the Billy Joel song "Piano Man", and recounts the events of the 2002 film.
 * In 2002 Nelly performed a song called "Spida Man," on his double album Sweat/Suit.
 * A soundtrack album and score was released with each of the two Spider-Man films. The two soundtracks were mainly songs thematically linked to the film, performed by popular rock acts.  Both soundtracks included hit singles (notably "Hero" by Chad Kroeger, "Bother" by Corey Taylor (of Stone Sour and Slipknot), and "Vindicated" by Dashboard Confessional).  The two scores were composed by Danny Elfman.

Spider-Man in pop culture

 * On Halloween 2004, an estimated 2.15 million U.S. children dressed up as Spider-Man, making it the year's most popular costume.
 * In sports, Ecuadorian soccer player Iván Kaviedes used a Spider-Man-based mask to celebrate his personal goal in his team's victory in the 2006 FIFA World Cup against Costa Rica, as a dedication to his late teammate Otilino Tenorio, who had celebrated his goals in that manner.
 * In the early-to-mid 1990's, World Championship Wrestling featured the wrestler "Arachnaman", played by Brad Armstrong. He wore a costume like Spider-Man's, except rather than being blue and red, it was yellow and purple. He used a web gun to shoot a Silly String-like substance during his entrances. Marvel had the character squashed for trademark infringement.
 * Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rey Mysterio once wore a combination of his own mask and Spider-Man's, as a tribute to the famous superhero.
 * In the comic strip Monty, the title character attempts to emulate Spider-Man by getting bitten by a radioactive spider, but instead is bitten by a radioactive ladybug and becomes Ladybugman, with a somewhat different set of powers.
 * The Turkish film 3 Dev Adam (Three Mighty Men) presents a Spider-Man who is a bloodthirsty criminal mastermind. He has extremely bushy eyebrows, and his costume is green where the traditional Spider-Man costume is blue.
 * In Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #635, Mickey Mouse is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes the superhero Spider-Mouse, but later grows four extra arms and turns into a monster.
 * Darkwing Duck goes under a similar transformation and assumes the identity of Arachniduck, in the episode Aduckyphobia.
 * Spider-Plant Man is a sketch on Comic Relief with Rowan Atkinson, and is a parody of the film franchise.
 * Spider-Man is referenced in the 2005 direct-to-video Family Guy film Stewie Griffin The Untold Story, in a scene in which Peter Griffin hangs from a clothesline dressed in a Spider-Man costume while singing the 1960s Batman TV-show theme song. In the episode "Let's Go to the Hop", Peter is saved by Spider-Man when he falls out off his house.
 * In Transformers: Cybertron episode 28 "Assault" Lori recites Spider-Man's familiar mantra "with great power comes great responsibility" when she, along with Coby, Bud, and the Mini-Cons are given command of the Autobot base.
 * On the TV show Spider Riders, when a rider calls his spider from manacle space he or she must make a hand motion similar to the one used by Spider-Man to shoot his webs.

Other continuities

 * Ultimate Spider-Man: (Marvel Comics/Ultimate Marvel; #1 October 2000&mdash;), written by Bendis and penciled by Mark Bagley, set in the Ultimate Marvel Universe.
 * Marvel Adventures Spider-Man: (Marvel Comics/Marvel Adventures; #1 May 2005&mdash;; continuation of Marvel Age Spider-Man), written by Sean McKeever, set during Spider-Man's high school years, but not within regular Marvel Universe continuity.
 * Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane: (Marvel Comics, #1 December 2005&mdash;, sequel to Mary Jane and Mary Jane: Homecoming miniseries), written by Sean McKeever and illustrated by Takeshi Miyazawa. Set outside the regular Marvel Universe continuity.
 * Spider-Girl: (Marvel Comics, #0 October, 1998&mdash;, sequel to What If #105, February, 1998). Written by Tom DeFalco and illustrated by Ron Frenz. Set in an alternate future, starring Spider-Man's daughter.  It has been cancelled at #100, and will relaunch in October 2006 as The Amazing Spider-Girl.