With great power, there must also come great responsibility. 
- —Spider-Man
Quick Answers
What event led to Peter Parker gaining his Spider-Man powers?
Who raised Peter Parker after he was orphaned?
What are some of the professions Peter Parker has held?
How did Peter Parker initially use his Spider-Man powers?
What is the real name of the character Spider-Man in the Marvel comics?
History
Early life
Peter Parker was orphaned at the age of six when his parents were killed in an airplane crash overseas. He went to live with his uncle and aunt; Ben and May Parker, in Forest Hills, New York. Parker was extremely bright and became a high honors student at Midtown High School. Parker's shyness and scholastic interest often made him a social outcast.
Becoming Spider-Man
While attending a public exhibition demonstrating the safe handling of nuclear laboratory waste materials sponsored by the General Techtronics Corporation, Peter was bitten by a spider which had been irradiated by a particle accelerator used in the demonstration. Making his way home afterwards, Peter discovered he had somehow gained incredible strength, agility, and the ability to cling to walls; spider-like traits that he immediately associated with the spider bite.
Amazing Fantasy #15 (First appearance)
Encountering an ad offering a cash prize for staying in the ring three minutes with a professional wrestler, Peter decided this would be a good way to test his powers. Wearing a mask to avoid potential embarrassment, Peter easily defeated his opponent. His performance was observed by a TV producer, who convinced him to go on television with his 'act'. Designing a costume and some wrist-mounted web-spinners, Peter called himself Spider-Man, becoming an immediate sensation.
Following his first TV appearance, Peter failed to act to stop an escaping thief, claiming that it was not his responsibility. Peter forgot the incident as his fame rose, but one night he returned home to find his Uncle Ben had been murdered. Learning the police had the burglar responsible holed up in a warehouse, Peter easily captured him only to discover it was the same thief he had allowed to escape earlier. Filled with remorse, he realized that with power comes responsibility, and thus began the crime-fighting career of the Amazing Spider-Man.[3]
Taking on Great Responsibility
Peter began to use his powers to fight crime, attempting to join the Fantastic Four in their formative stages, but was dismissed.[4] As a solo hero, Parker took pictures of his fights as Spider-Man using an automatic camera, and then sold the pictures to The Daily Bugle. Spider-Man rapidly became one of the most well-known citizens in New York City, although Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson soon branded him a "menace". Parker's main concern was for his Aunt May, who he feared would have a heart attack if she ever found out about his crime-fighting identity.
Peter's early career as Spider-Man.
Early in his career, Spider-Man fought the Chameleon, the Vulture, the Tinkerer, Kraven the Hunter, Sandman, Doctor Doom, the Lizard, the Living Brain, Electro, the Big Man and his Enforcers, Mysterio, the Green Goblin, and his deadliest foe at the time: Doctor Octopus. Several of these villains would form the Sinister Six, under the leadership of Octavius himself, a team completely dedicated to the destruction of Spider-Man that would change its roster many times over the years.
During this time, Parker dated Betty Brant of the Daily Bugle, although Liz Allan had a crush on him. Both Peter's Aunt May and their neighbor, Anna Watson, were encouraging Parker to date Anna's niece, Mary Jane Watson, whom he would not meet until months later.
Before his high school graduation Peter continued to fight off menaces, including the Circus of Crime, the Scorpion, the Beetle, the Spider-Slayers, the Crime-Master, and the Molten Man.
University & Post-Grad Years
After high school, Parker enrolled in Empire State University, and divided his time as a hero, a student, and photographer. Eventually, Parker moved into his own apartment with Harry Osborn, the son of Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin. It was Norman Osborn, in fact, who became the first super-villain, the first person even, to learn Spider-Man's secret identity. During this time, he developed a relationship with Gwen Stacy. He fought the Rhino, the second Vulture, the Shocker, the Kingpin, the Prowler, Silvermane, and Morbius the Living Vampire. Unfortunately, during Spider-Man's conflicts with Doctor Octopus and the original Green Goblin, both Captain George Stacy and Gwen were killed (albeit at different times). Some time later, Parker developed a steady relationship with Mary Jane. Parker proposed marriage, although Mary Jane declined, and soon left Parker's life for many months.
Eventually, Parker graduated from ESU, and pursued his career as a hero and photographer. As he continued to live on his own, his Aunt May decided to transform her home into a senior citizens' boarding house. At one point Parker began a romantic relationship and heroic partnership with the Black Cat, although Parker later broke it off due to the Black Cat's disdain for Parker's life apart from being Spider-Man.
The Venom Symbiote, Avengers and Marriage
Spider-Man in symbiote costume
Prior to this, Spider-Man was among the heroes kidnapped by the powerful Beyonder to fight in his so-called "Secret Wars". When his costume was damaged, Parker tried using the futuristic technology on the Beyonder's planet to repair it, and instead, replaced it with an alien "symbiote" which transformed into a black version of Spider-Man's costume, perhaps based on the newly appeared Spider-Woman. Parker used the symbiote for his costume, which was capable of transforming into street clothing as well as generating webs. When the costume behaved strangely, Parker sought help from the Fantastic Four's Mister Fantastic, who discovered the costume was a living organism. He helped remove the costume by force, and kept it at the Fantastic Four's headquarters in captivity. The symbiote would later escape, plaguing the life of Parker again and ultimately merging with one of Spider-Man's critics, Eddie Brock, creating the villain Venom.
As Spider-Man, Parker met and fought alongside nearly every hero in Manhattan, if not the world. Although he fought with the Avengers many previous times, he tried to join their number when he learned of the financial stipend their members received. Parker helped them stop an invasion and subsequent breakout of the energy research and villain internment facility, Project Pegasus. Spider-Man was deemed, however, to disrupt the team's cohesiveness, and was denied membership. Later, however, Spider-Man met the international mercenary Silver Sable, often working on her behalf.
Later still, Mary Jane returned to Parker's life, and, after a battle between Spider-Man and the Puma, she revealed that she had known (or at least suspected) Peter Parker's secret identity from almost the beginning of his career. Soon after, the two were married. Peter's old friend Harry Osborn leased the couple a loft in the condo that Harry and his family were also living in. Mary Jane's cousin Kristy also temporarily moved in with the Parkers at one point. Eventually, however, the Parkers had to move into a room in Aunt May's house due to financial problems.
At this time, Spider-Man once again allied with the Avengers to stop the alien Nebula from destroying reality with her Infinity Union. An increasingly unnerved Spider-Man, unaccustomed to dealing with cosmic-scale menaces, accidentally allowed Nebula to absorb the power of the Infinity Union, although the Avengers, Spider-Man, and the alien Stranger thwarted her regardless. Parker was told again that Spider-Man may not be suited for Avengers membership, although later he was inducted into their number on a provisional basis.
Parker later returned to his studies and postgraduate work as a lab assistant at Empire State University. During this time, Parker was briefly endowed with the powers of Captain Universe, in order to stop a series of robots, including the mutant-killing Sentinels. Once the menace was defeated, the extra powers left him.
The Clone Saga
Spider-Man (Peter Parker) and Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly).
Aunt May supposedly suffered a debilitating heart attack. This also led to the Parkers meeting Ben Reilly, whom he had fought earlier as a clone of himself. Reilly created a similar spider-costume, dubbed the Scarlet Spider by the Daily Bugle, and helped Spider-Man in his adventures. Shortly afterward, Mary Jane became pregnant. Peter and Mary Jane briefly moved to Portland, as Parker considered retiring from being Spider-Man in order to start a family.
Reilly eventually assumed the identity of Spider-Man himself, since the second villain by the name of Doctor Octopus tarnished the reputation of the Scarlet Spider. Mary Jane, meanwhile, was to give birth to baby May Parker, but was rushed to the hospital under the pretense of a medical emergency. The baby was stolen by the original Green Goblin, unknown to the Parkers, who were told the baby died in miscarriage. When the Green Goblin tried to kill Peter Parker, Ben Reilly jumped in front of the Goblin's glider, sacrificing himself to save Parker.
After many more months of adventuring, Norman Osborn returned to take control of the Daily Bugle. He angered Peter which caused Spider-Man to brutally beat Norman which was all caught on a hidden camera in his house. The recording was shown to the media which made Spider-Man a criminal and increased pressure was placed on capturing him. In order to continue his crime-fighting career and investigate the fraudulent claims, Parker relinquished his Spider-Man identity while creating four unique and separate ones: Dusk, Hornet, Prodigy, and Ricochet. As Dusk, Parker was able to investigate the villain Trapster and publicly exonerate Spider-Man, at which point he resumed his Spider-Man identity. Later, the golden age hero Black Marvel acquired the four costumes and gave them to four teenagers, forming a team he named the Slingers.
When the Avengers were attempting to reform their number after disbanding for a year after the crisis known as Onslaught, Spider-Man was contacted due to his past affiliation with them. However, by his own choice, Parker decided to dissolve ties with the Avengers.
Aunt May was later discovered to still be alive; the woman who seemingly died was in actuality a genetically modified actress. Parker, Mary Jane, and Aunt May moved to an apartment in Manhattan. Parker had promised Mary Jane to give up his Spider-Man identity, but he would continually sneak out at night as Spider-Man. Their marriage began to strain, in part because of Mary Jane's new modeling career and in part because Parker's secret was rediscovered by her. Before they could reconcile, however, Mary Jane was supposedly killed when her airplane exploded. For a long time, Parker refused to believe her dead, but eventually grew to accept it.
Parker discovered Mary Jane was alive, captured by a villain who had been stalking her prior to her airplane flight. After a brief reconciliation, Mary Jane requested to leave Parker once more, saying that she needed time to adjust by herself.
A New Lease on Life
Spider-Man with Soulmate MJ Watson and Enemies.
Peter soon took a job as a teacher at his somewhat beloved Midtown High. After getting this job, he encountered a strange old man named Ezekiel who possessed powers very similar to his. He knew Peter's secret identity and talked to him about things about his powers he had never thought of, like, "Did the radiation enable the spider to give you these powers? Or was the spider trying to give you those powers before it died?" After many questions, telling Spidey his powers were 'totemistic' in nature, and showing Peter what he could have done had he stayed in showbiz, Ezekiel warned Peter about a totemistic predator named Morlun, who would try to kill him. After ignoring the warnings of Ezekiel, and being defeated by Morlun, Spidey attempted to get Ezekiel to help him. Refusing to do so, Spidey went after Morlun again after Spidey found him terrorizing innocent people.
After being nearly beaten again, Ezekiel helped Spidey, but seemingly perished. Spidey then injected himself with radiation at a nuclear plant, which hurt Morlun, thus enabling Spider-Man to defeat him. However, after the brutal battle, Spider-Man returned to his apartment, and fell deep asleep. Aunt May came by, only to find that Peter had severe wounds and scars, and a tattered Spider-Man costume on the floor.
After a day of coming to grips with the fact that her nephew was Spider-Man, Aunt May revealed that she knew. Now their relationship was stronger than ever, and eventually, Mary Jane and Peter reunited for good. Later still, after a breakout at the Raft Security Prison, Spider-Man joined the New Avengers. May, Peter, and Mary Jane moved into Avengers Tower after an enemy destroyed both Peter's and May's places.
Changes resulting from a confrontation with Morlun[5] caused Peter to try and reconcile 'the man and the spider' within himself. He then gained greater speed, poisonous, razor-sharp stingers located within his arms, night vision, increased sensory awareness via vibratory patterns transmitted through the hairs on his body and through his weblines, a greater clinging ability, and equal superhuman strength in order to carry heavy objects on his back.
Spider-Man in "Iron Spidey" suit.
Civil War
Despite misgivings and with the support of his family, Peter initially sided with Iron Man in support of superhero registration. Convinced by Tony that the other superheroes needed to see commitment from the pro-registration side, Peter even went as far as to unmask himself on live television. However, fighting against the fugitive heroes and the existence of the Thor clone left a poor taste in his mouth, causing him to switch sides and instead join the renegades. Spider-Man was one of the few heroes who did not accept the general amnesty after Steve Rogers arrest, continuing to work with the underground Avengers.
Umasked.
Peter's now-public identity allowed the Kingpin to put a hit on Parker's family. Aunt May was critically injured by an assassin, and Peter donned the black suit to track down those who were responsible. Realizing he could not afford for his identity to be public knowledge, Peter agreed to aid the Scarlet Spiders in return for their help in re-establishing his secret identity.[6]
One More Day & Brand New Day & One Moment In Time
Back in Black.
Peter grew increasingly desperate to save the life of his Aunt May. He sought the help of Dr. Strange, finding that even magic couldn't help him save Aunt May's life. After appealing to Tony Stark, Jarvis was sent with $2 million to pay the hospital fees and give her the best care possible. At one point, Eddie Brock was found in Aunt May's room; he attempted to commit suicide by jumping out of the window.
Peter was approached by Mephisto, offering to save Aunt May in exchange for the love that he and Mary Jane shared, claiming that their unconditional love only occurred once a millennium. Mephisto would get one over on God and he would enjoy listening to the small part of Peter and Mary Jane's souls that did remember the love. Mary Jane whispered some conditions to Mephisto before agreeing, such as demanding everyone forget that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Much to his own dismay, Peter agreed also. Recently however it has come to light that the worldwide erasure of knowledge of Spider-Man's identity was not in fact part of Mephisto's doing. The conditions whispered by Mary Jane were in fact her insistence that Peter would never volountarily make such a deal, and that it would be her who would seal the contract only on the grounds that Peter be left alone and able to achieve happiness. Mephisto aggreed stating that "As far as I'm concerned, this never happened" refering to the very conversation they were having. With that Mephisto re-arranged history so that Peter was detained and never showed up to his own wedding day, something that nearly destroyed his relationship with Mary Jane. May was saved through this arrangement but Spider-Man's identity remained public knowledge, so Peter returned to Dr. Strange begging for him to undo his unmasking. Reluctant at first, Dr. Strange was able to convince Tony Stark and Reed Richards into assisting him. Together they created a complex spell which erased all documentation of Peter Parker's identity, including their own, but left Peter himself with the memory so that he could learn from the incident. At the last minute Peter made it so that Mary Jane would remember as well.
With that, Peter's unmasking was forgotten, and his loved one were safe from harm. However Mary Jane was bitterly hurt from having knowledge of a time of great emotional pain that no one else on the planet remembered. She and Peter agreed that they were still in love with each other but they had to accept that their relationship put everyone they cared about in danger and that it was best for them to remain as friends. Mary Jane insisted that Peter should find someone who was strong enough to be his love but that she would always be there for him if he needed her.
Back from five years in a European rehab center was Harry Osborn. Mary Jane remained aware of Peter's dual identity. While searching for a job, Peter joined the Daily Bugle again which was now bought out by Dexter Bennett, and began to work as a paparazzi reporter, which was something that neither his Aunt May or Harry approved of. However, after his photographs of the celebrity Bobby Carr resulted in the deaths of women by a crazed supervillain stalker who was obsessed with him, Peter decided to destroy the new photos he took resulting in Bennett firing him. Peter soon learned that Bennett had blacklisted him to nearly every news source in town preventing Peter from finding work. However, Harry suggested that Peter find a job at a news source that was Bennett's enemy, which he did by joining the Front Line as it was not under Bennet's influence.
Dark Reign & American Son
Spider-Man fighting Norman's Dark Avengers.
Norman Osborn gave Mac Gargan a medication that reset the Venom symbiote to the size it was originally, so Mac Gargan became the Dark Avengers' own Spider-Man.[7] Due to Osborn's impostor team, Peter revealed his secret identity to the New Avengers, in order to implicitly earn the team's trust.[8]
Shortly after Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four journeyed to a macroverse they had saved before, however due to Mephisto's magic the Fantastic Four's recollection of these events had been altered, so that they did not remember Spider-Man's face or identity; he eventually unmasked by adventure's end, restoring their trust in him, and all their memories of his identity. Peter returned from the macroverse two months later in standard time, shocked by the mayoral poll result: J. Jonah Jameson won.[9] After a rough scuffle with the new Vulture, and most of New York's citizens hating him once more, Spider-Man realized that his fury was directed at Osborn not Jameson, and devised a plan.[10]
With help from the Invisible Woman and some of her husband's technology, Spider-Man kidnapped and imprisoned Dark Spider-Man, then posed as him to infiltrate Avengers Tower, where Norman revealed a nefarious plot to his Avengers involving his son Harry entitled "American Son".[11] While alone, Spider-Man was ambushed by, but still defeated Daken. Harry revealed Spider-Man's disguise in front of Osborn's Avengers, and he was held captive and tortured by Bullseye. Identity in tact thanks to his unstabilized mask, he escaped (subduing Norman and Bullseye in succession out of anger). Unfortunately Spider-Man was weakened by captivity, saved from Norman by a guilt-ridden and angry Harry, who now knew the truth about his father's relationship with Lily Hollister (Harry's girlfriend,) and began using the American Son Armor.[12] Peter watched the Osborns fight until Menace became involved, whom he incapacitated. With Harry victorious, Spider-Man convinced him not to kill Norman as it was exactly what the madman wanted.[13]
Old Grudges and Flames Resurface
Peter with old flames.
With his Aunt May now married to Jay, Spider-Man faced a newly resolute and deadly Doctor Octopus with some help from the Human Torch. Having become the mayor's new assistant, Peter battled a more sociopathic Chameleon, which unfortunately led to a relationship with Michele Gonzales, his roommate, due to the villain's temporary identity theft. He would eventually end it on violent terms from Michele. As if that was not enough, Mary Jane attempted to revive their friendship at the same time he began a "no strings attached" relationship with the Black Cat in costume. The two heroes managed to foil Diablo's plans to get rich through insurance fraud, saving hundreds of lives.[14] Spider-Man was later threatened by a new villain called Raptor, who believed him to be Ben Reilly (Peter's clone) and even worse: his evil clone Kaine had returned. Despite his problems Spider-Man helped the original Jackpot start fighting crime,[15] and overcame the corruptive control of Mister Negative's energy.[16]
Screwball challenged Spider-Man online, so Kaine worked with Raptor to reveal Spider-Man's identity to the internet, which failed. Before Spider-Man could take a rest Deadpool, hired by Sasha Kravinoff, distracted him so she could secretly kidnap Mattie Franklin.[17] Norman Osborn left Spider-Man last on his list of enemies to dispose, however Peter took the fight to him first, using Norah Winters' stolen blueprints of Avengers Tower to break in and download a video of one of his experiments. Spider-Man defended himself against the Iron Patriot, but knew the video was more important, eventually losing Osborn by changing into civilian clothes and uploading the data worldwide. Ultimately Peter made the biggest impact on Osborn's reputation, disillusioning most of the public to his true nature.[18]
The Gauntlet
Electro ran a public movement called "Power to the People" against Dexter Bennett and the New York Stock Exchange, which, of course, Spider-Man opposed.[19] Working with the Mad Thinker, Electro tried to fix his instability but turned into an artificial thunderbolt, and although Spider-Man managed to defeat him the DB was destroyed in the aftermath.[20]
A string of murders led Spider-Man to Sandman, who had recently became obsessed with taking care of his "daughter," a girl named Keemia. While Spider-Man wanted to keep her away from Sandman, when he rescued her foster care took over, he felt guilty over seemingly taking her from her family.[21]
Starting to have recurring nightmares, Peter met a reformed Rhino who he helped defend from a new Rhino.[22] trying to make a name for himself. After facing several conflicts, Kaine eventually revealed to him that their "spider family" were being hunted by the Kravinoffs as a part of a ritual to bring back Kraven. Kaine knocked Peter unconscious and took a Spider-Man costume and prepared to fight the Kravinoff family. Peter regained consciousness only to find Kaine's dead body. Peter buried Kaine in a grave named "Kaine Parker". After a long fight, Spider-Man defeated the Kravinoff family, who fled New York.
Origin of the Species
The world of Spider-Man.
Doctor Octopus hired several supercriminals to bring him an unknown objective. Meanwhile, Peter was trying to sell his things but Betty stopped him. He then returned to his apartment and found Michele selling his clothes to cover his share of the rent. Peter was running late for his date with Carlie and arrived to find her talking with Harry and MJ. Shortly after, Menace bursts through the Coffee Bean wall.[23]
Peter managed to change into Spider-Man, rescue the baby from Ock and escape. Harry and MJ tried to take Lily to safety but Carlie could't move past her rage over Menace and refused to help, opting to stay and try to find Peter under the rubble of the Coffee Bean. The city media reported that Spider-Man had kidnapped the baby and Homeland Security arrived to take over his arrest.[24]
Spider-Man was ambushed by Red Vulture and Freak, who both wanted the baby for the reward. Spider-Man escaped, but the Rhino arrived. He didn't want the baby, just revenge on Spider-Man, who he blamed for Oksana. However, seeing the baby convinced Rhino to let Spider-Man get away this time. Spider-Man escaped an attack by Mysterio, Freak, and Red Vulture when Harry arrived, having found Spider-Man thanks to the media reports. Harry held the baby while Spider-Man fended off the villians. When Spider-Man returned, Harry revealed that the baby had passed away. Spider-Man swore to hold Ock accountable. When he left, Harry was revealed to be the Chameleon and took the living baby back to Doctor Octopus.[25]
Several hours passed and Spider-Man violently attacked his enemies, trying to find out where Doctor Octopus was hiding. Spider-Man found the Chameleon and learned that the baby was alive, but had been stolen from Doctor Octopus by the Lizard.[26]
Doctor Octopus and Spider-Man were forced to team up to find Lizard. Lizard t0ok Doctor Octopus down and gave the baby to Spider-Man, telling him it was not Norman Osborn's kid. Doctor Octopus and Lizard started to fight, while Spider-Man escaped with the baby. Spider-Man got Harry to the Avengers Tower, where an exam revealed Harry as the father of the child. Spider-Man allowed Harry to raise his own son and watched after Harry as the family began a new life. Also, Steve Rogers used his connections in the government to clear Spider-Man of the kidnapping charges.[27]
Later, Peter began a relationship with Carlie Cooper.[28]
Big Time
Spider-Man joined the Avengers in defeating Doctor Octopus's army of macro-octorobots. Also, Peter got a new job as a scientist in Horizon Labs.[29] Spider-Man was attacked by Philip Urich who had killed the Hobgoblin and became the new Hobgoblin.[30] Spider-Man created a new suit that could bend light and sound to make him hidden from the Hobgoblin and protect him from the Hobgoblin's laugh.[31] Spider-Man and Black Cat found out that Hobgoblin stole a pack of reverbium, which he planned to give to the Kingpin. The two infiltrated the Kingpin's building and destroyed the reverbium.[32]
Spider-Man defended Mayor J. Jonah Jameson and his family from Alistair Smythe's Spider-Slayers.[33] As the battle progressed, the New Avengers came to help him.[34] Spider-Man used a device that destroyed the insect-sense of the Spider-Slayers, but also destroyed his own spider-sense. In the end, Spider-Man and the New Avengers stood victorious, but Marla, Jonah's wife, dies.[35]
To The Future Foundation
Peter in his Future Foundation Costume.
Spider-Man's second mission with the Future Foundation was when they detected three rifts in the space-time continuum: one in the microverse, another in the distant future, and another on present-day Earth. The first rift was in Paris, France. In Paris, France, the team and Arkon defeated several monsters and returned them to Arkon's dimension. In the microverse, the team helped Superego the Living Atom to stablize herself before she could explode and tear into the team's dimension. The team succeeded and left the microverse, but Psycho-Man intercepted their coordinates and obtained the key to enter their dimension. The team then went to the future, where they entered the Baxter/Rextab, the first ever palindromical architecture and home of the Future-Future Foundation. There, they met their members, Captain Wakanda, Yancy, Mega-Storm, Supremo and Xandar. The rift was being caused by an advanced version of Hank Pym's dimensional wave inducer. Reed fixed it, and the entire experience gave Peter ideas for his work at Horizon Labs. However, Reed told him that he couldn't use either future or offworld technology in the present.
Their third mission was in the Caribbean, on Earth. There, Reed located the epicenter of the dimensional anomalies the Future Foundation had been fixing. As the team explored the island, they were attacked by zombie pirates. Using her invisibility powers, Sue revealed one of the zombies was actually Mysterio in disguise. Also, the village chief was actually the Chameleon in disguise. Suddenly, the Sinister Six appeared. Spider-Man and Ben realized that Doctor Octopus, Rhino, Sandman and Electro were robots and that Mysterio and Chameleon were the only ones present at the Caribbean.Meanwhile, Doctor Octopus and the others infiltrate the Baxter Building. Doctor Octopus's plan involved using the Baxter Building's technology. With the problem solved, the FF returned home.
Spider-Man offered to be the substitute teacher at the Avengers Academy. The class went badly since Spider-Man's superhero advice couldn't apply to the students, so he suggesed they patrol. They encountered the Psycho-Man and defeated him. Impressed, Giant-Man planned to make Spider-Man's visits to the Academy a regular thing, but Spider-Man and the students turned him down.
Spider-Island
Personality
Spider-Man is commonly seen as a brave and righteous hero with an indomitable sense of justice and responsibility. Shaken by his uncle's tragic death, Spider-Man's vow of responsibility has led him to a path of heroism and humanitarian service. There are times when Spider-Man's sense of responsibility can be almost overbearing; this was noted by Luke Cage when he felt embarrassed about Electro (one of his villains) causing the Raft breakout, despite the fact he had nothing to do with it.[36] This combined with his strong moral compass in the face of adversity and sharp wit make him one of the most iconic and enduring heroes in the Marvel Universe.
One of Spider-Man's most prominent traits is his sense of humor. Even at the face of certain death, Spider-Man invariably cracks a joke, to the annoyance of both friends and foes.
Spider-Man is also a loner. Due to his individualistic style, Spider-Man finds it hard to work in teams. However, this has gradually lessened over the years, to the point Spider-Man is a member of the Avengers, the New Avengers, and more recently, the Future Foundation.
Spider-Man's righteousness complimented Daredevil's maturity as a crime-fighter, during the Death of Jean DeWolf arc, leading to an enduring friendship.[37] Peter also made close ties with the Fantastic Four at the very start of his career which stands greater than ever today, like a family rendering aid to each other unconditionally. [38] More recently Spider-Man has bonded with the New Avengers of whom he is a founding member, trusting them so much that he'd reveal his identity to each member.[8] Of the two previously mentioned teams, Spidey is closest to the Human Torch and Wolverine, playing pranks on one another or seeking solace respectively.
- Reputation
Seen by some as the heart of New York, Peter has gained quite a reputation with not only the superhero community, but villains and civilians as well: his Aunt May searched the Internet and found that Spider-man had saved roughly 10,000 lives directly, excluding all of his team-ups with other heroes and all the bombs or devices he's deactivated.[39] In the Bar with No Name, the villains all initially felt discouraged to bet money against the wallcrawler as he fought Overdrive since "He always beats the new guys."[40] When the Hood began his criminal career and was almost killed by the Constrictor, the Constrictor noted how new he was to villainy and that he "didn't even get to fight Spider-Man." [41] Despite all the grudges Spider-Man has accumulated, he has made peace with some former enemies such as the Punisher (now an uneasy ally,) and even checked up on the less than lethal Frog Man after his incarceration ended to make sure things were fine. [42]
In spite of his many heroics, Spider-Man is infamous for numerous smear campaigns against him at the hands of the Daily Bugle.Attributes
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Powers
Spider-Man possesses the proportionate powers of a spider, granted to him from an irradiated Common House Spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum) which bit Peter Parker that was apparently already mutated from prior exposure to certain frequencies of radiation and received a final, lethal dose during Parker's attendance of the exhibition. The radioactive, complex mutagenic enzymes in the spider's blood that were transferred at the time of the bite triggered numerous body-wide mutagenic changes within Parker, granting him superhuman strength, speed, toughened flesh, and numerous arachnid-like abilities. Like many superhuman powers, the effectiveness of Spider-Man's abilities varies based on the author and the needs of the story.
Wall-Crawling.
- Wall-Crawling: Spider-Man's exposure to the mutated spider venom induced a mutagenic, cerebellum-wide alteration of his engrams resulting in the ability to mentally control the flux of inter-atomic attraction (electrostatic force) between molecular boundary layers. This overcomes the outer electron shell's normal behavior of mutual repulsion with other outer electron shells and permits the tremendous potential for electron attraction to prevail. The mentally controlled sub-atomic particle responsible for this has yet to be identified. This ability to affect the attraction between surfaces is so far limited to Spider-Man's body (especially concentrated in his hands and feet) and another object, with an upper limit of several tons per finger. Limits to this ability seem to be psychosomatic, and the full nature of this ability has yet to be established.
- Superhuman Strength: Spider-Man possesses superhuman strength enabling him to press lift approximately 10 tons. Spider-Man's physical strength is sufficient to lift and throw objects as heavy such as a semi truck with ease. He must also pull his punches and kicks unless fighting someone of similar or greater physical durability. Otherwise, his blows would prove fatal to a normal human being. He has demonstrated that he strong enough enable him to knock out people with normal durability with as little as a tap to the head. Also during the Secret Invasion, Spider-Man was shown to able to knock a Tyrannosaurus Rex into unconsciousness in one punch. Spider-Man's physical strength also extends into his legs, enabling him to be able to jump to a height of several stories in a single bound. Spider-Man demonstrated this when he leaped over 30 ft vertically into the air when he first leaped out of the way of an oncoming car; it should also be noted that when he first discovered his powers as a teenager, they hadn't developed to that of his prime.
- Superhuman Speed: Spider-Man is capable of running and moving at speeds that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.[43] Spider-Man has showed to be fast enough to catch up to an accelerating car while on foot, but prefers to travel by webs.[44]
Spider-Man uses all of his powers in conjunction during battle, taking down opponents far more powerful than he, including Firelord.
- Superhuman Stamina: Spider-Man's advanced musculature produces less fatigue toxins during physical activity than an ordinary human. This allows him to exert himself physically for much longer periods of time before fatigue begins to impair him. At his peak, Spider-Man can physically exert himself at his peak capacity for several hours before the build up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him. Several accounts depict Spider-Man as able to hold his breath for eight minutes or more.
- Superhuman Durability: Spider-Man's body is physically tougher and more resistant to some types of injury than the body of a normal human. His body is more resistant to impact forces than anything else. He can withstand great impacts, such as falling from a height of several stories or being struck by an opponent with super strength, that would severely injure or kill a normal human with little to no discomfort. Spider-Man's body is durable to the point where tensing his super-strong muscles while being punched in the torso by a trained heavyweight boxer caused the attacker's wrists to break; also, Spider-Man has stated that he must roll with punches thrown by people without similar strength or durability to avoid breaking their wrists.
- Superhuman Agility: Spider-Man's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are all enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. Spider-Man is extraordinarily limber and his tendons and connective tissues are twice as elastic as the average human being's, despite their enhanced strength. He has the combined agility and acrobatic prowess of the most accomplished circus aerialists and acrobats. He can also perform any complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts such as flips, rolls, and springs. He can easily match or top any Olympic record at gymnastics apparatus such as flying rings, climbing ropes, horizontal bars, trampolines.
- Superhuman Equilibrium: Spider-Man possesses the ability to achieve a state of perfect equilibrium in any position imaginable. He seems able to adjust his position by instinct, which enables him to balance himself on virtually any object, no matter how small or narrow.
- Superhuman Reflexes: Spider-Man's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are currently about 40 times greater than those of an ordinary human. In combination with his spider-sense, the speed of his reflexes allows him to dodge almost any attack, or even gunfire, if he is far enough away. Spider-Man has even been shown in some cases, to be able to dodge gunfire using just his reflexes without his Spider-Sense.
- Regenerative Healing Factor: Spider-Man has a limited healing factor. While not on Wolverine's level, it is sufficiently powerful enough to recover from severe injuries from broken bones and large amounts of tissue damage in a matter of days. After getting his powers, he soon found that his eyesight was repaired, discarding his glasses. During a battle with a villain called the Masked Marauder, Spider-Man is rendered completely blind, however after about 2 days his sight was perfect, albeit sensitive for about a day after.
- Foreign Chemical Resistance: Due to his accelerated metabolism, Spider-Man has a higher tolerance for drugs and diseases than normal humans, and he can recover from the effects of larger doses rapidly. During an encounter with the Swarm, Spider-Man was incapacitated by thousands of bee stings, but recovered in less than 24 hours. His resistance and recovery time to other toxins and diseases varies, but is typically significantly higher than normal. Spider-Man's unique physiology even allowed him to recover from the effects of vampirism.[45] Spider-Man was able to recover completely from acid being spat into his eyes by the new Vulture although the extent of the damage may have been restricted due to his superhuman durability. However, Spider-Man has the normal human tolerance for alcoholic beverages.
- Mindwipe after "Brand New Day": Although not technically a power, the worldwide mindwipe of Spider-Man's identity as Peter Parker was part of Mephisto's deal to save Aunt May in "Brand New Day" and Dr. Strange's spell in "One Moment in Time". Spider-Man is aware that the whole world has forgotten his secret identity, and describes it to Mister Fantastic as a "psychic blind spot," where any evidence which could lead to Spider-Man being Peter Parker, people would not be able to connect the dots, or they would come up with the wrong solution, but would accept it as the right one regardless. If Spider-Man was to unmask himself - or be unmasked, then any related people witnessing the incident, would have their memories returned. Mister Fantastic claims to be able to duplicate the "firewalls" for himself and the Fantastic Four, allowing Spider-Man to safely tell them his identity without fear of compromising his secret.
Abilities
- Indomitable Will: Spider-Man has a strong Force of Will, completely free of evil and temptation. For years, he has struggled to balance his life as a student and his superhero duties. He is able to emerge from defeat even stronger. His mental strength is also shown when he successfully wrestles control of nanobots from Doctor Octopus.
- Gifted Intellect[49]: Academically gifted, Peter displays an uncanny affinity for science that is nothing short of genius.[50]
- Science Major: He is a brilliant individual, with exceptional skill in practically every field of science, and is an excellent inventor[51]. He is an accomplished chemist and physicist [52].
- Skilled Photographer: Peter is a very skilled photographer [53].
- Master Acrobat: Thanks to his great strength and phenomenal equilibrium, Peter is an excellent athlete, excelling in all gymnastic fields and being able to perform every acrobatic stunt ever performed, including others that can never be performed by even an Olympic acrobat.
- Master Combatant: Thanks to Peter's amazing superhuman physiology, acrobatic powers and spider sense, he is an excellent hand-to-hand combatant using a fighting style derived from his spider like abilities, he made his own street style that could rival virtually any combatant out of sheer volatility to standard fighting techniques (eg webbing, wall crawling, super strength to lift heavy objects, etc.) To compensate for the recent loss of his spider-sense, Spider-Man is currently learning kung fu from Shang-Chi.
Weaknesses
Unlike many superheroes, Spider-Man doesn't have a weakness he is automatically vulnerable to, but in recent years methods have been created to render him vulnerable.
- Spider-Sense Disruption: Spider-Man's Spider Sense can lose its effectiveness if it is blocked or temporarily weakened by specialized equipment or certain drugs. It also won't trigger if it detects something that isn't registered as a threat like the Spider-Man clones or the Venom symbiote and its offspring. When deprived of his spider-sense, Spider-Man becomes vulnerable to surveillance and attack, and web-slinging requires most of his concentration. Since it was destroyed after setting off a device that saved New York from the Spider Slayers, it no longer applies as there is no Spider-Sense to disrupt.
- Anti-Venom's Proximity: Anti-Venom's failed attempt to cure Spider-Man of his radioactive blood resulted in Spider-Man's powers slowly canceling out whenever Anti-Venom is too close to him.
- Ethyl Chloride: Perhaps as a side effect of gaining his powers, Spider-Man is susceptible to the pesticide ethyl chloride. This chemical is frequently used as a weapon by the Spider-Slayers.
Paraphernalia
Equipment
Spider-Man's Webs.
- Web-Shooters: Parker's brilliance at physical science allowed him to create web-shooters for use when he became Spider-Man [54]. The twin devices worn on his wrists are able to shoot thin strands of a special "web fluid" at high pressure.
- Web Fluid: A shear-thinning liquid, virtually solid until a shearing force is applied to it, rendering it fluid, whose exact formula remains unknown, but is rumored to be related to nylon. The web line’s tensile strength is estimated to be 120 pounds per square millimeter of cross section.
- Utility Belt: Spider-Man keeps a utility belt holding web cartridges and his signature Spider-Signal.
- Spidey Stealth Suit
- Future Foundation Suit: A special outfit designed by Reed Richards for Spider-Man's use as part of the Fantastic Four/Future Foundation. The costume is designed with third generation unstable molecules, allowing him to alter its styling by thought. Beyond that, It still functions the same way the normal costumes do.
The Bombastic Bagman.
- Spare Fantastic Costume: When Reed Richards first examined the alien symbiote and separated it from Peter, he was left without a costume and could not simply go web-slinging undisguised as it could reveal his identity. At the mercy of the Human Torch, he was given a spare Fantastic Four costume and a paper bag as a mask, temporarily becoming what Johnny dubbed: "The Bombastic Bagman!"
The suit itself was made of unstable molecules, insulated the wearer from electrical assaults and performed all other functions any of the Fantastic Four's own suits would.
Armored Spider-Man.
- Steel-Plated Costume: In order to fight the New Enforcers, who were heavily armed, Peter developed a steel-plated version of his costume; The "steel plates" were actually derived from a pseudo-metallic composition that Peter created while in the laboratory of Empire State University.[55] Unfortunately for Peter, it was destroyed by acid, and was never recreated or duplicated again.[56]
Iron Spider Costume.
- Iron Spider Armor: Tony Stark developed an armored suit for Spider-Man in light of events. Supported by a system similar to that of Stark's classic Iron Man design, it featured many gadgets. It was used for the majority of the Superhero Civil War until Spider-Man defected, going back to his classic red & blue threads after the armor was destroyed in battle.
Transportation
- Spider-Man's main form of transportation is "web slinging" with the aid of his spider-webs. Spider-Man was able to keep pace with Captain Marvel at his best speed, surprising the Kree warrior, although Spidey mentioned it was mostly due to his practice with web slinging over his career.[57]
- Spider Mobile (no longer used).
Notes
- Spider Man has been parodied as the character Spider-Ham in the Marvel Tales and What the-?! series.
- Spider-Man is one of the few people to have become Captain Universe, chosen by the Uni-Power. Although it was only for a short time, Cosmic Spider-Man could manipulate his webbing into different shapes, generate energy blasts, fly and had all of his 5 senses superhumanly enhanced. Before he defeated the Tri-Sentinel, he even managed to take on the likes of Magneto and Dr. Doom.[58]
- Spider-Man is a possible Protestant. [59]
- Ms.Marvel has stated that she is attracted to Spider-man
See Also
- 4575 appearance(s) of Peter Parker (Earth-616)
- 57 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Peter Parker (Earth-616)
- 676 minor appearance(s) of Peter Parker (Earth-616)
- 894 mention(s) of Peter Parker (Earth-616)
- 40 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Peter Parker (Earth-616)
- 8720 image(s) of Peter Parker (Earth-616)
- 913 quotation(s) by or about Peter Parker (Earth-616)
- 14 victim(s) killed by Peter Parker (Earth-616)
- 48 item(s) used/owned by Peter Parker (Earth-616)
Links and References
- (Peter Parker) Peter Parker on Marvel.com
- Peter Parker on Wikipedia.org
- Spider-Man supporting characters
- Spider-man's powers, abilities and equipment
- Amazing Spider-Man.Info
- Spider-Fan
- Page Spiderman Movie Wikia
- The Best Spider-man Stories
References
- ↑ Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide
- ↑ When high school nerd Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider during a science experiment, he soon found out that he had gained the proportionate powers of an arachnid. With his new found abilities, Parker attempted to cash in on them. In a turn of events following his first wrestling match, Peter soon discovered that with great power comes great responsibilities. It has also been claimed that Parker was fated to receive his powers through the intervention of the spider-god Ananse (The Book of Ezekiel storyline).
- ↑ Amazing Fantasy #15
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #1
- ↑ (The Other storyline)
- ↑ Avengers: The Initiative #7
- ↑ Dark Avengers #1
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 New Avengers #51
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #591
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #594
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #596
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #598
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #599
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #607
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Jackpot #1 -3
- ↑ Dark Reign: Mister Negative #1 -3
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #611
- ↑ Dark Reign: The List - Spider-Man #1
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #612
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #614
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #616
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #617
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #642
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #643
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #644
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #645
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #646
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #647
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #648
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #649
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #650
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #651
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #652
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #653
- ↑ 35.0 35.1 Amazing Spider-Man #654
- ↑ New Avengers #3
- ↑ Spectacular Spider-Man #107 -110
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #590
- ↑ Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #12
- ↑ Spider-Man Free Comic Book Day #1
- ↑ The Hood #5
- ↑ Spider-Man's Tangled Web #12
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 5) #Spider-Man: Back in Black
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #267
- ↑ Blade: The Vampire Hunter (Vol. 6) #1
- ↑ Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #27
- ↑ Amazing Spider-Man #593 -594
- ↑ Spider-Man #25
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 4) #2
- ↑ Marvel Encyclopedia #Spider-Man
- ↑ DC versus Marvel Comics Profile
- ↑ heroes/index 01.htm Smartest Superheroes
- ↑ DC versus Marvel Comics Profile
- ↑ heroes/index 01.htm Smartest Superheroes
- ↑ Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide, page 31
- ↑ Web of Spider-Man #100
- ↑ Marvel Team-Up #16
- ↑ Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide, pages 18-19
- ↑ http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/SpiderMan.html
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z hardcover Vol. 11
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Spider-Man 2004 Vol 1 1