Get to Know Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

In movies, television and video games, everywhere you look today you’ll probably find your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. The character very nearly almost didn’t exist at all, but thanks to the persistence of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, today he is perhaps Marvel Comics’ most recognized face — or… mask.

But how did Spider-Man trap readers in his web of excitement, and what do you need to know to understand over 60 years of superhero history?

CREATION

Stan Lee (born Stanley Lieber) began working at Timely Comics as an editorial assistant in 1939 at the age of 16. When the publisher was ready to change its name to Marvel Comics in the 1960s, Lee was given the task of writing its first Marvel title, “Fantastic Four,” with artist Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg).

After a couple of years, Lee was considering leaving Marvel Comics. His wife convinced him to stay for one more book, and write the kind of comic that he had always wanted to write. Lee pitched his idea of a teenaged boy with spider powers and his publisher Martin Goodman hated it. At the time, conventional wisdom was that teenagers could only be sidekicks and spiders were gross. Lee insisted, and they agreed to introduce Spider-Man in the final issue of Amazing Fantasy (issue #15) in 1962, with interior art by Steve Ditko and a cover by Kirby and Ditko.

The story was about a meek teenager named Peter Parker who is bitten by a radioactive spider and given amazing spider-powers. Feeling guilt over the death of his Uncle Ben, Peter wears a mask to use his powers as a friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man.

The book was one of Marvel’s biggest sellers, and Spider-Man was rushed into his own series, “The Amazing Spider-Man” in 1963. The debut issue saw Spider-Man meeting the Fantastic Four… and Lee stayed with Marvel Comics after all.

IN PRINT

There have been countless major Spider-Man stories and key issues — too many to list exhaustively here — but some of the most iconic include:

SPIDER-MAN NO MORE (1967) Peter Parker is tired of the Daily Bugle newspaper making people hate him and doesn’t want to be Spider-Man anymore, so he quits and throws his costume in the trash. A kid finds the suit and brings it the Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson, who is thrilled Spider-Man has quit. But in his absence rises a new threat: the Kingpin. Read: The Amazing Spider-Man #50-52

THE SIX-ARMS SAGA (1971) Peter Parker still doesn’t want to be Spider-Man, and he creates a serum to remove his powers. But instead, it amplifies his abilities, and he grows four extra arms. Also in this series, we are introduced to Michael Morbius, who experimented on himself to cure his rare blood disease, only to turn himself into a vampire. Dr. Curt Connors (aka The Lizard) discovers that Morbius’ blood can help reverse the monstrous transformation of both Spider-Man and himself. Read: The Amazing Spider-Man #100-102

THE DEATH OF GWEN STACY (1973) The Green Goblin returns and discovers that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, so he kidnaps Peter’s girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, leading Spider-Man to battle on top of the George Washington Bridge in New York City. The Green Goblin throws Gwen off the bridge and Spider-Man spins a web to catch her, but the sudden catch snaps Gwen’s neck and she dies. Read: The Amazing Spider-Man #121-122.

THE CLONE SAGA (1974-1978) Miles Warren is a professor who worked with both Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker, and saddened by Gwen’s death, he secretly clones both her and Peter. In doing so, he discovers that Peter is Spider-Man, and he adopts the villainous name The Jackal. He kidnaps the real Spider-Man and forces him to fight his clone, and both believe they are the real Spider-Man. They decide to work together, but one is seemingly killed by an explosion that also kills The Jackal. We never really know whether it was the clone, or the real Peter Parker, who was killed. Read: The Amazing Spider-Man #139-150, Giant-Size Spider-Man #5, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #25-31, #149, #162-163 and Annual #8, and What If? #30.

SECRET WARS / ALIEN COSTUME SAGA (1984-1987) A cosmic being known as the Beyonder transports Earth’s greatest heroes and villains against their will to a planet called Battleworld and forces them to fight in a “secret war.” During this fight, Spider-Man finds and puts on a new black costume. After Secret Wars, Spider-Man returns to earth wearing his black costume. He notices changes in his behavior; he’s more angry and violent. He discovers the costume is an alien symbiote and he must remove it before the anger takes over. The suit later bonds with Eddie Brock to become Venom. Read: Secret Wars #1-12, The Amazing Spider-Man #249-263, Marvel Team-Up #141-150, Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #90-100 and Web of Spider-Man #1.

THE WEDDING (1987) After years of dating, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson are finally married. But the wedding is threatened by Peter's insecurities over how he can provide the quality of life that Mary Jane deserves. Meanwhile, Mary Jane is also confronted with a difficult decision when she's offered a big modeling job, but it would require her to cancel the wedding to go to Paris. Despite all their obstacles and worrying, Peter and Mary Jane finally make it down the aisle and vow to live happily ever after together. If you want to know how that works out for them, keep reading this list and find out. Read: The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21

MAXIMUM CARNAGE (1993) Serial killer Cletus Kasady bonds with a red alien symbiote and becomes Carnage to break out of prison and go on a massive killing spree across New York City. Only Spider-Man can stop him — with help from Venom! Read: Spider-Man Unlimited #1-2, Web of Spider-Man #101-103, The Amazing Spider-Man #378-380, Spider-Man #35-37 and The Spectacular Spider-Man #201-203.

THE CLONE SAGA (1994-1996) Returning to the original Clone Saga events from 1973, this story reintroduces Peter Parker’s clone and asks the question: Which one is the real Peter Parker? The clone was believed dead in an explosion, but we discover he survived and has been living under the name Ben Reilly for five years. He returns and takes on the title The Scarlet Spider. We still never definitively discover which one is the real Peter Parker. Read: The Amazing Spider-Man #394-418 and Annual 1996, The Amazing Spider-Man Super Special #1, Spectacular Spider-Man #217-241 and Annual #8, Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special #1, Spider-Man #51-75, Spider-Man Super Special #1, Spider-Man Unlimited #7-14, Web of Spider-Man #117-129, Web of Spider-Man Super Special #1, Web of Scarlet Spider #1-4, The Sensational Spider-Man #0–11, Wizard mini-comic #3, The Spectacular Scarlet Spider #1-2, Scarlet Spider Unlimited #1, Venom Super Special #1 and Giant-Size Spider-Man #5.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (2000) Marvel Comics launched a second universe, known as the Ultimate Universe, that reintroduced modern and updated versions of their characters, including Spider-Man, in their own separate universe apart from the standard Marvel Universe (called the 616 Universe). Read: Ultimate Spider-Man #1

ONE MORE DAY / BRAND NEW DAY (2007-2008) After Spider-Man’s identity is revealed to the world following the events of Civil War, the people he loves are in danger. The only way to save them is to make a deal with the devil, Mephisto, to have everyone forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man. But this deal will cost him his relationship with Mary Jane. Read: Amazing Spider-Man #544-564, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24 and Sensational Spider-Man (Vol. 2) #41.

THE DEATH OF SPIDER-MAN / ULTIMATE FALLOUT (2011) When the Ultimate Universe Peter Parker is killed, the world is left mourning and wondering what will happen next. This series introduces a Latino African American teenager named Miles Morales as the next Spider-Man. Read: Ultimate Spider-Man #156-160, Ultimate Fallout #1-6 and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1

ENDS OF EARTH / DYING WISH (2012) Doctor Octopus discovers he has only a few months to live and creates a plan to transfer his mind into the body of Spider-Man. While in control of Peter’s body, Doc Ock becomes a hero calling himself “Superior Spider-Man.” Read: The Amazing Spider-Man #682-700 and Avenging Spider-Man #8.

ON FILM

Spider-Man has been featured in numerous cartoon series, including “Spider-Man” in 1967 (with its catchy theme song), “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” in 1994, “Spectacular Spider-Man” in 2008 and “Ultimate Spider-Man” in 2012; as well as a live-action CBS TV series “The Amazing Spider-Man” in 1978.

In 2002, “Spider-Man” debuted on film starring Tobey Maguire and Willem Dafoe as Spider-Man and Green Goblin, respectively. The movie spawned two sequels, with villains Doctor Octopus, Sandman and Venom. Plans for a fourth installment were scrapped and the franchise was rebooted in 2012 as “The Amazing Spider-Man” starring Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man and Rhys Ifans as The Lizard, which was followed by one sequel featuring Jamie Foxx as the villain Electro. In 2016, Tom Holland debuted as the newest Spider-Man on film in “Captain America: Civil War” and starred in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” in 2017 and “Spider-Man: Far From Home” in 2019, as well as multiple Avengers films.

An animated movie, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” was also released by Sony in 2018 featuring Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) as the central Spider-Man who meets many alternate versions of himself living in dimensions across the multiverse (or “Spider-Verse”). A sequel called “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” has a June 2023 release date.

This multiverse concept was adopted by MCU films with “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in 2021 when Holland’s MCU Spider-Man crossed over to meet previous Spider-Men Maguire and Garfield, as well as villains Green Goblin (Dafoe), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Electro (Foxx), Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church) and Lizard (Ifans). “No Way Home” was the third-highest grossing Marvel film (behind “Avengers Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”) and the sixth highest-grossing film of all time.