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"Peter Parker" and "Spidey" redirect here. For other people, see Peter Parker (disambiguation). For the comic book series, see Spidey (comic book). For subsequent versions of the character, see List of incarnations of Spider-Man. For other uses, see Spider-Man (disambiguation).
Spider-Man
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceAmazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962)
Created by
In-story information
Alter egoPeter Benjamin Parker
SpeciesHuman mutate
Place of originQueens, New York City
Team affiliations
Partnerships
Notable aliases
Abilities
  • Superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, agility, coordination and balance
  • Ability to cling to solid surfaces
  • Accelerated healing
  • Genius level intellect
  • Proficient scientist and engineer
  • Precognitive spider-sense ability
  • Utilizing wrist-mounted web-shooters
  • Master martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant

Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of Comic Books and is the alias of 15-year-old teenager Peter Parker, an orphan raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben who received spider-related abilities from a radioactive spider bite. Spider-Man has since appeared in many forms of media, including feature films, television series, and video games, and dealt with the struggles of adolescence and financial issues in his earlier years. Lee, Ditko, and John Romita Sr. developed many long-lasting supporting characters, such as friends Flash Thompson and Harry Osborn; Daily Bugle publisher J. Jonah Jameson; romantic interests Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson; while notable Spider-Man enemies include the arch-nemesises Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin, who are members of the Sinister Six supervillain group.

When Spider-Man first appeared in the early 1960s, teenagers in superhero comic books were usually relegated to the role of sidekick to the protagonist. The Spider-Man series broke ground by featuring Peter Parker, a high school student from Queens, New York, as Spider-Man's secret identity, whose "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness" were issues to which young readers could relate.[7] Unlike Bucky and Robin, Spider-Man had no mentor like Captain America and Batman, thus learning that "with great power, there must also come great responsibility"–a line that is retroactively attributed to Uncle Ben. By focusing on Parker's everday problems, Lee and Ditko created a very flawed and self-doubting superhero; Ditko's "quirky" art provided a stark contrast to the more cleanly dynamic stylings of Marvel's most prominent artist, Jack Kirby,[8] and was combined by Lee's pathos and humorous writing to lay the foundation for the enduring Spider-Man mythos.

The Peter Parker character developed significantly from 1962, when he was simply a science-wiz nerdy teenager who becomes Spider-Man, to a troubled college student in the late 1960s and 1970s, a married superhero from 1987 to 2007, a single freelance photographer in the late 2000s, and the leader of a multinational company in the mid-2010s. Doctor Octopus operates as the Superior Spider-Man after a body swap plot in which Parker seems to die in the "Dying Wish" storyline,[9] and the Peter Parker clone Ben Reilly does as well. Marvel has also introduced many Alternative versions of Spider-Man whom play a major role in the saga of Spider-Verse events.

Spider-Man is one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes.[10] The character was first portrayed in live action by Danny Seagren in Spidey Super Stories, a The Electric Company skit which ran from 1974 to 1977.[11] In films, Spider-Man has been portrayed by actors Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield,[12] and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by Tom Holland; as well as Chris Pine, Nicolas Cage, and Jake Johnson voicing three versions of Spider-Man in the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Reeve Carney starred originally as Spider-Man in the 2010 Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.[13] Spider-Man has been well received as a superhero and comic book character, and he is often ranked as one of the most popular and iconic comic book characters of all time and one of the most popular characters in all fiction.

Publication history

[edit]
See also: Spider-Man in literature

Creation and development

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  • Steinhauer, Jillian (February 9, 2021). "The Unheroic Life of Stan Lee". New Republic. Retrieved April 2, 2023 – via True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee (2021) by Abraham Riesman.
    • Riesman, Abraham (2021). True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee. Crown. ISBN 978-0593135716.
  • Cronin, Brian (November 14, 2018). "How Stan Lee Became Synonymous With the 'Marvel Method'". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  • Grand, Alex (July 8, 2017). "Marvel 1960s: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko; The Controversy of Who Created What?". Comic Book Historians. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
Stan Lee cited the name of pulp magazine crime-fighter the Spider as his inspiration to create the character that would become Spider-Man.[14]

In Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide (2001), Marvel Comics editor and head writer Stan Lee stated that the idea of Spider-Man arose from a surge in teenage demand for comic books in 1962; Lee wanted to create a character whom teens could identify with.[15]: 1  Similarly with the Fantastic Four, a superhero team that he co-created with Jack Kirby the previous year, Lee saw Spider-Man as an opportunity to "get out of [the] system" with what he felt was missing in comic books,[16] citing in his autobiography, Excelsior! (2002), the pulp magazine crime fighter the Spider as an influence. He also stated he was further inspired by seeing a spider climb up a wall, but added that he has told the spider story so often he was unsure if it was true.[14] Lee named the character "Spider-Man" because he wanted the character to age as his stories progressed, and moreover felt the name "Spider-Boy" would make Spider-Man sound inferior to other superheroes.[17] He additionally hyphenated "Spider-Man", since the character's unhyphenated name would look too similar to DC Comics superhero Superman.[18] Artist Steve Ditko, whom Lee collaborated with on the science-fiction anthology series Amazing Adult Fantasy, intended the character to have an orange and purple costume.[19]

At the time, Lee only had to get the approval of Spider-Man from Marvel publisher Martin Goodman. Lee stated in a 1986 interview with The Detroit Free Press, quoted in The Steve Ditko Reader (2002) by comics historian Greg Theakston:

"[Goodman] gave me 1,000 reasons why Spider-Man would never work. 'Nobody likes spiders; it sounds too much like Superman; and how could a teenager be a superhero?'
Then I told him I wanted the character to be a very human guy, someone who makes mistakes, who worries, who gets acne, has trouble with his girlfriend, things like that.
[Goodman replied,] 'He's a hero! He's not an average man!'
I said, 'No, we make him an average man who happens to have super powers,' that's what will make him good.
He told me I was crazy."[20]

Goodman eventually agreed to a Spider-Man tryout in what Lee in numerous interviews recalled as what would be the final issue of Amazing Adult Fantasy, renamed Amazing Fantasy for issue #15 (cover-dated August 1962, on sale June 1962).[21] Lee stated that the fact Amazing Fantasy would be canceled after issue #15 was the only reason Goodman allowed him to use Spider-Man.[17] Despite this, Amazing Fantasy #15's editorial page stated, "The Spiderman [sic] ... will appear every month in Amazing."[21][22] Lee recieved Goodman's approval for the name "Spider-Man" as well as the ordinary teen concept of Peter Parker.[23]

After the character's approval, Lee approached Kirby. In The Steve Ditko Reader, Theakston recounted that Kirby told Lee about an unpublished character on which he had collaborated with Joe Simon in the 1950s; that character's story was that an orphaned boy living with an old couple found a magic ring that grants him superhuman powers. After Kirby told Lee that story, the pair "immediately sat down for a story conference" according to Theakston, and Lee afterwards directed Kirby to flesh out the character and draw some pages with Ditko as the inker.[23][24] When Kirby showed Lee the first six pages, Lee recalled, "I hated the way he was doing it! Not that he did it badly—it just wasn't the character I wanted; it was too heroic."[23]: 12  After this, Lee turned to Ditko, who designed Parker as a skinny, awkward teenager as well as a visual style that Lee found satisfactory.[8] Ditko recalled:

One of the first things I did was to work up a costume. A vital, visual part of the character. I had to know how he looked ... before I did any breakdowns. For example: A clinging power so he wouldn't have hard shoes or boots, a hidden wrist-shooter versus a web gun and holster, etc. ... I wasn't sure Stan would like the idea of covering the character's face but I did it because it hid an obviously boyish face. It would also add mystery to the character....[25]

Creation/contribution disputes

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There had been many disputes regarding who created Spider-Man, whether it was Ditko or Lee, wholly Ditko, or Kirby. The following section is composed of those three's accounts, additionally including Stanton and Simon.

In a 1965 interview, Ditko described his and Lee's contributions as the latter having thought the name up, and the former doing the costume and the web part on wrist & spider signal.[26] At the time, Ditko shared a Manhattan studio with noted fetish artist Eric Stanton, an art-school classmate who, in a interview with Theakston, recalled that although his contribution to Spider-Man was "almost nil", he and Ditko had "worked on storyboards together and I added a few ideas. But the whole thing was created by Steve on his own... I think I added the business about the webs coming out of his hands."[23]: 14  Kirby disputed Lee's version of the story and claimed Lee had minimal involvement in the character's creation, saying tthe idea for Spider-Man with him and and his partner Joe Simon in the 1950s, when they developed a character called the Silver Spider for the Crestwood Publications comic Black Magic, who was subsequently not used.[27] Simon, in his 1990 autobiography, disputed Kirby's account, asserting that Black Magic was not a factor, and that he (Simon) devised the name "Spider-Man" (later changed to "The Silver Spider"), while Kirby outlined the character's story and powers. Simon later elaborated that his and Kirby's character conception became the basis for Simon's Archie Comics superhero the Fly.[28] Ditko stated that Lee liked the name Hawkman from DC Comics, and that "Spider-Man" was an outgrowth of that interest.[25]

Commercial success

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In late 1962, Goodman reviewed the sales figures of Amazing Fantasy #15 and was shocked to find it was one of Marvel's high-selling comic issues.[29]: 97  Spider-Man was given a solo comic book title named The Amazing Spider-Man in December that year, which began as a bi-monthly periodical (similar to Amazing Fantasy) but was quickly promoted to a monthly title with issue no. 4 (cover-dated Sept. 1963).[30][7]: 211  The character became a pop-culture icon by 1965, when a Esquire poll of college campuses found that college students ranked Spider-Man and other Marvel hero the Hulk alongside Bob Dylan and Che Guevara as their favorite revolutionary icons.[7]: 223 

By late 1964, Ditko eventually began plotting the Amazing Spider-Man stories and draw them with Lee scripting the dialogue (first credited in issue 25, cover-dated June 1965); the pair were not on speaking terms by the time The Amazing Spider-Man #38 (July 1966) was completed, which became Ditko's final issue. As of April 2023, the exact reasons for the Ditko–Lee separation has not been fully explained: In a January 1966 interview with the New York Herald Tribune, Lee explained that he left Ditko alone to plot the Spider-Man stories, only filling in the dialogue;[31] in a 2010 deposition, John Romita Sr., who succeeded Ditko as Spider-Man artist and collaberated with Lee for issues #39–97 (Aug. 1966–Jun. Jun. 1971), described this: "[Lee and Ditko] ended up not being able to work together because they disagreed on almost everything, cultural, social, historically, everything, they disagreed on characters..."[32][33] It had been believed it was over the identity of the Green Goblin, a plotline that began with the character's introduction; Lee said he wanted to reveal Goblin as Norman Osborn and Ditko wanted to be a "nobody". The latter refuted that claim in one of his essays, having already planted Osborn in his art as a member of J. Jonah Jameson's club.[34][35][36] Ditko would later return to Marvel in the 1990s after a period at Charlton Comics, creating the character Speedball.

In 1968, Romita drew the character's extra-length stories in the comics magazine The Spectacular Spider-Man, a proto-graphic novel designed to appeal to older readers. It only lasted for two issues, but it represented the first Spider-Man spin-off publication, aside from the original series' summer Annuals that began in 1964.[37] Later on, in the early 1970s, a Spider-Man story ultimately led to the revision of the Comics Code; previously, the Code forbade the depiction of the use of illegal drugs, positively or negatively. However, in 1970, the Richard Nixon administration of Department of Health, Education, and Welfare asked Stan Lee to publish an anti-drug message in one of Marvel's top-selling titles. Lee chose The Amazing Spider-Man; issues 96–98 (May–July 1971) compromise story arc depicting the negative effects of drug use. In the story, Peter Parker's friend Harry Osborn becomes addicted to pills. When Spider-Man fights the Green Goblin (Norman Osborn, Harry's father), Spider-Man defeats him by revealing Harry's drug addiction. While the story had a clear anti-drug message, the Comics Code Authority refused to issue its seal of approval. Marvel nevertheless published the three issues without the Comics Code Authority's approval or seal. Following the issues' good sales, that the industry's self-censorship was undercut and the Code was subsequently revised.[7]: 239 

In 1972, Marvel Comics successfully managed to launch a second monthly Spider-Man title, Marvel Team-Up, featuring Spider-Man teaming up with multiple Marvel Universe characters. The Spectacular Spider-Man magazine was revived as Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man in 1976. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Sensational Spider-Man Other titles include Spidey (2015–2016) by Robbie Thompson, a comic book simply titled Spider-Man by Todd McFarlane, and Web of Spider-Man; Chip Zdarsky also wrote two alternate universe mini-series in 2019 and 2021: Spider-Man: Life Story and the What If? story Spider-Man: Spider's Shadow.

Wanting to break into show business, Stan Lee partnered with Grantray-Lawrence Animation to produce The Marvel Super Heroes (1966) animated series; Spider-Man was intended as part of the show's lineup, but was given a concurrently-produced solo series.[citation needed]

Fictional character biography

[edit]

Early years

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Peter Parker is introduced in Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962) as a shy, nerdy science-wiz high school student that is bitten by a radioactive spider during a demonstration in radiology; gaining the porporationate strength, speed, and agility of a spider, Parker begins a television career as the Amazing Spider-Man to win money and selfishly lets a burglar rob the television station, stating it is "not his job" to a security guard. Parker's selfish act catches up with him when the same burglar later kills his Uncle Ben. After tracking and subduing the killer, Parker learns that "with great power, there must also come great responsibility" and continues being Spider-Man out of guilt.[38]

Despite his superpowers, Parker struggles to help his widowed Aunt May pay rent, is taunted by his peers—particularly football star Flash Thompson—and, as Spider-Man, engenders the editorial wrath of newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson and battles his enemies for the first time.[39][40][41] Parker finds juggling his personal life and costumed adventures difficult, but in time, graduates from high school and enrolls at Empire State University (a fictional institution evoking the real-life Columbia University and New York University).[42] [43] There, he meets roommate and best friend Harry Osborn, future girlfriend Gwen Stacy,[44] and Aunt May introduces him to Mary Jane Watson.[41][45][46] As Parker deals with Harry's drug problems, and Harry's father Norman is revealed to be Spider-Man's nemesis the Green Goblin, Parker attempts to give up his costumed identity for a while.[47][48][7]: 239 

1970s

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When Gwen Stacy's father, New York City Police Department detective captain George Stacy, is accidentally killed during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, Parker's relationship with her becomes strained, a storyline which is eventually resolved.[49][50] During this time, the rules of the Comics Code Authority are loosened, allowing Spider-Man to fight vampiric or werewolf villains, like Morbius, the Living Vampire and Man-Wolf. ref from Man-Wolf's page to be added

In issue #121 (June 1973),[41] the Green Goblin throws Gwen Stacy from a tower of either the Brooklyn Bridge (as depicted in the art) or the George Washington Bridge (as given in the text).[51][52] She dies during Spider-Man's rescue attempt, Spider-Man swore revenge against his nemesis; a note on the letters page of issue #125 states: "It saddens us to say that the whiplash effect she underwent when Spidey's webbing stopped her so suddenly was, in fact, what killed her."[53] The following issue, Spider-Man vengefully attacks and overpowers the Green Goblin who appears to have accidentally killed himself in the ensuing battle.[54]

Working through his grief, Peter eventually develops tentative feelings toward Mary Jane, and the two "become confidants rather than lovers".[55] A romantic relationship eventually develops, with Parker proposing to her in issue #182 (July 1978), and being turned down an issue later.[56] Parker went on to graduate from college in issue #185,[41] and becomes involved with the shy Debra Whitman and the extroverted, flirtatious costumed thief Felicia Hardy / Black Cat,[57] whom he meets in issue #194 (July 1979). During this time, Aunt May suffers multiple heart attacks and is on the verge of death,[58] Parker confronts the Burglar who killed his Uncle Ben, who has teamed up with Mysterio, who immediately dies upon learning his secret identity.[59]

1980s

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1990s

[edit]

Early-to-mid 2000s

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J. Michael Straczynski started writing The Amazing Spider-Man in 2001 with vol. 2 #30, employing Parker as a science teacher at Midtown High, reuniting him with Mary Jane Watson, and letting his Aunt May know his secret identity. Straczynski added new elements to the Spider-Man mythos by introducing Morlun, Ezekiel Sims, and the Other.

Spider-Man is a major player in the Civil War event in 2006, originally siding with Iron Man, who is pro-Superhuman Registration Act, then later siding with Captain America after publicly revealing his secret identity. In the aftermath of the event, Wilson Fisk orders a hit on May and MJ, and May is shot instead.

Brand New Day, Big Time, and death

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Spider-Man: Brand New Day began in 2008 and featured the rewritten personal timeline of Peter Parker, who returns as photographer at the Daily Bugle and best friends with Harry Osborn. New supporting cast include Carlie Cooper, J. Jonah Jameson's father John Sr., Lilly Hollister (who becames Menace), and Jackpot. Parker and Watson reunite following May's wedding to John Jonah Sr., and Kraven the Hunter is resurrected in Grim Hunt (2010), the conclusion to The Gauntlet storyline.

Events that occur during this time are Secret Invasion (2008), in which alien Skrulls impersonate superheroes and elected officials in order to invade Earth, Dark Reign (2009), where Norman Osborn takes over S.H.I.E.L.D. and becomes the most powerful person in the United States, and Siege (2010), where Osborn is defeated after attempting to invade Asgard.

Dan Slott took over main writing duties in Big Time (2010), employing Parker as a scientist at Horizon Labs, who soon teams up with the Miles Morales of Earth-1610. Meanwhile, Doctor Octopus learns he has a year to eighteen months left to live, and his attempts to save his life in The Ends of the Earth are overturned by Spider-Man. Nearing his death in Dying Wish (2012), Octopus mind swaps with Parker, who dies in his enemy's old body; Octopus decides to prove his superiority over Parker by continuing to operate as Spider-Man.

Nick Spencer's Amazing Spider-Man run

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Further information: Hunted, Last Remains, and Sinister War

From mid-2018 to late 2021, Nick Spencer wrote The Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5). His run was first promoted as a "back-to-basics" approach for the first five issues, before starting a major storyline titled "Hunted" (#16–23). "Hunted" involved Taskmaster and Black Ant capturing animal-themed villains for the supervillain Arcade as while as featuring Kraven, who commits suicide to pass the mantle to his clone son, The Last Son of Kraven.[60] In his early issues, as well as during the "Hunted" storyline, Spencer hints at the mysterious villain Kindred, who ressurects Stan Carter / Sin-Eater in the "Sins Rising" storyline (#45–48) to cleanse the world of sin, most particularly Norman Osborn. In "Last Remains" (#50–55; Post-Mortem #56–57), Kindred controls the Order of the Web (Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy / Ghost-Spider, Julia Carpenter, Cindy Moon) to attack Peter after Norman is cleansed of his Green Goblin identity; during the storyline, Kindred is revealed to be Harry Osborn. Spencer's run culminates in "Sinister War" (#69–74, miniseries #1–4), where Kindred is actually two people: Gabriel and Sarah Stacy, clones who were made to think Gwen Stacy and Norman were their parents during the 2005 storyline "Sins Past". The Harry Osborn that first appeared in Brand New Day is also a clone, and dies protecting Peter; Doctor Strange bargains with Mephisto to reverse "One More Day"; and the real Harry's soul is freed by Mephisto.[61]

Zeb Wells' Amazing Spider-Man run

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From October 2021 to March 2022, The Amazing Spider-Man was made thrice-monthly and features a format similar to Brand New Day, with a rotating cast of writers and artists–including XX. This format is for the storyline "Beyond" (#75–93), in which the revived Ben Reilly returns as Spider-Man with support from the Beyond Corporation; Peter falls into a coma for most of the run after receiving radioactive poison until waking up and resuming his active duties as Spider-Man while Ben suffers a mental breakdown and becomes the villain Chasm.[62]

Wells began a solo run with Amazing Spider-Man vol. 6, which involves Peter Parker having done an incident six months prior in its opening storyline. This is resolved in issues 21–26, revealing...(I don’t know).

Personality and themes

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Powers, skills, and equipment

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Supporting characters

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In Peter Parker's civilian life, he is supported by his Aunt May and girlfriend Mary Jane "MJ" Watson. J. Jonah Jameson is the publisher of the Daily Bugle, a fringe tabloid that he uses to voice his opinions on Spider-Man, whom he considers a public menace. Harry Osborn is the son of Oscorp CEO Norman Osborn, who is secretly the Green Goblin, and Peter's best friend. Gwen Stacy was Peter's girlfriend during college, who was killed by the Green Goblin in the infamous storyline The Night Gwen Stacy Died. Flash Thompson is Peter's high-school bully who eventually becomes Venom / Anti-Venom / Agent Venom, but ultimately dies by Norman Osborn as the Red Goblin. Betty Brant is Jameson's secretary and Peter's former girlfriend at the Daily Bugle; she eventually marries Ned Leeds, a reporter who is brainwashed by Roderick Kingsley to operate as the Hobgoblin and die. Leeds is cloned around the time of Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy.

After Jameson retires, Robbie Robertson becomes publisher of the Bugle; his son Randy is Peter's roommate in Nick Spencer run on The Amazing Spider-Man.

Enemies

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Main article: List of Spider-Man enemies

Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created long-lasting enemies for the young Spider-Man to face during their early-to-mid 1960s Amazing Spider-Man run. These enemies were:

Vulture, Doctor Octopus, Sandman, Electro, Mysterio, and Kraven the Hunter would form the supervillain team the Sinister Six. The Sinister Six would undergo several iterations and members, but Doctor Octopus would generally remain the leader.

Future writers/artists of Amazing Spider-Man would create further villains, such as:

Alternate versions

[edit]
Main article: Alternative versions of Spider-Man

On the mainstream Earth-616 universe, Peter Parker is the first Spider-Man; his clone Ben Reilly dons the identity of Spider-Man during the 1990s storyline The Clone Saga and the 2021–2022 storyline "Beyond". In the "Dying Wish" storyline, Doctor Octopus swaps bodies with Parker, leaving Parker to die in his fragile body; Octopus, in Parker's body, swears to be a better Spider-Man than the latter ever was, and dons the Superior Spider-Man identity in an eponymous 2013–2014 series.

Marvel Comics publishes several alternate universe stories and imprints, during which an alternate Spider-Man appears. In the Marvel 2099 imprint, a futuristic world set in 2099, Miguel O'Hara causes an accident that changes his DNA into 50% spider; in the process, he becomes Spider-Man 2099, and frequently meets and team-ups with the Peter Parker of Earth-616. Ultimate Marvel was an imprint to restart the Marvel Universe without rebooting Earth-616 as well as a jumping-on point for new readers. A series in that imprint was Ultimate Spider-Man, which depicts modern retellings of Spider-Man's origin and other stories. That Spider-Man dies in The Death of Spider-Man, prompting Miles Morales (who recieved spider-powers months prior) to start his career as a new Spider-Man; as a result of the 2015 Secret Wars storyline, Morales moves to Earth-616.

Cultural impact and legacy

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In The Creation of Spider-Man, comic book writer-editor and historian Paul Kupperberg calls the character's superpowers "nothing too original"; what was original was that outside his secret identity, he was a "nerdy high school student".[63]: 5  Going against typical superhero fare, Spider-Man included "heavy doses of soap-opera and elements of melodrama". Kupperberg feels that Lee and Ditko had created something new in the world of comics: "the flawed superhero with everyday problems". This idea spawned a "comics revolution".[63]: 6  One interviewee of the 1965 Esquire poll of college campuses selected Spider-Man because he was "beset by woes, money problems, and the question of existence. In short, he is one of us."[7]: 223 

When Marvel wanted to issue a story dealing with the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the company chose the December 2001 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man.[64] In 2006, Spider-Man garnered major media coverage with the revelation of the character's secret identity,[65] an event detailed in a full-page story in the New York Post before the issue containing the story was released.[66]

Spider-Man became the archetype for angsty adolescent heroes and the most imitated character in the superhero genre since Superman debuted in 1938.[67]

Effect on Steve Ditko's career

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After leaving The Amazing Spider-Man, Ditko was a recluse and Ayn Rand objectivist who isolated himself while his characters, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, were being adapted for film franchises; Ditko spent his last years writing essays about his beliefs and hatred of comic book fans, until his lonely death in June 2018.

Comic book reception

[edit]

In other media

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Main article: Spider-Man in other media
Further information: Spider-Man in television, Spider-Man in film, and Spider-Man in video games
Spider-Man in film
Maguire at Spider-Man 3 premiere
Garfield in 2013
Holland in 2016
Tobey Maguire (left), Andrew Garfield (center), and Tom Holland (right) have portrayed Spider-Man in film.

Since his conception in 1962, Spider-Man has been featured in various forms of media. His first animated adaptation was in the eponymous 1967–1970 series (voiced by Paul Soles),[68] before the character was the star of Spidey Super Stories, a live-action recurring skit in The Electric Company and eventually spanned a comic book series of the same name.[69] Nicholas Hammond portrayed the first full live-action version of Spider-Man in The Amazing Spider-Man (1978–1979),[70] also starring in three made-for-TV films (the first three Spider-Man films). A Japanese TV series named Spider-Man (translated as Supaidāman) aired around the time of The Amazing Spider-Man series, but did not adapt any elements from the Marvel Comics, starring Takuya Yamashiro (also known as the "Japanese Spider-Man"). Many actors have provided the voice of Spider-Man in animation since Soles; such as Christopher Daniel Barnes in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994–1998); Josh Keaton in The Spectacular Spider-Man (2008–2009) as well as numerous Spider-Man and team-up video games; Drake Bell in Ultimate Spider-Man (2012–2017), which is not based on its eponymous comics; and Robbie Daymond in Spider-Man (2017–2020). The Walt Disney Company owns Spider-Man's television rights after its acquisition of Marvel Entertainment in 2009, and replaced Spectacular (which, alongside the 2003 Spider-Man: The New Animated Series starring Neil Patrick Harris, was produced by Sony Pictures Television) by producing Ultimate.[citation needed]

Tobey Maguire portrayed Spider-Man in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film trilogy (2002–2007), with this version being followed by a Andrew Garfield–played character in Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man film series (2012–2014); Tom Holland portrays Peter Parker / Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Maguire and Garfield eventually reprised their roles alongside Holland in the MCU film Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). Additionally, Jake Johnson, Chris Pine (Ultimate), and Nicolas Cage voice versions of Spider-Man in the Sony Pictures Animation film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018); Johnson and Josh Keaton reprised their roles as Peter B. Parker and the Spectacular Spider-Man in the film's sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).

Spider-Man has also appeared in video games, with a notable video game version being Insomniac Games's Peter Parker (voiced by Yuri Lowenthal). Keaton reprises his Spectacular Spider-Man role of Spider-Man in numerous video games. The character has been also featured in the play Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (2010), which opened to negative reviews.[citation needed]

See also

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Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ Amazing Spider-Man #434
  2. ^ Spider-Man #91
  3. ^ Spectacular Spider-Man #257
  4. ^ Sensational Spider-Man #27
  5. ^ Amazing Spider-Man Annual #36 and Amazing Spider-Man #149–151
  6. ^ What If? (vol. 2) #31
  7. ^ a b c d e f Wright, Bradford W. (2001). Comic Book Nation. Johns Hopkins Press : Baltimore. ISBN 978-0-8018-7450-5.
  8. ^ a b DeFalco, Tom (2008). "1960s". In Gilbert, Laura (ed.). Marvel Chronicle: A Year By Year History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 87. ISBN 978-0756641238. Deciding that his new character would have spider-like powers, [Stan] Lee commissioned Jack Kirby to work on the first story. Unfortunately, Kirby's version of ... Peter Parker proved too heroic, handsome, and muscular for Lee's everyman hero. Lee turned to Steve Ditko, ... who designed a skinny, awkward teenager with glasses.
  9. ^ Sacks, Ethan (January 12, 2014). "Exclusive: Peter Parker to return from death in 'Amazing Spider-Man' #1 this April". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  10. ^ "Why Spider-Man is popular". Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  11. ^ Weiss, Brett (October 2010). "Spidey Super Stories". Back Issue! (44). TwoMorrows Publishing: 23–28.
  12. ^ "It's Official! Andrew Garfield to Play Spider-Man!". Comingsoon.net. July 2, 2010. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  13. ^ "Complete Cast Announced for Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark". Broadway.com. August 16, 2010. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  14. ^ a b Lee, Stan; Mair, George (2002). Excelsior!: The Amazing Life of Stan Lee. Fireside. ISBN 978-0-684-87305-3.
  15. ^ DeFalco, Tom; Lee, Stan (2001). O'Neill, Cynthia (ed.). Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide. New York: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-0-7894-7946-4.
  16. ^ "Stan Lee: Caught in Spidey's Web". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Thomas, Roy (August 2011). "Stan Lee's Amazing Marvel Interview!". Alter Ego (104). TwoMorrows Publishing: 3–45.
  18. ^ Moore, Trent (July 18, 2013). "Little-known sci-fi fact: Why Stan Lee put a hyphen in Spider-Man – Syfy". Syfy Wire. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  19. ^ Johnston, Rich (August 31, 2020). "Steve Ditko Designed Spider-Man to be Orange and Purple". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 31, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Detroit Free Press interview with Stan Lee, quoted in The Steve Ditko Reader by Greg Theakston (Pure Imagination, Brooklyn, NY; ISBN 1-56685-011-8), p. 12 (unnumbered).
  21. ^ a b Amazing Fantasy (Marvel, 1962 series) Archived March 10, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at the Grand Comics Database: "1990 copyright renewal lists the publication date as June 5, 1962"; "[T]he decision to cancel the series had not been made when it went to print, since it is announced that future issues will include a Spider-Man feature."
  22. ^ "Important Announcement from the Editor!", Amazing Fantasy #15 (Aug. 1962), reprinted at Sedlmeier, Cory, ed. (2007). Amazing Fantasy Omnibus. Marvel Publishing. ISBN 978-0785124580.
  23. ^ a b c d Theakston, Greg (2002). The Steve Ditko Reader. Brooklyn, New York: Pure Imagination. ISBN 978-1-56685-011-7.
  24. ^ Ditko, Steve (2000). Roy Thomas (ed.). Alter Ego: The Comic Book Artist Collection. TwoMorrows Publishing. ISBN 978-1-893905-06-1. [Lee] said a new Marvel hero would be introduced in #15 [of what became titled Amazing Fantasy]. He would be called Spider-Man. Jack would do the penciling and I was to ink the character. At this point still, [Lee] said Spider-Man would be a teenager with a magic ring which could transform him into an adult hero—Spider-Man. I said it sounded like the Fly, which Joe Simon had done for Archie Comics. [Lee] called [Kirby] about it but I don't know what was discussed. I never talked to [Kirby] about Spider-Man... Later, at some point, I was given the job of drawing Spider-Man.
  25. ^ a b Ditko, Steve (2000). Roy Thomas (ed.). Alter Ego: The Comic Book Artist Collection. TwoMorrows Publishing. ISBN 978-1-893905-06-1.
  26. ^ Ditko interview (1965). "Steve Ditko – A Portrait of the Master". Comic Fan #2 (Larry Herndon) via Ditko.Comics.org (Blake Bell, ed.). Archived from the original on June 13, 2002. Retrieved April 3, 2008. Additional, February 28, 2012.
  27. ^ Jack Kirby in "Shop Talk: Jack Kirby", Will Eisner's Spirit Magazine #39 (February 1982): "Spider-Man was discussed between Joe Simon and myself. It was the last thing Joe and I had discussed. We had a strip called 'The Silver Spider.' The Silver Spider was going into a magazine called Black Magic. Black Magic folded with Crestwood (Simon & Kirby's 1950s comics company) and we were left with the script. I believe I said this could become a thing called Spider-Man, see, a superhero character. I had a lot of faith in the superhero character that they could be brought back... and I said Spider-Man would be a fine character to start with. But Joe had already moved on. So the idea was already there when I talked to Stan".
  28. ^ Simon, Joe (2011). Joe Simon: My Life in Comics. London, UK: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-84576-930-7.
  29. ^ Daniels, Les (1991). Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics. New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-3821-2.
  30. ^ DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 91: "Thanks to a flood of fan mail, Spider-Man was awarded his own title six months after his first appearance. Amazing Spider-Man began as a semi-monthly title, but was quickly promoted to a monthly."
  31. ^ Grand, Alex (July 8, 2017). "Marvel 1960s: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko; The Controversy of Who Created What?". Comic Book Historians. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  32. ^ "Confidential Videotaped Deposition of John V. Romita". Garden City, New York: United States District Court, Southern District of New York: "Marvel Worldwide, Inc., et al., vs. Lisa R. Kirby, et al.". October 21, 2010. p. 45.
  33. ^ DeFalco "1960s" in Gilbert (2008), p. 117: "To this day, no one really knows why Ditko quit. Bullpen sources reported he was unhappy with the way Lee scripted some of his plots, using a tongue-in-cheek approach to stories Ditko wanted handled seriously."
  34. ^ McMillan, Graeme (July 9, 2018). "Steve Ditko Was More Than Just the Guy Behind Spider-Man". Wired. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  35. ^ Burlingame, Russ (September 11, 2017). "Stan Lee Reveals Argument with Steve Ditko Over Green Goblin". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  36. ^ Ditko, Steve (2020). "Part I". The Complete Four-Page Series And Other Essays (Ditko Complains). SD Publishing. ISBN 978-1945307263 – via The Four-Page Series (2012–2015) by Steve Ditko.
  37. ^ Saffel, Steve. Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon (Titan Books, 2007) ISBN 978-1-84576-324-4, "A Not-So-Spectacular Experiment", p. 31
  38. ^ Lee, Stan; Ditko, Steve (w), Ditko, Steve (a), Goldberg, Stan (col), Simek, Art (let), Lee, Stan (ed). "Spider-Man!" Amazing Fantasy, vol. 1, no. 15 (August 1962). New York City, NY: Marvel Comics.
  39. ^ Saffel, Steve. Spider-Man the Icon: The Life and Times of a Pop Culture Phenomenon (Titan Books, 2007) ISBN 978-1-84576-324-4, p. 21.
  40. ^ Lee, Stan; Ditko, Steve (w), Ditko, Steve (a), Dee, Johnny; Duffy, John; Simek, Art (let), Lee, Stan (ed). "Spider-Man; Spider-Man vs. the Chameleon!"; "Duel to the Death with the Vulture"; "The Uncanny Threat of the Terrible Tinkerer!" The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 1–2 (March–May 1963). New York City, NY: Marvel Comics.
  41. ^ a b c d Amazing Spider-Man, The (Marvel, 1963 Series) Archived July 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine at the Grand Comics Database
  42. ^ Saffel, p. 51
  43. ^ Ditko, Steve; Lee, Stan (w), Ditko, Steve (a), Rosen, Sam (let), Lee, Stan (ed). "The Menace of the Molten Man!" The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 28 (September 1965). New York City, NY: Marvel Comics.
  44. ^ Sanderson, Peter (2007). The Marvel Comics Guide to New York City. New York City: Pocket Books. pp. 30–33. ISBN 978-1-4165-3141-8.
  45. ^ Lee, Stan (w), Romita, John (a), Lee, Stan (ed). "The Birth of a Super-Hero!" The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 42 (November 1966). New York City, NY: Marvel Comics.
  46. ^ Saffel, p. 27
  47. ^ Lee, Stan (w), Romita, John (p), Mickey Demeo (i). "Spider-Man No More!; The Spider or the Man?"" The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 50; 100 (July 1967; September 1971). New York City, NY: Marvel Comics.
  48. ^ Lee, Stan (w), Kane, Gil (p), Giacoia, Frank (i). "The Goblin's Final Gasp!" The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 96–98 (May–July 1971). New York City, NY: Marvel Comics.
  49. ^ Saffel, p. 60
  50. ^ Lee, Stan (w), Kane, Gil; Romita, John (p), Romita, John; Buscema, Sal; Garcia, Frank; Mortellaro, Tony (i), Rosen, Sam; Simek, Artie (let). "And Death Shall Come!; To Smash the Spider!"; "When Iceman Attacks!"; "The Lady and -- the Prowler!"; "Trap for a Terrorist!"; "The Goblin's Final Gasp!"; "A Day in the Life Of ---!" The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 90–93; 95; 98–99 (November 1970–February 1971; April 1971; July–August 1971). New York, NY: Marvel Comics.
  51. ^ "To address the contradiction in future reprints of the tale, though, Spider-Man's dialogue was altered so that he's referring to the Brooklyn Bridge. But the original snafu remains as one of the more visible errors in the history of comics." Saffel, p. 65
  52. ^ Sanderson, Marvel Universe, p. 84, notes, "[W]hile the script described the site of Gwen's demise as the George Washington Bridge, the art depicted the Brooklyn Bridge, and there is still no agreement as to where it actually took place."
  53. ^ Saffel, p. 65
  54. ^ Conway, Gerry (w), Kane, Gil (p), Romita, John (i), Thomas, Roy (ed). "The Night Gwen Stacy Died" The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 121–122 (June–July 1973). New York City, NY: Marvel Comics.
  55. ^ Sanderson, Marvel Universe, p. 85
  56. ^ Blumberg, Arnold T. (Spring 2006). "'The Night Gwen Stacy Died': The End of Innocence and the 'Last Gasp of the Silver Age'". International Journal of Comic Art. 8 (1): 208.
  57. ^ Sanderson, Marvel Universe, p. 83
  58. ^ Cite error: The named reference MayHeartAttacks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  59. ^ Wolfman, Marv (w), Pollard, Keith (a). The Amazing Spider-Man, vol. 1, no. 194–200 (July 1979–January 1980). New York, NY: Marvel Comics.
  60. ^ Spencer, Nick (w). "Hunted" The Amazing Spider-Man, no. 16–23 (817–824) (February–May 2019). Marvel Comics.
  61. ^ Spencer, Nick (w), Ottley, Ryan, (p). "Sins Rising, Last Remains, and "Sinister War"" The Amazing Spider-Man, no. 45–57, 69–74 (846–858, 870–875) (July 2020–January 2021, June–September 2021). Marvel Comics.
  62. ^ Wells, Zeb, Gleason, Patrick (w). "Beyond" The Amazing Spider-Man, no. 75–93 (876–894) (October 2021–March 2022). Marvel Comics.
  63. ^ a b Kupperberg, Paul (2007). The Creation of Spider-Man. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4042-0763-9.
  64. ^ Yarbrough, Beau (September 24, 2001). "Marvel to Take on World Trade Center Attack in "Amazing Spider-Man"". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 26, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
  65. ^ Staff (June 15, 2006). "Spider-Man Removes Mask at Last". BBC. Archived from the original on August 23, 2006. Retrieved September 29, 2006.
  66. ^ Brady, Matt (June 14, 2006). "New York Post Spoils Civil War #2". Newsarama. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved April 2, 2008.
  67. ^ Fingeroth, Danny (2004). Superman on the Couch. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 151. ISBN 9780826415394.
  68. ^ Woolery, George W. (1983). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part 1: Animated Cartoon Series. Scarecrow Press. pp. 267–268. ISBN 0-8108-1557-5. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  69. ^ Goodgion, Laurel F. (1978). Jana Varlejs (ed.). Young Adult Literature in the Seventies: A Selection of Readings. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 348. ISBN 0-8108-1134-0.
  70. ^ Mangels, Andy (October 2010). "Spinning the Story of the Amazing Spider-Man". Back Issue! (44). TwoMorrows Publishing: 44–48.
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